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All Creatures Great and Small #3-4
All Things Bright and Beautiful
"A very warm, very engaging read. . . . The reader falls totally under his spell."
--Associated Press
The second volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series
Millions of readers have delighted in the wonderful storytelling and everyday miracles of James Herriot in the over thirty years since his delightful animal stories were first introduced to the world.
Now in a new edition for the first time in a decade, All Things Bright and Beautiful is the beloved sequel to Herriot's first collection, All Creatures Great and Small, and picks up as Herriot, now newly married, journeys among the remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales, caring for their inhabitants---both two- and four-legged. Throughout, Herriot's deep compassion, humor, and love of life shine out as we laugh, cry, and delight in his portraits of his many, varied animal patients and their equally varied owners.
"Humor, realism, sensitivity, earthiness; animals comic and tragic; and people droll, pathetic, courageous, eccentric---all of whom he views with the same gentle compassion and a lively sense of the sad, the ridiculous, and the admirable."
--Columbus Dispatch
--Associated Press
The second volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series
Millions of readers have delighted in the wonderful storytelling and everyday miracles of James Herriot in the over thirty years since his delightful animal stories were first introduced to the world.
Now in a new edition for the first time in a decade, All Things Bright and Beautiful is the beloved sequel to Herriot's first collection, All Creatures Great and Small, and picks up as Herriot, now newly married, journeys among the remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales, caring for their inhabitants---both two- and four-legged. Throughout, Herriot's deep compassion, humor, and love of life shine out as we laugh, cry, and delight in his portraits of his many, varied animal patients and their equally varied owners.
"Humor, realism, sensitivity, earthiness; animals comic and tragic; and people droll, pathetic, courageous, eccentric---all of whom he views with the same gentle compassion and a lively sense of the sad, the ridiculous, and the admirable."
--Columbus Dispatch
452 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1976
3905 people are currently reading
19279 people want to read
About the author
James Herriot
269 books3,402 followersJames Herriot is the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS also known as Alf Wight, an English veterinary surgeon and writer. Wight is best known for his semi-autobiographical stories, often referred to collectively as All Creatures Great and Small, a title used in some editions and in film and television adaptations.
In 1939, at the age of 23, he qualified as a veterinary surgeon with Glasgow Veterinary College. In January 1940, he took a brief job at a veterinary practice in Sunderland, but moved in July to work in a rural practice based in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. The original practice is now a museum, "The World of James Herriot".
Wight intended for years to write a book, but with most of his time consumed by veterinary practice and family, his writing ambition went nowhere. Challenged by his wife, in 1966 (at the age of 50), he began writing. In 1969 Wight wrote If Only They Could Talk, the first of the now-famous series based on his life working as a vet and his training in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Owing in part to professional etiquette which at that time frowned on veterinary surgeons and other professionals from advertising their services, he took a pen name, choosing "James Herriot". If Only They Could Talk was published in the United Kingdom in 1970 by Michael Joseph Ltd, but sales were slow until Thomas McCormack, of St. Martin's Press in New York City, received a copy and arranged to have the first two books published as a single volume in the United States. The resulting book, titled All Creatures Great and Small, was an overnight success, spawning numerous sequels, movies, and a successful television adaptation.
In his books, Wight calls the town where he lives and works Darrowby, which he based largely on the towns of Thirsk and Sowerby. He also renamed Donald Sinclair and his brother Brian Sinclair as Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, respectively. Wight's books are only partially autobiographical. Many of the stories are only loosely based on real events or people, and thus can be considered primarily fiction.
The Herriot books are often described as "animal stories" (Wight himself was known to refer to them as his "little cat-and-dog stories"), and given that they are about the life of a country veterinarian, animals certainly play a significant role in most of the stories. Yet animals play a lesser, sometimes even a negligible role in many of Wight's tales: the overall theme of his stories is Yorkshire country life, with its people and their animals primary elements that provide its distinct character. Further, it is Wight's shrewd observations of persons, animals, and their close inter-relationship, which give his writing much of its savour. Wight was just as interested in their owners as he was in his patients, and his writing is, at root, an amiable but keen comment on the human condition. The Yorkshire animals provide the element of pain and drama; the role of their owners is to feel and express joy, sadness, sometimes triumph. The animal characters also prevent Wight's stories from becoming twee or melodramatic — animals, unlike some humans, do not pretend to be ailing, nor have they imaginary complaints and needless fears. Their ill-health is real, not the result of flaws in their character which they avoid mending. In an age of social uncertainties, when there seem to be no remedies for anything, Wight's stories of resolute grappling with mysterious bacterial foes or severe injuries have an almost heroic quality, giving the reader a sense of assurance, even hope. Best of all, James Herriot has an abundant humour about himself and his difficulties. He never feels superior to any living thing, and is ever eager to learn — about animal doctoring, and about his fellow human creature.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamesh...
In 1939, at the age of 23, he qualified as a veterinary surgeon with Glasgow Veterinary College. In January 1940, he took a brief job at a veterinary practice in Sunderland, but moved in July to work in a rural practice based in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. The original practice is now a museum, "The World of James Herriot".
Wight intended for years to write a book, but with most of his time consumed by veterinary practice and family, his writing ambition went nowhere. Challenged by his wife, in 1966 (at the age of 50), he began writing. In 1969 Wight wrote If Only They Could Talk, the first of the now-famous series based on his life working as a vet and his training in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Owing in part to professional etiquette which at that time frowned on veterinary surgeons and other professionals from advertising their services, he took a pen name, choosing "James Herriot". If Only They Could Talk was published in the United Kingdom in 1970 by Michael Joseph Ltd, but sales were slow until Thomas McCormack, of St. Martin's Press in New York City, received a copy and arranged to have the first two books published as a single volume in the United States. The resulting book, titled All Creatures Great and Small, was an overnight success, spawning numerous sequels, movies, and a successful television adaptation.
In his books, Wight calls the town where he lives and works Darrowby, which he based largely on the towns of Thirsk and Sowerby. He also renamed Donald Sinclair and his brother Brian Sinclair as Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, respectively. Wight's books are only partially autobiographical. Many of the stories are only loosely based on real events or people, and thus can be considered primarily fiction.
The Herriot books are often described as "animal stories" (Wight himself was known to refer to them as his "little cat-and-dog stories"), and given that they are about the life of a country veterinarian, animals certainly play a significant role in most of the stories. Yet animals play a lesser, sometimes even a negligible role in many of Wight's tales: the overall theme of his stories is Yorkshire country life, with its people and their animals primary elements that provide its distinct character. Further, it is Wight's shrewd observations of persons, animals, and their close inter-relationship, which give his writing much of its savour. Wight was just as interested in their owners as he was in his patients, and his writing is, at root, an amiable but keen comment on the human condition. The Yorkshire animals provide the element of pain and drama; the role of their owners is to feel and express joy, sadness, sometimes triumph. The animal characters also prevent Wight's stories from becoming twee or melodramatic — animals, unlike some humans, do not pretend to be ailing, nor have they imaginary complaints and needless fears. Their ill-health is real, not the result of flaws in their character which they avoid mending. In an age of social uncertainties, when there seem to be no remedies for anything, Wight's stories of resolute grappling with mysterious bacterial foes or severe injuries have an almost heroic quality, giving the reader a sense of assurance, even hope. Best of all, James Herriot has an abundant humour about himself and his difficulties. He never feels superior to any living thing, and is ever eager to learn — about animal doctoring, and about his fellow human creature.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamesh...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,263 reviews
January 18, 2025
Dogs, cows, horses, sheep, cats and more die, while others are saved, some miraculously so in this continuation of James Herriot's series based on his experiences as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales of Northern England.
