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My Family and Other Animals
- Narrated by: Nigel Davenport
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
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My Family and Other Animals
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Publisher's Summary
What the critics say
What listeners say about My Family and Other Animals
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Cindy
- 2021-01-17
Not As Expected
While this novel is well written, the story development lacks the attention needed to keep the audience interested. Only well suited to animal and insect lovers as the description of this menagerie goes into great detail repeatedly. While I got a few chuckles, the story dragged on. The end is the best.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joy Townsend
- 2022-03-08
Made me laugh
Gerald Durrell was a master at describing people and places. The first in the series, looking forward to listening to the next one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- T.K.
- 2008-06-21
A thoroughly delightful book!
I found this superb, well-written and extremely well-narrated audiobook to be a delight. The tale itself is a riviting "page-turner" unlike any other. And the fantastic reader/narrator truly made me believe I was hearing each and every character very distinctly, as he is a marvel with accents and intonation and deadpan humor. I laughed out loud many, many times as I followed the very eccentric ex-pat English family into - and out of - their adventures in Greece, as seen through their naive and wonderfully animal-crazy young son. I could relate so much to this story, as I was a similar, very curious ex-pat child myself, driving my family to distraction with stray and wild critters I brought home, marveling at each one. But I would recommend this audiobook to anyone, ex-pat or not, at any age above 12, and even whethor or not they've traveled a bit with their families. Anyone can appreciate the quirks of other cultures and people as told in this book. There are many memorable moments in the book, but I will never forget "Boodle Trinketbottom" as long as I live! This book absolutely earns five stars!
98 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Bronwyn
- 2008-01-16
The original dysfunctional family
Having first read this book over 30 years ago I was eager to relive the experience. The audio book did not disappoint. Durrell writes one anecdote after another and all of them are a delight. This book is light, witty, wonderful entertainment.
His writing is deliciously descriptive and makes Corfu sound completely irresistible. It also makes his family sound gloriously insane. I loved every minute of it just as I did the first time around. This book made me an instant Durrell convert who then went on to read every book of his that I could find.
76 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J and M
- 2016-12-16
Another kid lit favorite.
When my kids were in school, I would always read or listen to the books they were reading on their reading lists so we could discuss them, thus build comprehension and understanding. There was a time when the majority of my reading was kid lit, since they were rarely on the same book, and I needed to keep up with each of them. Audiobooks became a must for me. And, this is one of many of the kid lit books that I loved. This story cracked me up. This book is laugh out loud funny, and full of dry humor. And, I still repeat listen to it for the simple entertainment. The narrator, Nigel Davenport has perfect delivery for cracking you up, evoking emotions, and keeping you captivated.
34 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2010-12-09
Charming, hilarious memoir
This is one of my favorite books of all times. I've read it over and over. It is the story of a very eccentric family that decides to move to Corfu to escape the dreary English winters. Each person in the story is unique in his or her own way. The true story is narrated by the youngest member, a boy of nine or ten at the outset. His love of native animals, which he brings home and attempts to raise in the household will make you cry with laughter. An absolute classic.
19 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leanne Golliher
- 2016-09-09
Best book ever!
This is the funniest book I have ever read. The narrator was perfect with excellent accents for the variety of characters. I have never laughed so much from a book. I was terribly sad it ended.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ted
- 2016-05-30
Still charming
Davenport reads this beautifully, and I can see why, in my junior high school days, I was such an enthusiastic Gerald Durrell fan: the jolly tone, the exotic locale, the focus on wildlife, the amusingly eccentric family, the occasional slapstick misadventure, the seemingly carefree existence that the boyish hero enjoys, etc. Today I'm a little more resistant to the book's relentless sunniness, but no one does it better than Durrell.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Crochetaway
- 2012-10-20
I had high hopes, but....
I totally agree with Steven from CA. The author, a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist is obviously very knowledgeable about the animal world, but the tedious descriptions of animals and insects wear thin after awhile, and I didn't find the stories about the family to be funny at all. They get tired of the weather in England, so they pick up and move to a Greek island. I found myself wondering what they were living on?? The mother is a widow and the author is the youngest of 4 children, yet I didn't hear anything about any of them working for a living. Just hanging out on this Greek island. Nice life, if you can do it!! Anyway, maybe I'm too practical. I was looking for a book to follow up my re-reading of the James Herriot stories, but James Herriot was one-of-a-kind. To sum up, I did not finish the book, but I DID listen to more than half of it. This book was not offensive at all, (no F-bombs, etc) It just didn't hold my interest.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lyric G. Eads
- 2017-01-19
Different and interesting
I didn't find this as funny as it was purported to be, but it was lively and interesting. Narrator does an excellent job - I particularly loved Spiro's gravelly voice. I didn't mind the nature bits, as they were part and parcel of the overall story ménage. The mother must have been one of the most sanguine people ever - I wouldn't have put up with half of what she did but if she hadn't been so malleable, half the fun wouldn't have happened!
13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2016-10-30
Totally mesmerizing !
Very interesting & entertaining. A great companion to the PBS series "The Durells in Corfu",which is brilliant. Looking forward to listening to the entire Trilogy! Incredible narration. Not to be missed by any Masterpiece Theater fans.
11 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Julie
- 2007-11-16
More family, fewer animals - please!
A really nicely written and narrated story about an eccentric family, as told by the youngest son. The son is obsessed with animals and at least half the story is comprised of detailed, tedious descriptions of animals. I guess I should have known - seeing as how the title pretty much says it all! Anyway, the family interactions and activities are very fun and entertaining and make up for the less appealing parts.
10 people found this helpful