Clara’s Verdict
The third volume of Gerald Durrell’s Corfu Trilogy is, in some ways, the richest of the three – though “richest” in the Durrell sense means packed with anecdote, chaos, and natural history delivered as high comedy. The Garden of the Gods runs alongside rather than after the events of My Family and Other Animals and Birds, Beasts and Relatives, revisiting the pre-war years on Corfu through a slightly different lens. Christopher Timothy’s narration makes it feel like a very distinguished relative telling you about the best years of his life – warmly, without vanity, and with an instinctive sense of timing.
About the Audiobook
The Durrell family’s five years on Corfu remain one of British literary memory’s most fondly preserved possessions, and Durrell returns to them here with all his characteristic gifts intact: the eye for the absurd, the deep affection for the island’s wildlife, and the affectionate but merciless portraiture of his own extraordinary family. Gerald’s animal-collecting continues to alarm the household – creatures materialise in the villa and, on one memorable occasion, in the fridge. His older siblings pursue their own chaotic lives with equal lack of self-awareness.
What distinguishes this volume from the others is a slight autumnal quality – a sense that the writer knows the idyll is ending, that the war is coming, that this way of life cannot last. It gives the comedy a quality of elegy that sharpens the pleasure considerably. At six hours and sixteen minutes, it is the shortest of the three books, but it is perfectly formed: there is not a wasted scene.
The Narration
Christopher Timothy – best known, of course, as James Herriot in the television adaptations – brings exactly the right qualities to this material. There is warmth without sentimentality, wit without archness, and a patient, unhurried quality that suits the Mediterranean setting. He is particularly good at the animal scenes, lending them a gravity that makes the comedy work better. The voices are distinct without caricature. It’s a performance that respects both the writing and the listener.
What Readers Say
The handful of UK reviews this volume has attracted are uniformly enthusiastic. “Happily has more humour, animals, mad family members and eccentric friends a-plenty,” wrote one listener, with the practical self-reminder that she must stop reading these on the Tube. Another noted, sensibly, that anyone comparing the books to the recent ITV series The Durrells should be warned that only the name of the island and the family are shared. “Yes Corfu and yes the family names are right – that is it!!!” GWCarter observed, in capitals that suggest strong feeling on the point.
Who Should Listen?
For anyone who has already read or listened to the first two volumes – and has not yet got here – this is essential. For those new to the trilogy, start with My Family and Other Animals: you’ll want the full context. More broadly, this is exactly the kind of audiobook to listen to on a warm afternoon with nothing urgent pending – a piece of writing that asks nothing of you except to be charmed.
Listen to The Garden of the Gods on Audible UK and spend six hours on a sun-drenched Corfu that existed, briefly, before everything changed.