The gorgeous Yorkshire Dales...
The vast and windswept Yorkshire Dales...
This time around the country vet deals with drunk farmers, gets drunk on the job himself, has his Christmas spirit dashed and renewed all in one day, laments the disappearance of horses from farms, puts up with a snobby intern, and gets called up for service in the war raging in Europe.
(Herriot seeing a pair of patients.)
Herriot gives us victories as well as his embarrassing defeats, the latter of which strengthens our love and attachment for the good doctor. The narrative is loose enough for Herriot to drop in things like past veterinarian calls and memories of pre-married life and coming up short in the eyes of his father-in-law.
Like a classic British sitcom, tried and true comedy is leaned on and recurring characters (such as Mr. Pickersgill the know-it-all who knows nothing and Clancy, a massive dog with a temper to match his size) make an appearance. These things may not be what we came for, but they are part of the package and without them the book wouldn't feel whole.
If the chapters sometimes seem like short stories, it's because they essentially are. Some are true, some are fabricated for sheer pleasure, and all are based on Herriot's (pen name) long career through out the 20th century, a time of change in the veterinarian and UK farming industry. There's no real overarching plot, just a sort of "life goes on" storyline that vaguely keeps the narrative going. The real draw for readers comes from the subject matter and Herriot's keen observations and great ability to spin a highly enjoyable yarn.
The gorgeous Yorkshire Dales...
The vast and windswept Yorkshire Dales...
This time around the country vet deals with drunk farmers, gets drunk on the job himself, has his Christmas spirit dashed and renewed all in one day, laments the disappearance of horses from farms, puts up with a snobby intern, and gets called up for service in the war raging in Europe.
(Herriot seeing a pair of patients.)
Herriot gives us victories as well as his embarrassing defeats, the latter of which strengthens our love and attachment for the good doctor. The narrative is loose enough for Herriot to drop in things like past veterinarian calls and memories of pre-married life and coming up short in the eyes of his father-in-law.
Like a classic British sitcom, tried and true comedy is leaned on and recurring characters (such as Mr. Pickersgill the know-it-all who knows nothing and Clancy, a massive dog with a temper to match his size) make an appearance. These things may not be what we came for, but they are part of the package and without them the book wouldn't feel whole.
If the chapters sometimes seem like short stories, it's because they essentially are. Some are true, some are fabricated for sheer pleasure, and all are based on Herriot's (pen name) long career through out the 20th century, a time of change in the veterinarian and UK farming industry. There's no real overarching plot, just a sort of "life goes on" storyline that vaguely keeps the narrative going. The real draw for readers comes from the subject matter and Herriot's keen observations and great ability to spin a highly enjoyable yarn.
July 6, 2024
🐴 All Things Bright and Beautiful
Another marvelous collection of stories of the animals and farms of Yorkshire magnificently read.
While the majority of the stories focus on dogs and horses and cows and calves, there are also stories about cats and lambs and ewes, young pigs and sows and goats, and sometimes the proud, bold, powerful bulls.
The narrator excels at bringing out the accents and dialects of the Yorkshire farmers.
I appreciate that James Herriot describes his surgeries and procedures using the language of the veterinarian. That way I can look up all the terms I don't know and learn so much. It lends great authenticity to the case histories of each animal.
I can't say enough good things about All Things Bright and Beautiful. It really is enchanting and Herriot is a superb writer.
James Herriot is a pen name. His real name is James Alfred Wight. He died in 1995 at the age of 78. Bless you, Jim. Thank you for loving our friends so well.
Another marvelous collection of stories of the animals and farms of Yorkshire magnificently read.
While the majority of the stories focus on dogs and horses and cows and calves, there are also stories about cats and lambs and ewes, young pigs and sows and goats, and sometimes the proud, bold, powerful bulls.
The narrator excels at bringing out the accents and dialects of the Yorkshire farmers.
I appreciate that James Herriot describes his surgeries and procedures using the language of the veterinarian. That way I can look up all the terms I don't know and learn so much. It lends great authenticity to the case histories of each animal.
I can't say enough good things about All Things Bright and Beautiful. It really is enchanting and Herriot is a superb writer.
James Herriot is a pen name. His real name is James Alfred Wight. He died in 1995 at the age of 78. Bless you, Jim. Thank you for loving our friends so well.
May 3, 2020
No es difícil entender porqué estos libros cuentan con una legión de fans tan inmensa en Reino Unido ni porqué fueron un éxito instantáneo en su momento.
Sin duda la saga autobiográfica de James Herriot sobre sus andanzas como veterianario rural a finales de los años 30, es ya una de mis sagas preferidas.
He disfrutado de este libro de una manera que pocas veces me ocurre... estar durante 600 páginas con la sonrisa en los labios parece imposible, pero Herriot lo consigue.
Son anécdotas todas ellas independientes (a veces ocupan tan solo un capítulo, a veces la historia se alarga durante varios episodios), conoceremos vacas, ovejas, toros, gatos, perros.. algunos amables y otros no tanto, pero especialmente vamos a experimentar junto al narrador la vida en el Yorkshire previo a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el mundo perdido de ganaderos y granjeros, de este veterinario que disfrutaba de amaneceres en las montañas tras una dura jornada laboral que no entendía de horarios.
Los personajes son tan peculiares como maravillosos, su genial jefe y su hermano siguen siendo de mis preferidos pero conocemos a otros tantos que no les hacen sombra.
Es un libro con el que me he reído muchísimo (porque nuestro protagonista es MUY INGLÉS), pero también me ha caído alguna lagrimilla... si como yo sois amantes de los animales o de las historias costumbristas con tintes cómicos, es una novela que no os podéis perder.
Simplemente maravillosa.
La única pena es que he visto que su tercera parte ('Un veterinario en apuros') está descatalogada :( Tendré que pasarme a leerla en inglés, porque no estoy dispuesta a separarme de James Herriot tan pronto.
Sin duda la saga autobiográfica de James Herriot sobre sus andanzas como veterianario rural a finales de los años 30, es ya una de mis sagas preferidas.
He disfrutado de este libro de una manera que pocas veces me ocurre... estar durante 600 páginas con la sonrisa en los labios parece imposible, pero Herriot lo consigue.
