I’m going to say it: I struggled to read this month. It’s been hard for me to focus. This is due to the worry associated with the global pandemic, the stress about our uncertain future, and the fact that my Kindle reader broke. I’m mostly reading books through the Kindle app on my iPhone, and I just get distracted and wander away from the book too easily.
This minor plight drove me to pick up one of the only hard copy books we have on board, a memoir titled My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. This book was special to me before I even read it; it’s the reason that Garrett and I went to Corfu last summer, and then, by natural progression, to Santorini, where I purchased this volume from the beautiful little Atlantis Bookshop. My Family and Other Animals is even more special to me now that I read it, but I’ll get into that in my review. I also read Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. Below are my thoughts on each.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell was the happy book I needed to escape inside this month. As I already alluded, this memoir holds a special place in my heart. Written by the youngest member of the Durrells, it tells the story of the family’s five-year escape from England to Corfu in the 1930s. This book inspired the PBS Masterpiece Theater television show The Durrells in Corfu, a series that both Garrett and I loved so much that it inspired us to kick off our 2019 European summer in Corfu. If you haven’t watched the show, now is a great time to start, because it provides the type of happy, light-hearted escapism so many of us are craving. The same goes for this book. I loved it! The characters—quirky Mrs. Durrell, snobbish eldest son Larry, simple Leslie, aloof Margot, curious youngest sibling Gerry, and all of their local friends—are all just so pleasant and enjoyable and slightly odd; the perfect combination to make them both lovable and laughable. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you’re looking for something happy to read.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane was beautifully written. I was drawn in by the straightforward and well-crafted prose immediately. This novel tells the story of young neighbors Kate and Peter, their inescapable bond, and the tragedy that tears their families apart but also keeps them connected for a lifetime. I’ll warn that the story is not light. It’s heavy. It deals with mental illness and strained relationships and alcoholism and perseverance and forgiveness and much, much more. If that sounds like too much to read through what’s going on in the world right now, I get it. But I’d still recommend this book and maybe shelf it for another time. Ask Again, Yes is a really well-done family saga. It was difficult to get through at times, but it felt real. The characters could have stepped out of the pages and into our daily lives. I love good characters; to me, they’re everything. I would definitely recommend this book.
If you’re looking for more book reviews, check out:
Thisldu Book Reviews - January: Circe, The Most Fun We Ever Had, and Such a Fun Age
Happy Reading!