I love Gerald Durrell and his writings. I did not love this book.

It seems that Durrell has lost his sense of humour, or it may be that I have lost mine. I skimmed the last couple of chapters, in a race to be finished this book. That's never happened before.

It was nice to have some of the book set in Canada. Also pleasant was getting to know Durrell's young wife, Lee. I also learned this week that I've been pronouncing DIurrell's name for years. On an appearance on Dame Edna Everage's show (RIP Barry Humphries), we discover that instead of Durr-ELL, as I've been saying it, it's DURR-ell.

Not a hit. Will probably keep the book to add to my collection of Durrell's books. ( )

This is, in a certain sense, a depressing book. Though it is written well and contains much of the humour one associates with Gerald Durrell, it is also full of dire warnings for the future - about man's impact on the natural world, on the myriad ways in which the other species with whom we share this planet are struggling, and on the degradation of the environment that we profess to love so much, both at home and abroad.

Yet this book came out in 1985, and what has changed?

'How to Shoot an Amateur Naturalist' is not the greatest of Durrell's books, but it is still worth reading, so full of insight is it. As a warning of things to come, the lessons it provides can still be learnt from: it is not too late, but we are very, very close. ( )

filming of show of same name