Son anécdotas todas ellas independientes (a veces ocupan tan solo un capítulo, a veces la historia se alarga durante varios episodios), conoceremos vacas, ovejas, toros, gatos, perros.. algunos amables y otros no tanto, pero especialmente vamos a experimentar junto al narrador la vida en el Yorkshire previo a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el mundo perdido de ganaderos y granjeros, de este veterinario que disfrutaba de amaneceres en las montañas tras una dura jornada laboral que no entendía de horarios.
Los personajes son tan peculiares como maravillosos, su genial jefe y su hermano siguen siendo de mis preferidos pero conocemos a otros tantos que no les hacen sombra.
Es un libro con el que me he reído muchísimo (porque nuestro protagonista es MUY INGLÉS), pero también me ha caído alguna lagrimilla... si como yo sois amantes de los animales o de las historias costumbristas con tintes cómicos, es una novela que no os podéis perder.
Simplemente maravillosa.
La única pena es que he visto que su tercera parte ('Un veterinario en apuros') está descatalogada :( Tendré que pasarme a leerla en inglés, porque no estoy dispuesta a separarme de James Herriot tan pronto.
March 16, 2018
I am fully aware that I am about to commit a type of blasphemy, but I was born with truth serum in my veins, and I just can't be stopped.
I am about to tell you, as respectfully as possible, why this book didn't work for me, and I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings in doing so (I had multiple reviewers here on Goodreads who both scolded me and stopped reading my reviews after I gave Eleanor Oliphant 2 stars, so don't kid yourself into thinking that doesn't happen on here).
This is a beloved book. A beloved book, and almost every literate person over the age of 55 has either read this, or its predecessor, All Creatures Great and Small.
In fact, almost every veterinarian I've ever met will cite this book, or Herriot's first book (or more likely all of Herriot's books) as their original inspiration to pursue the veterinary sciences.
I can think of MANY readers of my acquaintance, especially my friends in the horse world, who would be riveted by this read.
I just wasn't one of them.
My first problem, which hit me right in the face, almost as soon as I started reading, was Herriot's excessive use of dialect. I can grasp that it was meant to be funny, and it was meant to give the reader the “feel of the people,” but it was so dense, I couldn't even grasp the meaning of any of it, and I quickly fell into the habit of just flat-out skipping over it.
And, as to the “feel of the people. . .” Here comes my next problem.
So, I'm slogging through this, enjoying some of it, skipping some of it, and I realize I'm still scratching my head over where Mr. Herriot practiced medicine. He mentions “here in Scotland” then “here in Yorkshire” and “here in England.” Now, I'm not British, and I've never traveled to the U.K., and I understand that these areas are rather close together, but I still don't understand the vagaries. I flipped over the book to read that the back cover describes Mr. Herriot as journeying through the “remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales.”
The Yorkshire Dales? Okay. I Googled a map of the U.K., and I could see the Yorkshire Dales, but why does he make it so unclear? I then Googled a map of his actual town of “Darrowby,” to figure out for once and all where he lived and discovered the following:
Darrowby is a fictional village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was used by James Herriot as the setting for his surgery in his book It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet.
Wait. What?? A fictional town?
I then Googled James Herriot and learned that his real name was James Wight, and that his wife's name was actually Joan (not Helen as it is in the book).
People, can you understand how ANNOYING this is to me?
This book is clearly selling itself as an “autobiographical memoir.” In fact, it doesn't even come with the disclaimer that This book is a work of fiction on the copyright page.
So, DOES “Mr. Herriot” have extraordinarily small hands for a vet? And, is his real wife, Joan, a big girl like his fictional wife, Helen?? (Can't be true; his actual wife would have filed for divorce over how many times he describes her as “big” in this book).
Are these even real situations that happened in a real town somewhere, written under false names?
And, my best question yet. . . who wrote this book?
According to my Google search, James Wight, aka James Herriot, is “best known for these semi-autobiographical works, beginning with If Only They Could Talk, which spawned a series of movies and television series.”
But this feels like ghost writer territory to me.
For those of you who have been in on this “big secret,” my reaction probably seems overly sensitive to you. I know that all of us, as writers, are occasional thieves. We sometimes steal from the rich (characters), to give to the poor (characters), but I think all writers have an obligation to have integrity in their intentions. You are either setting out to write about people you know and tell the truth, or you are creating a fictional world that stems from your own imagination.
I can't help it; I feel ripped off. Duped. I thought I was reading an autobiographical account of a country veterinarian.
Instead, I feel like I did when the writers of the tv show Dallas blew off an entire bad season by explaining that everything that happened was taken back. Turns out it wasn't real; it was just a dream.
I don't even understand where they shelve these books at the libraries and bookstores.
I am about to tell you, as respectfully as possible, why this book didn't work for me, and I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings in doing so (I had multiple reviewers here on Goodreads who both scolded me and stopped reading my reviews after I gave Eleanor Oliphant 2 stars, so don't kid yourself into thinking that doesn't happen on here).
This is a beloved book. A beloved book, and almost every literate person over the age of 55 has either read this, or its predecessor, All Creatures Great and Small.
In fact, almost every veterinarian I've ever met will cite this book, or Herriot's first book (or more likely all of Herriot's books) as their original inspiration to pursue the veterinary sciences.
I can think of MANY readers of my acquaintance, especially my friends in the horse world, who would be riveted by this read.
I just wasn't one of them.
My first problem, which hit me right in the face, almost as soon as I started reading, was Herriot's excessive use of dialect. I can grasp that it was meant to be funny, and it was meant to give the reader the “feel of the people,” but it was so dense, I couldn't even grasp the meaning of any of it, and I quickly fell into the habit of just flat-out skipping over it.
And, as to the “feel of the people. . .” Here comes my next problem.
So, I'm slogging through this, enjoying some of it, skipping some of it, and I realize I'm still scratching my head over where Mr. Herriot practiced medicine. He mentions “here in Scotland” then “here in Yorkshire” and “here in England.” Now, I'm not British, and I've never traveled to the U.K., and I understand that these areas are rather close together, but I still don't understand the vagaries. I flipped over the book to read that the back cover describes Mr. Herriot as journeying through the “remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales.”
The Yorkshire Dales? Okay. I Googled a map of the U.K., and I could see the Yorkshire Dales, but why does he make it so unclear? I then Googled a map of his actual town of “Darrowby,” to figure out for once and all where he lived and discovered the following:
Darrowby is a fictional village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was used by James Herriot as the setting for his surgery in his book It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet.
Wait. What?? A fictional town?
I then Googled James Herriot and learned that his real name was James Wight, and that his wife's name was actually Joan (not Helen as it is in the book).
People, can you understand how ANNOYING this is to me?
This book is clearly selling itself as an “autobiographical memoir.” In fact, it doesn't even come with the disclaimer that This book is a work of fiction on the copyright page.
So, DOES “Mr. Herriot” have extraordinarily small hands for a vet? And, is his real wife, Joan, a big girl like his fictional wife, Helen?? (Can't be true; his actual wife would have filed for divorce over how many times he describes her as “big” in this book).
