Resumen My Family And Other Animals

Title
My Family and Other Animals
By Gerald Durrell

Plot Summary
My Family and Other Animals is an attempt at zoological dissertation on the island of Corfu, Greece. The novel succeeds in being a creative mixture of natural history study and autobiographical account of the Durrell family as they live on Corfu for five years. My Family and Other Animals is a humorous study on human andanimal behavior by a best-selling author of zoologically-based literature.

August has brought dreary, raining weather with it. Each family member suffers a physical ailment due, in Larry’s opinion, to the dank climate. Finally having enough brooding at the window, Larry demands the family move to Corfu. Mrs. Durrell insists the option is impossible as they have just bought their home. Despite Mrs.Durrell’s protest, the family sets sail for Corfu with only their essentials, which for each member is an assortment of equipment dedicated to their hobby. Gerald’s necessities include a butterfly net, books on natural history, and his dog, Roger. Gerald and his family watch with great expectation as the boat approaches the island.

Gerald’s family spends a day house-hunting with their hotelmanager but does not succeed in finding a villa with a bathroom. The family sets out the next day determined to find a villa with a bathroom. The unsuspecting group is surrounded by cab drivers all determined to get their fare, individually or torn to pieces. They are saved from the mob by Spiro, an English-speaking driver who quickly becomes the family’s close friend and advocate.

After a longdrive of twists, turns, and relaying of Spiro’s history, the cab driver comes to a halt in front of a strawberry-pink villa. The family instantly feel they are at home in the small villa surrounded by cypresses. Gerald encounters many unique people in his rambles around the olive groves. The most interesting is the Rose-Beetle Man, a mute peddler who sells Gerald a young tortoise on their firstmeeting. The two become fast, if silent, friends. Soon, Gerald’s morning excursions are grounded when his mother decides Larry’s friend George will be his tutor. George realizes Gerald cannot be deterred from his interest in insects and animals and decides to integrate zoology into their lessons.

Larry informs his mother he has invited a few guests to stay for an indeterminate amount of time. WhenMrs. Durrell insists there is no room at the villa Larry counters that the best option is to move to a bigger home. Mrs. Durrell is adamant they are not moving again. Mrs. Durrell capitulates and soon Spiro finds the family the daffodil-yellow villa. The house offers Gerald the opportunity to dedicate more time and space to his hobby. George has left the island leaving Gerald with complete freedomto explore his new surroundings. As Gerald explores, Larry’s guests begin to arrive in a seemingly endless stream. As conversations float over her head, Mrs. Durrell flutters around nervously as her fears that the guests will be highbrow is infinitely realized.

A mishap with a matchbox of scorpions leads to Gerald being sentenced to a French tutor, the Belgian consul. With the summer comesanother tutor, Peter who is on break from Oxford. Peter is strict at first but as he becomes interested in Margo he eases up on Gerald. Before the summer’s end Mrs. Durrell believe Peter and Margo have become too close. Peter is gotten rid of amidst high drama in the Durrell household. Margo drifts around the villa and then locks herself in the attic, while Leslie threatens to kill Peter if he stepsfoot on the island again.

It is spring again in Corfu when Great-Aunt Hermione writes that she is thinking of visiting as she believes the weather will aide in improving her health. Mrs. Durrell and her children balk at the idea of their relative staying with them, but Mrs. Durrell sees no way around it, since she has extolled the virtues of Corfu and informed her aunt they have moved to a...