The Whispering Land

“Animals come close to being Durrell’s best friends…He writes about them with style, verve, and humor.” —Time

“No one can be funnier than Mr. Durrell in relating his own adventures or the antics of the claw and paw set.” —Christian Science Monitor

“There’s a moment in this enchanting audiobook that displays narrator Rupert Degas’s talent to the full. It occurs when the naturalist author is at a cocktail party in Buenos Aires and has to talk to a pompous Englishman whose dismissive attitude towards Argentinians offends the young Durrell. Degas imitates this Brit’s accent in such a fine tone that it sounds like he is talking through cotton balls. Degas’s delivery in this scene and throughout this magical mystery tour of Patagonia and other remote parts of Argentina enthralls the listener. The young Durrell, who continues to collect animals for his Channel Isle zoo, is a most engaging Englishman—articulate, eccentric, and focused on his animals—be they toucans, coatimundis, or peccaries. And he is great fun. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” —AudioFile

“Expertly narrated by Rupert Degas…Durrell’s enthusiasm for all manner of fauna is ably conveyed by Degas, as is his gift for wry, fanciful description…Durrell writes with Dickensian relish, ably assisted by Degas’s tremendous facility with character voices, and with accents that range from West African pidgin to Argentinian Spanish, German, French, Malagasy, and parrot…Less showy than these verbal pyrotechnics but no less masterful is Degas’ interpretation of Durrell himself, droll and slightly posh, with a wry appreciation for the foibles and eccentricities of man and beast alike, anchored by an earnest, clear-eyed sense of kinship with every living thing. Alternately breezy, curmudgeonly, fascinated, and bemused, Degas perfectly captures Durrell’s spirit, and the abundant charm of his literary escapades, which are certain to divert and educate listeners of almost any age.” —Booklist (audio review)