Customer Reviews

Menagerie Manor

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Unlike most other Durrel books which speak of his expeditions to study and work with animals, this one talks of him setting up his own zoo in the Channel island of Jersey. This book overturns a stereotype of the zoo as a humourless place with unhappy animals in poor conditions, at least for Durrell's zoo.

Much of the book deals with the characters he has become fond of - the "celebrity" animals in the zoo and the laughter and tears they have caused. It also speaks of the relationship between the zoo and the Jersey community - the initial reluctance followed by an outpouring of support. It also details many incidents that have occurred in the zoo, whether hilarious or touching.

A great read for all who love animals, as the author's attachment to them is felt in every page - as well as a testimony to what zoos can be within the scientific/community/ecological and environmental scale of things.

This is a great book for all those who have a special place in their hearts for animals. Gerald Durrell takes us through his experiences in setting up a zoo in Jersey. It is a marvelous book full of humor. It sends out a message about saving wildlife. So, even if you are not the one to start a zoo, this book is a must read for you!

If you like Gerald Durrel in my opinion this is one of his best books. I have read all his books and this is in the top 5.
its funny, smart, and its great how he uses descriptive and proper writing. Just look at the cover and you see him holding a tapir.
It made me laugh my butt off i highly recomend it to anyone.

Let's say, for one brief imaginary moment, that you like animals and would like to open some sort of shelter to save, protect, and perhaps exhibit them every now and then to an appreciative audience. Not just any animals mind you, like Chihuahuas and Siamese cats, but those that tend to be a bit on the exotic side like armadillos, ocelots and gorillas. You say to your spouse, "Hey, darling, what say we start a zoo?" and she comes back with the simple retort, "Blimey, that's crazy!"
Of course that's not really how Gerald Durrell came to own a zoo, but however the original conversation with his wife Jacqui began, he did come to own one. From fickle childish dreams to the real item, a unique live animal zoo was inaugurated in the Channel Islands of Jersey. Gerald, the zookeeper, tells you his story in his delightful tale, MENAGERIE MANOR.

As you may have suspected, Menagerie Manor is the name of his zoo. Gerald's sister thought the whole idea of a zoo was just another "hare-brained scheme," but on the other hand she would be somewhat relieved at getting rid of the two hundred odd animals her brother had temporarily deposited in her garden. Animal preservation, of course, was an admirable thing, but obviously her house was just not the place for it all. Eventually the real zoo began to come together at Menagerie Manor and the real adventure began.

The odd and exotic soon arrived at the Manor. We meet many animal personalities, some of whom caused Gerald no end of trouble. There was Delilah the porcupine, the Houdini escape artist, who delighted in rattling the peace of the neighboring farms. There was Millicent, the Malabar squirrel, who decided her lot in life would be that of a petty criminal who enjoyed stealing food from the tortoises. And then there was Claudius, the South American tapir, who thought it was a great idea to run off in the middle of the night to create havoc in Leonard du Feu's garden. The chase was on! In spite of it all the islanders embraced and supported the zoo.

MENAGERIE MANOR was sparkling, funny and informative. Durrell, the Cleveland Amory of the zoo set, has the knack of storytelling. Each tale he related was seemingly better than the last. I soon developed an orangutan smile that remained plastered across my face throughout the whole book. Anyone who enjoys light and airy animal stories, especially those who are self proclaimed James Herriot fans, will love this one as well.

I must admit I've never heard of the author. This popped up as a recommendation so I thought "What the heck" and got it. This is a quick read, and easy read, an educational read, and an entertaining read. I'd even be interested in meeting some reptiles, thanks to this book. Anyone who has even a remote interest in animals should be reading this; scientists who say animals have no personalities should be reading this. I think any human who takes the time to allow this information into their brains will realize we may be the loudest creatures on earth, but we're not the only interesting ones.

I first came upon this book in paperback when I was 12 years old (1972). I loved it and re-read it many times. I've read the James Herriot books aloud to my kids and they loved them. I've told them about this book and was glad to see that it's still in print. I'll be reading it it to them and hopefully it will be as great as I remembered.

Gerald Durrell is an excellent storyteller. His natural sense of humor makes the reader feel as if we are good friends with the author. The story recounts how he started his own zoo on the British channel island of Jersey. The book is easy to read and thoroughly entertaining. If you like animals and zoos, you will love this book.

This one is a set of stories chronicling Durrell's trials and tribulations with the zoo/conservatory that he built and managed for many years during his life. Although these are tales that narrate the life of a zoo-owner/keeper, Durrell brings to these narratives his excellent descriptions and his vivid sense of humor and detail. These are essential tales of various animals and their peculiarities -- the way that Durrell describes them, they seem to pop out of the book right into the room beside you. A short book, well worth a read.

I don't have anything interesting to add so will be brief. What occurred to me when reading this book was simply that it would be a good guide for students who are trying to improve their writing. Durrell knows how to engage his reader: his prose is involving and informed and in no way stilted. It's a marvelous, highly appealing style that conveys very important--and at the same time entertaining--subject matter.