I have always been a huge admirer and aficionado of Claire Balding, as she is my heroine in both the equestrian and sports world but in the journalism world too because of my combined love of horses and her career. From the perspective of an animal lover, horse rider and equestrian devotee this book was a must-have as soon as I noticed it in the bookshop, with its cover standing out on the bookshelf as something quite eye-catching. I have read many autobiographies about celebrities, horse riders and sports professionals but none of them are as spectacularly fantastic and as interesting as Claire Balding’s. She puts so much of her heart and soul into this insightful narrative that you feel very much a part of her world, and which I concider as a gift, a real treat for all fans of this highly renound and recognizable celebrity/ sports journalist and distinctive name in the horse world. It is the animals, the famous horses and top horse and rider combinations that make her such a universally loved figure in television, and that she speaks of so warmly and honestly in this delightful book that you are unable to put down. The National Youth Music Theatre performed the musical theatre The Carnival of the Animals at Fort Regent, Jersey as a tribute to Gerald Durrell in 1984. Gerald Durrell reminds me so much of William Smith as Smith is depicted in a biography: The Map That Changed the World by Simon Winchester. Smith spent twenty-two years piecing together the fragments of this unseen universe to create an epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map. His discoveries of fossils in 1793, while digging a canal in Britain, enabled (in a nutshell) for Charles Darwin(1809-1882) to become famous. Gerry discovers a small archipelago after the family invests in an outboard engine for their boat the Sea Cow, though they forbid him from taking it out himself. Gerry asks Leslie to build him a boat for his birthday. Two weeks later, Leslie unveils the boat. It's round and strange, but Gerry loves it. He names it the Bootle-Bumtrinket. Its launch is eventful when Peter gets dumped into the water. The party that night is amazing, and Gerry receives two puppies that Larry names Widdle and Puke. Not long after, the family decides that Margo and Peter have become too fond of each other, so Mother fires Peter. Margo cries and pouts dramatically for weeks. Leslie rigs up a complicated system of guns when he notices items missing from the Sea Cow but doesn't share this with the family. When he shoots at the thieves, Mother fears Margo committed suicide. Though this event causes Margo to stop pouting, she does take the Bootle-Bumtrinket out to a small island to pout in peace and receives a very painful sunburn on her eyelids.

I inhabit this book. I walk through the olive groves and swim in the crystal seas of pre-war Corfu. I think I can never go to Greece because of this book. I would want the taxis to be horse-drawn, and the small boys to be ranging freely about the island.Gradually the magic of the island settled over us as gently and clingingly as pollen. Each day had a tranquility, a timelessness, about it, so that you wished it would never end. But then the dark skin of night would peel off and there would be a fresh day waiting for us, glossy and colourful as a child’s transfer and with the same tinge of unreality."

Most people would probably find the Durrells and their pets quite bizarre. When they were coming to England by train a ‘disgracefully efficient official’ at the Swiss frontier described them in a form: 'One travelling Circus and Staff'. Theodore, an "expert" on most sciences, but more importantly, Gerry's mentor on zoology and botany; Gerry's teacher. One of the most comical characters in the book. Known for his chivalry and wrestling skills. Which turned out to be quite virtual.Wildlife Preservation Canada established the Gerald Durrell Society in 2006 as recognition for individuals who have made legacy gifts. I say, Mr. Durrell, introducing your wildly entertaining family was the icing on the cake to this spectacular tale! The way Gerald Durrell describes them is unbeatable. He casts a spell on you not only when he portrays quite spectacular species but also quite prosaic ones. I laughed at so many of the personal anecdotes, savored the beautiful descriptions of the island, and was entertained by his interactions with many of the island locals. The encounter with the Rose-beetle Man (what a fantastic figure this man must have been!), a meeting with a convict let out for a temporary jaunt, and the appointments with various tutors (including one with quite the impressive bird collection) all pointed to the fact that Gerry lived quite an extraordinary young life. I expected to be amused by and pleased with this story, but what I found to be a pleasant surprise was that Gerald Durrell could really write! I didn’t just highlight the funny stuff (although there are loads of those bits marked up too), but passages like this one left me gaga over his choice of words:

Did I mention that I LOVED this experience? Well, there you have it. Brilliant. The reader became part of the family, of the picturesque island, of all the peasant neighbors and every single adventure by the lure of the prose. One of the best memoirs I have read in a very long time. Poking fun at himself, first and foremost, and then at his nuclear blood relations, as well as his adopted island 'family', just made this an adorable, wonderful, charming, delightful read. I read the 2004 edition. Numerous individual animals of rare species born in captivity have been named "Gerry" or "Gerald" as homage to Durrell, among them the first Aldabra giant tortoise born in captivity. Keeley Hawes leads the cast of new ITV drama The Durrells". ITV Press Centre. March 2016 . Retrieved 6 November 2016. Questo è l'unico difetto che sono riuscito a trovare nel libro. Devo ammettere che ho saltato alcune pagine, cosa che faccio molto raramente quando leggo. Patient. Practical. Sane which seems to be quite an exception in this family. Adorable. You might try not to love her but you won't stand a ghost of a chance. Her hobbies are cooking and gardening.

Every chapter heralds another animal from the past. Excellent read for the detailing of all these proud various creatures. Filled with depth and all kinds of asides of incredible interest beyond what you would connect to this kind of undertaking.