A ZOO IN MY LUGGAGE

This clever travel memoir reveals a witty story expertly narrated by the multitalented Rupert Degas. Degas is a kind of verbal ventriloquist at home with the accents, intonations, and styles of the Cameroon natives--royal and commoner alike--and he portrays the very British Durrell quite well, too. His mimicry is remarkable as he recounts naturalist Gerald Durrell's trip to Cameroon to collect all kinds of animals for his personal zoo and details his many adventures. Listening to this entertaining audiobook is at once an enjoyable experience and a reminder that attitudes towards Africa and Africans were distinctly different in the 1950s, when it was written. Those who can forgive, or at least accept, the colonial outlook of the time will be rewarded. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2019]