Are these even real situations that happened in a real town somewhere, written under false names?
And, my best question yet. . . who wrote this book?
According to my Google search, James Wight, aka James Herriot, is “best known for these semi-autobiographical works, beginning with If Only They Could Talk, which spawned a series of movies and television series.”
But this feels like ghost writer territory to me.
For those of you who have been in on this “big secret,” my reaction probably seems overly sensitive to you. I know that all of us, as writers, are occasional thieves. We sometimes steal from the rich (characters), to give to the poor (characters), but I think all writers have an obligation to have integrity in their intentions. You are either setting out to write about people you know and tell the truth, or you are creating a fictional world that stems from your own imagination.
I can't help it; I feel ripped off. Duped. I thought I was reading an autobiographical account of a country veterinarian.
Instead, I feel like I did when the writers of the tv show Dallas blew off an entire bad season by explaining that everything that happened was taken back. Turns out it wasn't real; it was just a dream.
I don't even understand where they shelve these books at the libraries and bookstores.
February 3, 2018
The second of Herriot's wonderful memoirs of his veterinary practice in mid-twentieth century Yorkshire. As with All Creatures Great and Small, his love for the place, the people, and the critters is palpable on every page. Recommended for everyone, especially animal lovers and Anglophiles. But be warned - some of the medical procedures are pretty gruesome.
January 9, 2022
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely love listening to James Herriot’s incredible adventures as a Veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales. This story enters Herriot’s new wife which creates a wonderful new dimension to all the other heartwarming stories of the ever loving animals Herriot cares for.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely love listening to James Herriot’s incredible adventures as a Veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales. This story enters Herriot’s new wife which creates a wonderful new dimension to all the other heartwarming stories of the ever loving animals Herriot cares for.
February 17, 2023
I loved this second book of All Creatures Great and Small just as much, if not more, than the first one. Some of the stories made me want to cry and some certainly made me laugh out loud. The book is at once comforting and calming while also being wise and humorous. For being such an expert about animals, James Herriot’s stories also beautifully capture human nature and the kind hearted people of Yorkshire. I absolutely love this series and recommend it to anyone, even to those who don’t think they enjoy animal stories. These books are heart warming and will stay with me for a long time to come!
Cleanliness ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5
Some minor swearing, drinking
Cleanliness ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5
Some minor swearing, drinking
November 9, 2024
James Herriot is one of those people who reconciles you with Humanity and who, when you come to know that they are dead, make you think about how unfair this world is. An English veterinarian of an unusual humanity and humor. In all his books he described his profession, his England, his love for animals in a truly unique way. And in all this journey, which lasted for many years, also passing through the Second World War, he described a very particular, common but unique Humanity of people who for one reason or another truly represent humanity that also we meet every day. Pet owners who love their beasts (as the title says) and who call Herriot when they are not well. Herriot sometimes manages to heal them and sometimes not, telling both the positive and negative episodes, to highlight that life is like this. The visits to the animals are used by James Herriot to make us discover dozens of hilarious characters, some really make us cry with laughter, and page after page you understand how much Herriot loves animals but also and above all, people. It's truly a pity that he is gone and that he can no longer leave us new episodes of real life.
January 4, 2021
So while the second of James Herriot's (or more to the point Alfred Wight's) semi-biographical veterniarian memoir omninbusses, while his All Things Bright and Beautiful (which contains the also singly released novels Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness) migh very well be considered a trife more episodic and anecdotal than All Creatures Great and Small (than the author's first omnibus), it is generally and for the most part as entertaining, as evocative and yes, as enlightening a reading experience (although I guess that I would have indeed both liked and also appreciated a bit more information about Helen, about James Herriot's wife, than that she obviously tends to much spoil her new husband with comfort, with food, with always catering to both his needs and desires, even his eccentricities and peculiarities).
And although when I first read All Things Bright and Beautiful in 1986 (as an appreciated comfort break from required German literature readings during my second undegraduate year), my favourite episodes tended to generally be the anecdotes introducing and featuring Granville Bennett (both Herriot's meticulously detailed, entertaining description of the latter's character and modes of deportmemt, his immense skills as a small animal veterniarian and yes how Granville Bennett, whenever the two meet professionally, seems to get James Herriot absolutely and roaring drunk), what I have found the most enlightening and of personal interest during my most recent reread are the featured stories demonstrating how the introduction of new types of medications (in this case the so-called sulpha drugs) quickly and at that time (during the late 1930s and early 1940s) often seemingly overnight were able to cure bacterial infections in animals that used to be the knell of doom for farmers etc. (and for their livestock, for their animals as well, naturally). But of course, as James Herriot so astutely points out in his anecdotes, the orignal almost miraculous appearing cures did not last, as what he and his colleagues, including physicians, were witnessing was the impact of brand new, bacteria-destroying medications on populations of microbes with absolutely no restistance (and in time, the bacteria, the microbes have by necessity fought back, have produced more and more successful resistances to prescribed, used medications, with the overuse and misuse of sulpha drugs and later antibiotics also creating increasingly serious problems with drug tolerant strains).
A winning and delighful combination of humor and pathos, of triumph and tragedy is All Things Bright and Beautiful (and I certainly and unashamedly did cry when retired work horse Old Badger died due to a preventable tetanus infection, because the blacksmith had drained pus from his hoof without calling the vet to also give him an anti-tetanus shot). But for me, personally, the fact that James Herriot always strives for a sense of balance in and with his memoirs is really and truly what have made these not just enjoyable reads but also total and everlasting favourites (as the entertainment provided by All Things Bright and Beautiful and the described and depicted physical beauty of the Yorkshire Dales are framed with and by important lessons on not only the joys but also the many problems, the potential tragedies of farming, of animal husbandry for both the farmers and also for the veterinarians treating the latter's stock, being responsible for farm animals' wellbeing, but sometimes and even rather too often not really being able to successfully cure many of the animal diseases that occur, that manifest themselves).
And although when I first read All Things Bright and Beautiful in 1986 (as an appreciated comfort break from required German literature readings during my second undegraduate year), my favourite episodes tended to generally be the anecdotes introducing and featuring Granville Bennett (both Herriot's meticulously detailed, entertaining description of the latter's character and modes of deportmemt, his immense skills as a small animal veterniarian and yes how Granville Bennett, whenever the two meet professionally, seems to get James Herriot absolutely and roaring drunk), what I have found the most enlightening and of personal interest during my most recent reread are the featured stories demonstrating how the introduction of new types of medications (in this case the so-called sulpha drugs) quickly and at that time (during the late 1930s and early 1940s) often seemingly overnight were able to cure bacterial infections in animals that used to be the knell of doom for farmers etc. (and for their livestock, for their animals as well, naturally). But of course, as James Herriot so astutely points out in his anecdotes, the orignal almost miraculous appearing cures did not last, as what he and his colleagues, including physicians, were witnessing was the impact of brand new, bacteria-destroying medications on populations of microbes with absolutely no restistance (and in time, the bacteria, the microbes have by necessity fought back, have produced more and more successful resistances to prescribed, used medications, with the overuse and misuse of sulpha drugs and later antibiotics also creating increasingly serious problems with drug tolerant strains).
