An unexpected delight composed of dry wit, artful prose, and amusingly hyperbolic characters who also feel completely real. The most surprising reward for me is the detailed observation of nature; I love the sense of boyishness and wonder Durrell successfully gets to the page. What a lovely surprise this book is. I didn't expect to read the full trilogy when I started this one, but now I want to return to Corfu with the Durrells.