Bought from Dave's Banana Warehouse in York today.

It's been a few years since I read a Durrell book (The Bafut Beagles) and it turns out I seem to be picking up the story where it left off, as this book accounts Durrell's second journey back to Cameroon and the Bafut area - once again on another animal collecting expedition. As with the other book, this can feel a little uncomfortable at times, and you have to remember this was going on in the 1950s - times and attitudes have changed. Here Durrell wants to create his own zoo, having grown tired of collecting animals only to give them away to various zoos in Europe. But he is so ill prepared he doesn't even have a zoo ready for the animals, so they end up staying in his mother's garden for a good while before he gets himself sorted. He does eventually sort out a zoo in the Channel islands, which I think he ended up being famous for?!

There are a variety of animals with different personalities and stories. I think the apes and monkeys end up being the ones that stick in your memory. There's a little troop of monkeys who love eating grubs but are terrified of the things until they've bitten them in half. Georgiana the baboon who gets up to mischief jumping out on people to scare them for fun - continuing this when she is overwintering in a department store (that really did feel uncomfortable, imagining all the animals in their little cages in a shopping centre to be gawked at) getting loose and running around the shop floor. And the little chimp Chumly, who surprises Durrell with his memory when they're travelling about in England, recognising the countryside close by to pubs where he has been treated well; and remembering the process of getting petrol into the lambretta when they go back to the garage for the second time.

The star of the show has to be the Fon of Bafut, who is still alive and kicking since the previous book. He's an old man now, I think Durrell writes that he is in his 80s. Yet he has the energy of a young man, and is laughing and partying to the wee small hours, still very keen on his whisky and gin. There's a few letters and notes sent between Durrell and some of the locals in this book; this is an exchange between him and the Fon that made me laugh out:

"My good friend, would you like to come and have a drink with us this evening at eight o'clock? Your friend, Gerald Durrell.

My good friend, expect me a 7.30pm. Thanks. Your good friend, Fon of Bafut." (p 110)

This is setting sail... well, going on a flight... to Finland to a bookmoocher, along with a book about Singapore. Happy Reading!

Received via Bookmooch.

Bookcrossing shelf of the Pispala Library House.

Took it from the bc-shelf.

Send it to a bookmoocher to USA.