A winning and delighful combination of humor and pathos, of triumph and tragedy is All Things Bright and Beautiful (and I certainly and unashamedly did cry when retired work horse Old Badger died due to a preventable tetanus infection, because the blacksmith had drained pus from his hoof without calling the vet to also give him an anti-tetanus shot). But for me, personally, the fact that James Herriot always strives for a sense of balance in and with his memoirs is really and truly what have made these not just enjoyable reads but also total and everlasting favourites (as the entertainment provided by All Things Bright and Beautiful and the described and depicted physical beauty of the Yorkshire Dales are framed with and by important lessons on not only the joys but also the many problems, the potential tragedies of farming, of animal husbandry for both the farmers and also for the veterinarians treating the latter's stock, being responsible for farm animals' wellbeing, but sometimes and even rather too often not really being able to successfully cure many of the animal diseases that occur, that manifest themselves).
May 8, 2016
What can I say? I simply love James Herriot. He was an absolute natural with story-telling. This book, just like his first, is heartwarming and puts the reader through an entire gamut of emotions.
February 27, 2022
In fact it set me to thinking about the big question of how girls might be expected to behave after marriage. One old farmer giving me advice about choosing a wife once said; "Have a bloody good look at the mother first, lad. " and I am sure he had a point. But if I may throw in my own little word of counsel it would be to have a passing glance at how she acts towards her father.
Watching her now as she got down and started to serve my breakfast the warm knowledge flowed through me as it did so often that my wife was the sort who just liked looking after a man and I was so very lucky.
All Things Bright and Beautiful, James Herriot 1974 regarding his life in the thirties.
I realize now that many do not know James Herriot. He was a country veterinarian in England. After he retired he wrote about his practice. Often the tales are hysterically funny (exploding cows, anyone?). Sometimes they are sad. What unites everything he writes is a genuine love and compassion for both people and animals. He writes with great compassion about the foibles and foolishness of his patients and their owners.
Years ago when I worked, I commuted a fair distance. I had an audio book of some of his animal stories. I would often sit it in the car after I got to work so I could finish a story (I was the kind of person who often arrived an hour to half an hour early). Some of his stories would make me laugh so hard I would almost wet my pants.
So his books are certainly endorsed by me.
A wave to Sarah. Yes we did have the BBC series my parents and us children used to watch them on Sunday afternoons. It was one of the few shows I deigned to watch with my parents when I was in HS. They were delightful. In fact, I think I would like to find them on DVD when the girls get bigger.
Also, I've discovered that the audio book I had was narrated by the fellow who played him on the series and that he has narrated most of the books written by Herriot. I should think they will be on my Christmas list at the end of the year.
Watching her now as she got down and started to serve my breakfast the warm knowledge flowed through me as it did so often that my wife was the sort who just liked looking after a man and I was so very lucky.
All Things Bright and Beautiful, James Herriot 1974 regarding his life in the thirties.
I realize now that many do not know James Herriot. He was a country veterinarian in England. After he retired he wrote about his practice. Often the tales are hysterically funny (exploding cows, anyone?). Sometimes they are sad. What unites everything he writes is a genuine love and compassion for both people and animals. He writes with great compassion about the foibles and foolishness of his patients and their owners.
Years ago when I worked, I commuted a fair distance. I had an audio book of some of his animal stories. I would often sit it in the car after I got to work so I could finish a story (I was the kind of person who often arrived an hour to half an hour early). Some of his stories would make me laugh so hard I would almost wet my pants.
So his books are certainly endorsed by me.
A wave to Sarah. Yes we did have the BBC series my parents and us children used to watch them on Sunday afternoons. It was one of the few shows I deigned to watch with my parents when I was in HS. They were delightful. In fact, I think I would like to find them on DVD when the girls get bigger.
Also, I've discovered that the audio book I had was narrated by the fellow who played him on the series and that he has narrated most of the books written by Herriot. I should think they will be on my Christmas list at the end of the year.
December 7, 2020
I returned to the Yorkshire Dells and to Herriot’s story, shared once again through Nicholas Ralph’s narration, and to the many other characters that fill these pages - James, Siegfried, and all the cast and characters of the town, pigs, horses, dogs, cats, and, of course, Tristan.
’...I think the Gods love people like Tristan who sway effortlessly before the winds of fate and spring back with a smile, looking on life always with blithe optimism.’
Tristan reminds me a bit of Paul, in A River Runs Through It. Charming to almost all, Tristan has no real plan for life, except to enjoy it to the fullest. His lackadaisical attitude annoys Siegfried endlessly, while James seems to find more merit in his potential, but still recognizes that Tristan needs to get more serious about his life, especially after James has been made a partner in the practice, and is now married to Helen.
From visits to farm after farm, the families struggling to keep their animals healthy, some amusing struggles to wrangle bigger ones, and other, sadder, struggles to keep their livestock healthy that don’t succeed, this is life in pre-World War II in Yorkshire. Some of the people who are in All Creatures Great and Small are heard from again, as well as some new ones, and several new dogs and cats that come to join families in the village. Siegfried expounds frequently on all matters that frustrate him, the people and situations that cause this frustration, even when they aren’t exactly factual. Herriot’s thoughts and stories seem to focus on Helen, and his work, offering some thoughts on the joys of new discoveries through his work.
’“That ewe's life had been saved not by medicinal therapy but simply by stopping her pain and allowing nature to do its own job of healing. It was a lesson I have never forgotten; the animals confronted with severe continuous pain and the terror and shock that goes with it will often retreat even into death, and if you can remove that pain amazing things can happen. It is difficult to explain rationally but I know that it is so.’
As this second installment in this series wraps up, Herriot joins the RAF and must leave with the war closing in, and Helen will leave to stay with her parents through her pregnancy. This story will continue in All Things Wise and Wonderful, and I’m looking forward to the next one.
‘We didn’t know when, if ever, we would see each other again yet neither of us had said a word...I wanted to thank him for being a friend as well as a boss, for teaching me so much, for never letting me down. There were other things, too, but I never said them.’
I thoroughly enjoyed, once again, the additional charm that Nicolas Ralph added through his excellent narration.
Published: 17 Nov 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Macmillan Audio
January 4, 2019
Que los libros de James Herriot se mantengan a día de hoy entre los “long sellers” más solicitados en el mundo anglosajón, donde nunca han dejado de editarse desde su publicación y se hayan vendido mucho más de veinte millones de ejemplares desde entonces, es algo que no me extraña ni un poquito siquiera.
No son libros, son un regalo.
James Herriot nació en 1916, se convirtió en veterinario con 23 años y desempeñó su profesión en el profundo Yorkshire donde en 1941 se casó, tendría dos hijos y se quedaría toda su vida a excepción de cuando recién casado sirvió durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial en la RAF.
