My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account of Durrell’s family’s experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glow worms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home.

When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, grey English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu.