This book remains my favorite piece of literature and, yes, despite ’Larry’s’ ardent criticism... I consider it great
literature. No other book comes as close with its poignant, intelligent humor. Despite the broad, learned vocabulary, the reader can actually see the family sitting about arguing and insulting each other lightly and so in brainy ways. One almost would kill to have grown up amid such verbal banter and dextrous wordplay.
The first time I read this book I was 14, riding an airplane to visit my grandmother in Seattle; I laughed so hard the businessman seated beside me grew impatient and wanted to know wh
at on earth could be that funny. I read a little out loud to him and continued to do so. By the end of the trip, there were three people behind me listening and those in front, and to the side; the laughter was very loud and the stewardess would walk by often, straining to hear more.
Such was the magic of this book; it is funny to all kinds of people, young, old, different cultures, etc. Almost everyone whom reads it loves the book and so over and over again. The later books in the series were about half as good, though still worth reading.
The scientific observations insterspersed throughout the book require patience to read, but are educational and thought provoking. Mr. Durrell had the gift of good dialouge and was a maestro of human description. He left nothing out about one’s faults nor the correlating details of one’s actions.
It is really a series of short, humorous stories between natural science journal entries. One story in particular is my favorite: the boy narrating finds a nice scorpion to take home (he collected animals and cared for them in his room like a zoo) whom has small babies all over it’s back. With care he gets the scorpion into a match-box and takes it homes. His eldest (rather pompous) brother finds the match box and opens it while conversing, thinking that matches are inside. Chaos ensues, of course.
Several chapters are devote to discourse between family members and the various guests. Human folly is most often the topic of disucssion and the family merely adds to it.
The greatest lesson learned within the pagesof this book is: be careful what you say, for, even in a family setting, it will be remembered and so in vivid detail... let alone with exageration.
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Plot Revealed In The Review:
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Somewhat revealed
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