Gracias James Herriot por iniciar en 1969 tu aventura literaria y narrar con ese don, mezcla de humor, naturalidad y dinamismo tus experiencias fruto de la práctica como veterinario rural, donde transmites un amor por la profesión, por el Yorkshire y sus habitantes, todos los seres vivos y una comunión con la naturaleza, emocionantes.
Las peripecias de James son una lectura que hago con una sonrisa permanente en la cara desde el inicio hasta el final del libro. Contados son los que me hacen reír francamente, quizás en un momento puntual, y Herriot logra meterme en un verdadero apuro intentando reprimir soltar carcajadas a altas horas de la madrugada en numerosas ocasiones.
Felicidad es el estado y primera palabra que me viene a la cabeza si pienso en lo me hacen sentir sus relatos.
No son libros, son un regalo.
James Herriot nació en 1916, se convirtió en veterinario con 23 años y desempeñó su profesión en el profundo Yorkshire donde en 1941 se casó, tendría dos hijos y se quedaría toda su vida a excepción de cuando recién casado sirvió durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial en la RAF.
Gracias James Herriot por iniciar en 1969 tu aventura literaria y narrar con ese don, mezcla de humor, naturalidad y dinamismo tus experiencias fruto de la práctica como veterinario rural, donde transmites un amor por la profesión, por el Yorkshire y sus habitantes, todos los seres vivos y una comunión con la naturaleza, emocionantes.
Las peripecias de James son una lectura que hago con una sonrisa permanente en la cara desde el inicio hasta el final del libro. Contados son los que me hacen reír francamente, quizás en un momento puntual, y Herriot logra meterme en un verdadero apuro intentando reprimir soltar carcajadas a altas horas de la madrugada en numerosas ocasiones.
Felicidad es el estado y primera palabra que me viene a la cabeza si pienso en lo me hacen sentir sus relatos.
April 26, 2017
This series - of which I have now read the first two - is the most fun you can have reading books. They make you want to go to rural England, hole up in a cottage, drink tea and read some more James Herriot. I don't want these books to ever end. As an aside, this isn't a novel, rather its a collection of short stories, each one just the right length for before bed.
June 3, 2019
What a marvelous read. I'd forgotten how endearing the stories are told by the English countryside vet. Lots of rural humor and fascinating insights are offered about the farm animal and small pets world. I liked the bucolic descriptions of the small towns and rural countryside. I hope to return to continuing the series.
November 15, 2010
The James Herriot books are a bright memory from a difficult time in my life. Struggle lightened by the laughter brought through these pages. Also some painful moments because life has it's painful moments and they can't be avoided. He told them just as he told the others. While I have read that the stories related here were not necessarily told in order or as they happened exactly, this is a wonderful book (these are wonderful books) not to be missed.
I can't recommend these highly enough.
I can't recommend these highly enough.
November 13, 2025
All Things Bright and Beautiful
#3-4) by James Herriot (1973, 1974 edition, hardcover), 378 pages.
If you are a veterinarian, you will definitely want to read, and even have this series sitting on your bookshelf. You may find it very interesting to read how they tried to cure different illnesses, especially pertaining to cattle, compared to the medicines of today.
Herriot’s stories are wonderfully written. Such a compassionate man who really seemed to love and care for all his patients through all hours of the day or night.
In this book, he relates how he ends up in a serious relationship with his wife, Helen. She was introduced in the first book with some cute stories of by chance encounters. Here, they are married. It must be tough to be a man in love and trying to make that first good impression on the woman of interest. He flunked every time. But, maybe that’s what drew her to him.
You get more wonderful stories of his crazy adventures in doctoring all sorts of farm animals. During the ‘30’s and 40’s, these were the years when science was just evolving and true vaccines and antibiotics that actually worked were being developed. He was living and working in the crux of progress.
Then, there was the draft for World War II. His friend and business partner, Siegfried, left first. They stayed up all night drinking and reminiscing. James was the second to leave…very sad. Then, Tristan, Siegfried’s brother, was last to go. By this time, the war was in full swing and they actually needed veterinarians to care for all the animals involved in the war. Tristan became qualified just in time.
Onto book #5-6, All Things Wise and Wonderful. I can’t imagine how he could continue writing at this level of interesting and humorous stories. But, we’ll see.
THE COMPLETE SERIES
* All Creatures Great and Small (#1-2) (1972) (incorporating If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet)
* All Things Bright and Beautiful (#3-4) (1974) (incorporating Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness)
* All Things Wise and Wonderful (#5-6) (1977) (incorporating Vets Might Fly and Vet in a Spin)
* The Lord God Made Them All (#7) (1981)
* Every Living Thing (#8) (1992)
#3-4) by James Herriot (1973, 1974 edition, hardcover), 378 pages.
If you are a veterinarian, you will definitely want to read, and even have this series sitting on your bookshelf. You may find it very interesting to read how they tried to cure different illnesses, especially pertaining to cattle, compared to the medicines of today.
Herriot’s stories are wonderfully written. Such a compassionate man who really seemed to love and care for all his patients through all hours of the day or night.
In this book, he relates how he ends up in a serious relationship with his wife, Helen. She was introduced in the first book with some cute stories of by chance encounters. Here, they are married. It must be tough to be a man in love and trying to make that first good impression on the woman of interest. He flunked every time. But, maybe that’s what drew her to him.
You get more wonderful stories of his crazy adventures in doctoring all sorts of farm animals. During the ‘30’s and 40’s, these were the years when science was just evolving and true vaccines and antibiotics that actually worked were being developed. He was living and working in the crux of progress.
Then, there was the draft for World War II. His friend and business partner, Siegfried, left first. They stayed up all night drinking and reminiscing. James was the second to leave…very sad. Then, Tristan, Siegfried’s brother, was last to go. By this time, the war was in full swing and they actually needed veterinarians to care for all the animals involved in the war. Tristan became qualified just in time.
Onto book #5-6, All Things Wise and Wonderful. I can’t imagine how he could continue writing at this level of interesting and humorous stories. But, we’ll see.
THE COMPLETE SERIES
* All Creatures Great and Small (#1-2) (1972) (incorporating If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet)
* All Things Bright and Beautiful (#3-4) (1974) (incorporating Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness)
* All Things Wise and Wonderful (#5-6) (1977) (incorporating Vets Might Fly and Vet in a Spin)
* The Lord God Made Them All (#7) (1981)
* Every Living Thing (#8) (1992)
February 7, 2017
“Those were the days when I was most grateful I was in country practice; the shirt sleeve days when the bleak menace of the bald heights melted into friendliness, when I felt at one with all the airy life and growth about me and was glad that I had become what I never thought I would be, a doctor of farm animals.” – James Herriot
This book could make the most hardened city dweller want to give up their cosmopolitan lifestyle and buy a farm in the countryside with a couple of pigs, sheep and a working dog called Jock. Of course, only if James Herriot is the local vet and the surrounding countryside are the heather-covered fells of North Yorkshire. Otherwise, his stories will do nicely.
