Menagerie Manor
by Gerald Durrell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gerald DurrellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-30
ISBN: 0143038532
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Menagerie Manor
Book Review: Anyone who enjoys light and airy animal stories is going to love this one ... get ready to smile!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Summary of Menagerie Manor
Menagerie Manor is sure to delight fans of Durrell?s beloved classic My Family and Other Animals and other accounts of his lifelong fascination with members of the animal kingdom. With his unfailing charm, Durrell tells the story of how he finally fulfilled his childhood dream of founding his own private zoo, the Manor of Les Augres, on the English Channel island of Jersey. With the help of an enduring wife, a selfless staff, and a reluctant bank manager, the zoo grows, and readers are treated to a colorful parade of the zoo?s unusual animal inhabitants.
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