Gerald Durrell’s beloved account of his childhood in Corfu, now in Penguin Modern Classics for the first time

'Durrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities' - Sunday Telegraph

‘My collection of animals swelled to a point where even Mother occasionally grew alarmed’

The island of Corfu, where the Durrell family live in agreeable chaos, is paradise for aspiring naturalist Gerald. His battalion of creatures has grown to include eleven puppies, a toad named Dierdre and an unwelcome infestation of scorpions. Yet the human visitors to their sun-drenched villa are even more curious, whether it is an innocent pair of American painters ripe for practical jokes, or a supercilious Count who barely survives an outing on Gerald’s home-made boat, the Bootle-bumtrinket. The third volume in the Corfu Trilogy brings this glorious tale of halcyon days to a close.

"Durrell effortlessly immerses us in glittering bays and sun-shined olive groves" - Sunday Times

"Teeming with weird astonishments" - Sunday Times

"Durrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities" - The Sunday Telegraph

"This book will delight many readers, even those who can't stand spiders" - The Evening Standard