All Things Bright and Beautiful is the second in a trilogy of memoirs about James Herriot’s life as a Scottish country vet in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a book with a sunny disposition full of short chapter stories, some happy, some sad but with laugh out loud moments never far away. If you ever need to know how to return a cow’s uterus to its rightful place, this is the book for you. You don’t need to love animals to enjoy this book, but it certainly helps.
I'm pleased to say, it’s not all “soapy arm up the rear end”. Herriot introduces us to farmers and townsfolk, his crusty partner and fun-loving brother, and his good-humoured, long-suffering wife. (Herriot, sent on a shopping mission to furnish their new bedsit, returns home instead with a weighty, smelly, ancient set of The Geography of the World in Twenty Four Volumes.)
He takes us traipsing through fields, eating freshly baked cake in tiny farmhouse kitchens, chasing ghosts through woodland and drinking until we can barely walk in village pubs.
It was a tough life but Herriot was a patient, gentle and kind man with as much an understanding of the people he met as with the biology of the animals he treated. He sees farmers as “the salt of the earth” – hardworking, honest, pragmatic, frustrating but ever hopeful.
It’s slightly unfair that a talented and bright vet, full of empathy for man and beast, could also write so beautifully. His writing seems effortless, almost like he’s there sitting on the sofa next to you telling you his stories. I can see why they translated so well to the small screen. (I haven’t seen any of these yet. Have you? What did you think?)
I’ve put All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Wise and Wonderful on my birthday wish list. But I’ll read them differently. These are ‘dipping’ books. One or two chapters a night, just before sleep. And I’ll add James Herriot to my Bill Bryson’s….the perfect way to while away those pesky night time hours when sleep is elusive.
This book could make the most hardened city dweller want to give up their cosmopolitan lifestyle and buy a farm in the countryside with a couple of pigs, sheep and a working dog called Jock. Of course, only if James Herriot is the local vet and the surrounding countryside are the heather-covered fells of North Yorkshire. Otherwise, his stories will do nicely.
All Things Bright and Beautiful is the second in a trilogy of memoirs about James Herriot’s life as a Scottish country vet in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a book with a sunny disposition full of short chapter stories, some happy, some sad but with laugh out loud moments never far away. If you ever need to know how to return a cow’s uterus to its rightful place, this is the book for you. You don’t need to love animals to enjoy this book, but it certainly helps.
I'm pleased to say, it’s not all “soapy arm up the rear end”. Herriot introduces us to farmers and townsfolk, his crusty partner and fun-loving brother, and his good-humoured, long-suffering wife. (Herriot, sent on a shopping mission to furnish their new bedsit, returns home instead with a weighty, smelly, ancient set of The Geography of the World in Twenty Four Volumes.)
He takes us traipsing through fields, eating freshly baked cake in tiny farmhouse kitchens, chasing ghosts through woodland and drinking until we can barely walk in village pubs.
It was a tough life but Herriot was a patient, gentle and kind man with as much an understanding of the people he met as with the biology of the animals he treated. He sees farmers as “the salt of the earth” – hardworking, honest, pragmatic, frustrating but ever hopeful.
It’s slightly unfair that a talented and bright vet, full of empathy for man and beast, could also write so beautifully. His writing seems effortless, almost like he’s there sitting on the sofa next to you telling you his stories. I can see why they translated so well to the small screen. (I haven’t seen any of these yet. Have you? What did you think?)
I’ve put All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Wise and Wonderful on my birthday wish list. But I’ll read them differently. These are ‘dipping’ books. One or two chapters a night, just before sleep. And I’ll add James Herriot to my Bill Bryson’s….the perfect way to while away those pesky night time hours when sleep is elusive.
March 11, 2025
James Herriot's memoirs make for some funny comfort reading because you're going about your day chopping onions for dinner and listening to him regale you with tales that involve cow diarrhea and graphic animal birth scenes and...it's somehow fine and more than fine. Always a reliably cozy and companionable reading experience.
October 26, 2019
This is the second lap of my five volume James Herriot marathon. I have read All Creatures Great And Small so many times I could probably recite it, but even though I have read all the other Herriot titles more than once, the last time for each one was years ago.
What I found in this book was more of the same type of charming stories about the life of a country vet, with plenty of Herriot's trademark humor and insight into both animal and human character. I remembered many of the scenes but my memories came from my years of watching the BBC television series, I didn't really remember seeing them in print.
What I noticed in this book is that Herriot was looking deeper into the stories he was telling. He pondered the difference between a wealthy client's family life and a more humble client's life. Which was happier? He showed us all the passing of an era when old Badger, the only draft horse left on an estate, finally reached the end of his life. But what would the man who had cared for him and the other horses do now that tractors were in the fields instead of horses?
Herriot also used flashback chapters to further illustrate some of the mishaps he and Helen went through while they were dating. He compared his current life of newlywed to his bachelor days, and shared a story or two about how he and his father-in-law built what finally became a strong friendship.
The book was moving: sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always touching. Perhaps not as stunning for me as ACGAS, but still very entertaining. And it is interesting to see the development of Herriot's writing. He used his daily experiences to illustrate common human truths about life. That is one of the secrets of being a writer, in my opinion. Finding the universal in the ordinary moments around us, and learning how to share it with the world.
What I found in this book was more of the same type of charming stories about the life of a country vet, with plenty of Herriot's trademark humor and insight into both animal and human character. I remembered many of the scenes but my memories came from my years of watching the BBC television series, I didn't really remember seeing them in print.
What I noticed in this book is that Herriot was looking deeper into the stories he was telling. He pondered the difference between a wealthy client's family life and a more humble client's life. Which was happier? He showed us all the passing of an era when old Badger, the only draft horse left on an estate, finally reached the end of his life. But what would the man who had cared for him and the other horses do now that tractors were in the fields instead of horses?
Herriot also used flashback chapters to further illustrate some of the mishaps he and Helen went through while they were dating. He compared his current life of newlywed to his bachelor days, and shared a story or two about how he and his father-in-law built what finally became a strong friendship.
The book was moving: sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always touching. Perhaps not as stunning for me as ACGAS, but still very entertaining. And it is interesting to see the development of Herriot's writing. He used his daily experiences to illustrate common human truths about life. That is one of the secrets of being a writer, in my opinion. Finding the universal in the ordinary moments around us, and learning how to share it with the world.
February 9, 2021
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Author: James Herriot
There are few books that make me truthfully exclaim "Oh, I LOVE that book!'' There are many books I like....bunches I enjoy....those I really recommend. And a few....a chosen few....that I truly love. James Herriot's books fall into the love category. I first discovered these books on Sunday afternoons when we were stuck on family visits to my elderly uncle's house when I was 12 or so. My uncle firmly believed in not hearing or seeing children...so I pretty much disappeared into his huge house somewhere when my parents forced me to visit. There was a lovely upstairs bedroom where I could spend an entire afternoon lost in a book without my bothering him, or him bothering me. He wasn't exactly friendly and I just wanted to keep clear...
