Menagerie Manor (1964)

A great read!: 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!

One of his best.

The animals are the star of the show. Written 5 years after the initial founding of the Durrell Preservation Trust, this covers the initial set-up and a highlights a few of the key animal personalities that make living in a zoo such a fascinating experience.

From settling in a newly aquired creature, dealing with it's various illnesses and temprements to finding a mate and raising the young, all the problems joys and incidents are crafted with Gerald's light touch and irrepresible humour. The illustrations of the various animals are also delightful. Each chapter is headed by an exert from a the bagfulls of post the Trust recieves, often unintensionally hillarious.

There is mention of Gerald's first wife Jaquie - which surprised me because she doens't feature much in the earlier books, and I wasn't aware he had been previously married before he met Lee as recounted in some later works. I don't think he allowed any personnal disagreements space in his writings.

Short but immensly enjoyable, full of Gerald's devotion to the forna around him and the imperitive requirement of preserving it for the future. ( )