I understand the existence of abridged versions for children, to make the book more easily digested, but this does not seem to be the goal of this version. It is just that an abridged version like this one does not make a lot of sense to me. The spirit of the book is kept though, and Hugh Bonneville delivers a good narration with decent accents and characters’ interpretations. To my disappointment, the part in which Margo kisses Saint Spiridioin’s feet is also not included, as well as any mention of Lugaretza, Kralefsky, Kosti, or Dodo, among others. In hindsight, I should have looked harder and listened to the Nigel Davenport version, released in 2016, as Bonneville’s version is abridged and it skips many passages, and even complete chapters like The Rose-Beetle, The Talking Flowers, The Chessboard Fields, and An Entertainment with Animals. This review is about the audiobook released in 2010 and narrated by Hugh Bonneville. This book is a hoot for any child that likes animals, and it is difficult not to feel envious of Gerry’s childhood. I imagined myself being like Gerry when I went with my family to the beach or kept spiders in glass jars at home. I absolutely love the trilogy, and I have read more books by Gerald Durrell, finding them all absolutely endearing and funny, but the Corfu trilogy has a special place in my heart. I also watched the several adaptations that were made for TV, being the one with Brian Blessed my absolute favorite, perhaps because it was my first encounter with Gerry and Corfu when I was a little child. I have read this book numerous times in English and Spanish (my mother tongue). Other human characters, chiefly eccentric, include Gerald's private tutors, the artistic and literary visitors Larry invites to stay, and the local peasants who befriend the family.
They are fiercely protected by their taxi-driver friend Spiro (Spyros "Americano" Chalikiopoulos) and mentored by the polymath Dr Theodore Stephanides who provides Gerald with his education in natural history.
Apart from Gerald (the youngest) and Larry, the family comprised their widowed mother, the gun-mad Leslie, and diet-obsessed sister Margo together with Roger the dog. The book is divided into three sections, marking the three villas in which the family lived on the island. The book is an autobiographical account of five years in the childhood of naturalist Gerald Durrell. Published by CSA Word on September 13, 2010 My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
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