Customer Reviews

Marrying Off Mother and Other Stories

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another engaging, rambling account of Gerald Durrell's interesting,to say the least, childhood. The title story recounts the attempts made by the brood to marry off their mother for her "benefit", in their words. The chaos and tumult that follow must be read to be really appreciated. The other stories in the book describe in vivid detail some of the amazing incidents that happened during the family's stay on the beautiful island that is Corfu. Definitely worth spending many afternoons re-reading this book, with a cup of hot chocolate and cookies.You might think you were one of the many guests this family has had.

I read this book hoping for another gem like "My Family and Other Animals". Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

Although "Marrying Off Mother" has much of the same wonderful timing & wit that's in other Durrell books, it seems to be missing their soul. This is a cynical book, and the timing & wit (that in earlier books shows Durrell's innonence and passion) conveys smugness and superiority in "Marrying off Mother". This attitude wears thin pretty quickly.

If you're interested in reading Durrell, I strongly recommend "My Family and Other Animals". But not this book.

I had high hopes of being impressed, but the 8 stories fell short of the expectaions created by that fine novel 'My Family and Other Animals'.

Yes there are flashes of the Durell humour, but the quality of the writing is sometimes strained - especially apparant in 'Marrying Off Mother' where information about things and people ate given in terse little bites that do not have the charm of a more full-bodied development. Also some of the stories are too improbable for suspension of disbelief, ie. the story of the gambling nun. 'The Jury' is like something out of 'Tales of the Unexpected' or 'Tales from the Dark side', and bears some resemblence to Somerset Maugham's darker tales of Malaya. Also some of the world-weary author comes through in the stories, which means the wry and humourous 'voice' of ten year old Durell, created so beautifully in 'My Family and Other Animals' is merely imitated. The only place it fully succeeds is in Antoine's little speech in 'Marrying Off Mother' - which is worth reading the whole book for!

Perhaps I am being grossly unfair in expecting something like 'My Family and Other Animals' - each book and story should stand on its own. It is worth reading just to get a taste of what other things interested Durell. Some of the stories do not actually have animals in them!

One of Durrell's best! Sadly he died in 1995 and he is missed by his many fans. Suggestion: Buy and read all of his books. There's an education to be had and many laughs to enjoy.

The only good stories in this book were "Marrying off Mother" and the story of Esmerelda the truffle pig. It tided me over until I found the sequel to "My Family and Other Animals" - "Birds, Beasts and Relatives".

Glad I borrowed this one from the library...

This is an extremely funny book and I would highly recommend it for any fan of Durrell. Yes, it's not PC, but that's exactly what makes it even more precious. A gem.

Another entertaining offering from Gerald Durrell although some of the stories are a bit on the more fanciful line as opposed to his normal wildlife related narrations. But an entertaining read regardless!

No one brings the beauty of the natural world home in quite the relaxed and convivial way that Durrel manages to. Accidents and incidents with odd people and unusual animals are told in a style that drips with escapism without the usual baggage of sentimentality. If you liked My family and Other animal then this is certainlky for you.

The British are famous for one kind of humor, but then there is also another, which is somewhat ...less dry. Gerald Durrell's boisterous stories are each one a rollicking madcap farce. His delight in the absurd will not be new to readers who are acquainted with his memoirs of his early years in Corfu, and his wildly unconventional and ever entertaining family.

This book, Marrying Off Mother, is (mostly) a collection of humorous stories detailing his travels, peopled by a host of oddball characters parading a dazzling array of eccentricities. Durrell's richly colorful language invokes images dripping with vividness. Here's his description of `Miz' Magnolia -

"...like a thread of smoke clad in chiffon and scent, tinkling with jewels, fragile as a will-o'-the-wisp, blue eyes big as saucers, the delicate skin of her throat hanging down like victory banners of her successful survival."

Whether he's trying to understand the intricate social order of the American South, or attempting to find the wellsprings of mirth in his earnest young German friend, Durrell's sense of humor is always revelatory of a robust exultation in the quirks of humans, not to mention animals. His description of the truffle-hunting porker, Esmeralda, has a tenderness and detail that an Art Historian might reserve for a Renaissance Madonna.

Like many other humorists, there is an undercurrent of tragedy in his work too. There are certainly some examples of those here; and then, there is the macabre "The Jury", that's startlingly reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe.

`Fact' is a thorny issue when it comes to memoirs. There are some stories here that seem to lack first person authenticity, and some that are decidedly suspect. Could they all possibly be true? The author makes a charming disclaimer about that at the beginning of the book. After all, lying is one thing, but creatively fictionalizing the truth? Well, that's the art of writing.

One disadvantage that a humorist faces is that our idea of `funny' changes with time. While Gerald Durrell might find feather-brained females amusing, today's readers might be able to relate to it on the same level as Marilyn Monroe's dumb blonde act - it's dated. There are other wince-worthy moments too - perhaps in some distant era, one could have looked at the enabling of alcoholics, and the antics of pedophile priests with an indulgent eye. Now, we're merely embarrassed for the writer.

Comics are hardly ever politically correct, but in one way, Gerald Durrell was way ahead of his times. All his life, he was an animal lover; and most of his adult life, he was a zoologist and conservationist, championing the rights of "the great voteless and voiceless majority". Much of the profits from his books went towards supporting his cause - the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Gerald Durrell is really a top notch comic writer with a grasp of details that will please.