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It takes me awhile to finish Durrell's books. They're not meant to be hurried through. When I do finish I'm a little sad, because I want him to just keep telling me more and more stories.

I was afraid this one might not measure up to the first one, My Family and Other Animals. But this second one was every bit as enchanting and entertaining as the first. The two books give an account of the years the Durrell family spent living on the Greek island of Corfu in the 1930s.

Gerry was the youngest in his family by a far margin, and was only about 10 years old when they moved from England to Greece. He spent these years as a budding naturalist, roaming the island collecting specimens and pets of every variety: insects, reptiles, birds, mammals, and sea creatures. To his family's dismay, he brought most of these critters home to live in his indoor menagerie. More often than not there were disastrous and/or hilarious results.

Meanwhile, Gerry's mother, sister, and brothers entertained a colorful variety of visitors both local and foreign. Some of the zaniest parts of the book are these visitor escapades. I must say, many of these characters were fun to read about but I don't think I'd want them around for long. A little too much of the wrong kind of excitement for me.

I envy Gerald Durell's idyllic youth in such a specatular setting. These are two books I will read again.