Customer Reviews

Gerald Durrell: The Authorized Biography

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Botting has done a first rate job covering the life of Gerald Durrell. One of the obstacles Botting had too overcome was the great familiarity of the various events in Durrell's life that Durrell himself recorded in his 37 books. Of course, not all 37 books were autobiographical, but a good many were and the reader who has read even just one or two of Durrell's books will get a sense of deja-vu. But where Durrell always molded his tales into humourous and engaging stories, Botting approached them as an historian. For the first time, we get dates and places. By the by, fans of Larry Durrell will find Bottings book an asset, as the lives of the Durrell brothers were - like many brothers - quite entwined.

Botting also does a first rate job in placing Durrell's achievment and accomplishments amongst his fellow conservationists: Gerald Durrell really was one of the great.

PS. Now only if Durrell's video series were available for home purchase.

I always thought of Gerry Durrell as my own secret discovery, and gave copies of his books to all my friends. Also visited the Jersey Trust twice....well worth it. This book reads like the diary of an old and dear friend, sharing much and explaining a lot. He was ahead of us all in his love for the endangered earth and its living creatures.

This must be one of the best biographies I have read about anyone. Douglas Botting is to be congratulated on his meticulous research and unbiased approach. He gives us a wonderful insight into this complex man's extraordinary life. All 607 pages are highly readable and I found it hard to put the book down. I particularly enjoyed the account of Durrell's happy go lucky, unconventional childhood in Greece surrounded by his mad mad family. As Gerald Durrell would have wanted, there is a lively quality about the telling of his story. There were so many facets to this man's character and Botting has been at pains to dig deep to bring these to the fore. Having read Durrell's books many years ago I found myself enjoying the adventures of his life all over again, but in a different way, now that I understand more about the man and his background. I feel this is a 'must' read for anyone who has enjoyed Gerald Durrell's books

Douglas Botting makes a fairly good job of Durrell's biography. Lavishly illustrated with rare photographs, with numerous quotations from Durrell's personal notebooks thrown in for good measure,this book sheds a new light on the life of one of the most amazing men of the 20th century. However, this book is recommended for Durrell fans, and not for the plain inquisitive who want to bone up on the life and times of Gerald Durrell.They would do better to stick to the Gerald Durrell accounts .The author has a tendency of repeating parts of the Durrell accounts in his own words,and relying too much on the Durrell works as his guide( but then again it is difficult to pick up the thread of people and events as many as 50 years later, with a world war inbetween ). All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable 600-pager that Durrell fans will devour in no time at all. Judging by this one,the Gavin Maxwell biography should be well worth reading ..

Douglas Botting's biography of Gerald Durrell is a whacking great book, over 600 pages long. But then, the environmentalist, naturalist, humorist, best-selling author and adventurer was a whacking great personality. His riotous enjoyment of life and his passionate, loving struggles for animal conservation fly off the pages. It's an absorbing, hugely appealing story. Durrell should have been immortal, for the good of the Earth. Published by ... etc.

A mammoth book for an equally large individual, in bulk and spirit. Having read Durrell's first books, was equally curious about the author and was not disappointed..looked forward to each page, particularly his expeditions if not his highly personal life with his two wives. His alcohol consumption was simply sad, and even though the author states it may not have affected his work, I wonder what he would have achieved if he had not been looking forward to each drink, beginning in the morning. But he is a hero to me, and has opened up the wonders of Madagascar, and hopefully to the continuing need to perserve its fauna and flora.

A well researched formal biography. A must for every Durrell's fan - I bought it myself immediately. It has two strong points: (a) the information is for the first time collected in one book; (b) it has rare photos published for the first time. But: (a) it contains very few new (or unknown information); (b) it's bloody boring - sorry, but one cannot compete with Gerald Durrell when writing. The great man, who made a sacrifice out of his own life to save animals and to entertain the general public in order to get funds to do so, in this book looks like a museum preserved speciman; (c) the biographer didn't know Durrell personally and didn't interview people left behind the scenes of other books - for example, "Primedia" people from Canada - Pat Ferns, Donna Dudinsky (who made Durrell in Russia possible), Nikolai Drozdov - the Soviets response to David Attenborough, etc, etc... Buy it (as I did), but I advise to get "A portrait of Gerald Durrell" by David HughesHimself & Other Animals - A Portrait of Gerald Durrell

Douglas Botting's new biography of Gerald Durrell, a charming man whose unique Zoo, Wild Life Preservation Trust and deeply touching , hilarious stories have saved many an animal from extinction and moved people around the world to join the conservation effort, is an "xtrordenry" tale of one man's dream come true. Botting's obvious fascination with Durrell's personality and mission, good grasp of the world of nature and travel, as well as his humorous streak, are an ideal mix of credentials for someone attempting to recount a story of this supreme "raconteur."

After a vivid depiction of Durrell's colorful early childhood in colonial India, Botting perceptively discerns and fits together all the pieces of Gerald's adolescent years that made him into a shy but passionate and original man with a unique vision. It was in the enchanted atmosphere of pre-war Corfu, with its unspoilt fauna and picturesque dwellers, that Durrell's free spirit and sense of wonder first blossomed, enhanced by the lack of stiflingly uniform influence of formal schooling. His widowed mother's warm devotion and faith in Gerald's endeavors, creative encouragement from his older brother and budding writer Lawrence, coupled with his tutors' idiosyncratic influences and the island's offer of the freedom to explore the natural world, all combined to account for the very unconventionality of Durrell's upbringing and personality that would later make people yield to his charisma and daring.

Botting manages to stay true to the spirit of Gerald Durrell, as if the magic firefly of the epilogue lights up his way throughout the book. I also liked Botting's impartiality in dealing with such complicated emotional roller-coasters as Gerald's relationship with his first wife Jacquie and his alcohol problem, which he never downplays, at the same time managing to convey Durrell's intrinsic honesty and charm. The only regret that will forever haunt this biography is that Durrell unfortunately didn't have time to pen it himself.

I have always loved Gerald Durrell's works, and thus was looking forward to learning more about him as a person. I am now bogged down half way through this large biography, and must report that I have learned little or nothing new of any significance. Indeed, the first half of the book consists largely of material from Mr. Durrell's own works. After pointing out several times that Mr. Durrell's writings were often inaccurate, Mr. Botting's reliance on them for his own biography seems somewhat inconsistent, to say the least. One can obtain the same information more enjoyably and more informatively from reading Mr. Durrell's (and, indeed, Jacquie Durrell's) own works. The essence of Gerald Durrell may be found in his own writings; it will not be found in this biography.