Comments on: Daily Mammal Book Club: MFAOA 1

By: Jennifer Rae Atkins

Jennifer Rae Atkins — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:12:00 +0000

This is a satisfying discussion so far! I've posted another installment here.

By: Leah

Leah — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:06:00 +0000

@clare – sorry, I should have use quotation marks – didn’t think about it being misleading.

By: Clare

Clare — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:13:00 +0000

@ Grace -- my mother complains about the rich descriptions, too! She says it's not at all like the Greek islands she remembers.

I sometimes think he was trying to compete with Larry; but who can say... As I get older, I like more and more the leisurely pace of the books, but I do occasionally get impatient with the descriptions, and I'm all 'do another funny story about animals doing something disgusting to upset your family.'

@ Leah -- just to clarify, that pic is from the TV series. There have been two, both lovely.

By: grace

grace — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Am I the only one who thinks Gerald sometimes is too descriptive? I feel like he overdoes the use of adjectives in some cases. But I am enjoying the book–although only through 4 chapters so far.

By: Leah

Leah — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:05:00 +0000

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/myfamily/durrell.html

There is a cute photo of Gerry, Spiro and Roger at this site.

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:39:00 +0000

I’ve just read a biography of Gerald Durrell and it mentions the Larry thing – in fact Larry was not living with them at the time. He lived in a separate house with his wife and only visited occasionally. I think it just makes for a better story with all the family all together, so I can understand why the book gives that impression.

The whole book didn’t make me want to go to Corfu as such, but it did make me long for such an idyllic childhood. All the stories about snakes in the bath or bugs under the bed or whatever made me both laugh, and wish that I could do the same – that I had a family tolerant enough, or that I had a room big enough to keep such ‘pets’ of my own.

By: Clare

Clare — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:30:00 +0000

I visited Corfu as a small child. I remember it being very, very bright; and seeing grannies dressed in black bringing their shopping home from the market on the backs of donkeys.

My father found a tortoise for us -- it was gold and black and about the size of a dinner plate.

My copy of the book has photos in it -- Nancy is in some of those. She and Larry divorced eventually, so perhaps that's why she's not so much mentioned.

I like Margo's mangled proverbs, and her Turkish boyfriend who had no fear.