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Rosy Is My Relative

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Rosy Is My Relative

By: Gerald Durrell
Narrated by: Elliot Chapman
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About this listen

Written with Gerald Durrell’s usual sharp eye for observing humour in any situation, this comic novel about a man who inherits an alcoholic elephant will delight fans both old and new.

At the age of thirty, Adrian Rookwhistle’s life hasn't quite turned out the way he’d have hoped. Working an unfulfilling job as a clerk in the city and living under the tyranny of his fearsome landlady, he can’t help but think that there is more to life.

However, all of this suddenly changes when he receives a curious letter from his dying uncle who has bequeathed him £500 and an elephant by the name of Rosy who has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for liquor. At a loss of what to do with his unexpectedly gargantuan – and rarely sober – inheritance, Adrian sets forth on a journey believing to have the answer to his dilemma: he’ll give her away to the circus.

Together Adrian and Rosy carve a trail of destruction through the peaceful countryside of southern England, meeting a curious cast of misfits along the way. Drunk or sober, Rosy spreads chaos in her wake, until the full weight of the law finally catches up with her . . .

'Uproarious' – Dailly Mirror

'Comic havoc!' – New York Times

 Action & Adventure Animals Classics Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Small Town & Rural

Critic reviews

His uproarious first novel
Comic havoc!
Enchanting . . . beautifully told
All stars
Most relevant
Having read and listened to so many over-rated failures in this genre, it's clear that writing this kind of gentle but laugh-out-loud comedy is incredibly difficult. Perhaps that's why this book stands the test of time. The series of catastrophes Rosie unwittingly inflicts on the world around her are wonderfully realised. I am so glad it is finally out in audio.

The spirit of the book is captured beautifully by Eliot Chapman. And, unlike far too many lazily produced audiobooks, it's a high quality audio production. There's scarcely a glitch.

Durrell's comedy classic

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