But in keeping clear I discovered wonderful books....Mrs. Mike, Call of the Wild, countless westerns....and James Herriot.
When I heard that there was going to be a new television series (PBS Masterpiece), I started re-reading the books. I wanted to refresh my memory about all the lovely events from the books before watching a new adaptation. A re-read would allow me to ascertain if the show was following the books....or going off on tangents as so many adaptations do. That's ok with vampire fiction novels and the like.....but not ok when it's beloved stories like James Herriot's tales of a English vet in the 1930s.
I'm glad to report that I love these books just as much as I did when I read them at 12 while hiding in a huge house from my cranky, old uncle....and the new television show is actually quite good! I listened to the new audiobook version of this much loved novel. Narrated by Nicolas Ralph (the actor that plays Herriot in the new show), the audio is just short of 13.5 hours long. The story is worth every minute, and Ralph does a great job of narrating!
Re-visiting this series has brought back some lovely bookish memories from my past.... The hours I spent in that sunny bedroom completely lost in a story until my mom would call up the stairs that it was time to go. The room where I first read The Hobbit....Mrs. Mike....Call of the Wild...Frankenstein....Dracula....and so many more. My uncle was not enjoyable to be around....but he had great taste in books!
Lovely books! James Herriot's stories are just magical!
Author: James Herriot
There are few books that make me truthfully exclaim "Oh, I LOVE that book!'' There are many books I like....bunches I enjoy....those I really recommend. And a few....a chosen few....that I truly love. James Herriot's books fall into the love category. I first discovered these books on Sunday afternoons when we were stuck on family visits to my elderly uncle's house when I was 12 or so. My uncle firmly believed in not hearing or seeing children...so I pretty much disappeared into his huge house somewhere when my parents forced me to visit. There was a lovely upstairs bedroom where I could spend an entire afternoon lost in a book without my bothering him, or him bothering me. He wasn't exactly friendly and I just wanted to keep clear...
But in keeping clear I discovered wonderful books....Mrs. Mike, Call of the Wild, countless westerns....and James Herriot.
When I heard that there was going to be a new television series (PBS Masterpiece), I started re-reading the books. I wanted to refresh my memory about all the lovely events from the books before watching a new adaptation. A re-read would allow me to ascertain if the show was following the books....or going off on tangents as so many adaptations do. That's ok with vampire fiction novels and the like.....but not ok when it's beloved stories like James Herriot's tales of a English vet in the 1930s.
I'm glad to report that I love these books just as much as I did when I read them at 12 while hiding in a huge house from my cranky, old uncle....and the new television show is actually quite good! I listened to the new audiobook version of this much loved novel. Narrated by Nicolas Ralph (the actor that plays Herriot in the new show), the audio is just short of 13.5 hours long. The story is worth every minute, and Ralph does a great job of narrating!
Re-visiting this series has brought back some lovely bookish memories from my past.... The hours I spent in that sunny bedroom completely lost in a story until my mom would call up the stairs that it was time to go. The room where I first read The Hobbit....Mrs. Mike....Call of the Wild...Frankenstein....Dracula....and so many more. My uncle was not enjoyable to be around....but he had great taste in books!
Lovely books! James Herriot's stories are just magical!
January 22, 2021
Another very charming installment in this classic memoir series! All Things Bright and Beautiful recounts the experiences of the author working as an animal doctor in rural Yorkshire England before WWII, with this book ending when he's called to war. It's full of funny and heartwarming anecdotes, quirky people, and a lot of heart.
I think I enjoyed the first book a bit more, perhaps in part because some of his thinking about what makes a good wife is a bit antiquated. But overall I had a really great time with this and would recommend it. It's interesting to hear commentary on what things were like just before modern medicines like antibiotics were available and what a difference that made later on. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley and I thought the narration and production quality was very good. All opinions are my own.
I think I enjoyed the first book a bit more, perhaps in part because some of his thinking about what makes a good wife is a bit antiquated. But overall I had a really great time with this and would recommend it. It's interesting to hear commentary on what things were like just before modern medicines like antibiotics were available and what a difference that made later on. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley and I thought the narration and production quality was very good. All opinions are my own.
May 23, 2021
Equal in charm and delight to the first, which says a lot about the consistent quality of this series. More small animal stories are in Bright and Beautiful, which was especially fun. While Herriot cares for all animals, he has a special place in his heart for family pets. As I predicted, some of the stories that weren't in the All Creatures book, but were in the recent TV adaptation, can be found in Bright and Beautiful. The day at the fair was remarkably similar to how it was portrayed on the show. I do hope the upcoming season shows off Tristan's haunting escapades!
I started reading Bright and Beautiful while I was ill and not in the mood for anything at all, and it brightened me up beautifully. Anyone who can tell cheerful stories about having one's arm shoved up the personal regions of pregnant ewes and heifers is a winner in my book. (Indeed, he counts assisting lambings as his favorite part of veterinary work!) As much as I want to keep going, I'll save the next book for when I need it. Veterinarians aren't human doctors, but Herriot is rather a tonic for the soul.
I started reading Bright and Beautiful while I was ill and not in the mood for anything at all, and it brightened me up beautifully. Anyone who can tell cheerful stories about having one's arm shoved up the personal regions of pregnant ewes and heifers is a winner in my book. (Indeed, he counts assisting lambings as his favorite part of veterinary work!) As much as I want to keep going, I'll save the next book for when I need it. Veterinarians aren't human doctors, but Herriot is rather a tonic for the soul.
November 8, 2019
There’s something so very soothing about these memoirs. Whether James Herriot’s appointments were with a difficult bull needing a nose ring or a favourite dog who’d injected rat poison, or cat hit by a car, there is a general sense of practicality, competence and compassion that permeates each interaction between James and his clients and patients.
I wonder how much a large animal vet’s life differs now (obviously meds and surgical procedures are better now). I imagine the long days and night visits would be familiar to today’s doctors. What I do know is I find these reminiscences by Herriot quite enjoyable.
I wonder how much a large animal vet’s life differs now (obviously meds and surgical procedures are better now). I imagine the long days and night visits would be familiar to today’s doctors. What I do know is I find these reminiscences by Herriot quite enjoyable.
September 24, 2018
I first read this book 30 years ago, and I this week I listened to it in the car on a long road trip. These books are amazing and so funny. I spent half the drive going down the road laughing out loud in my car (and sometimes even tearing up a bit).
When I was a child I was sure I wanted to be a veterinarian. I think these books probably made a huge contribution that. I never did become a vet, but I still love the books.
When I was a child I was sure I wanted to be a veterinarian. I think these books probably made a huge contribution that. I never did become a vet, but I still love the books.
May 25, 2024
Warm, wonderful, and cheerful stories from the beloved vet James Herriot. Such healing and beautiful books. I’m enjoying another reading. (2020)
September 7, 2023
The trio, James, Siegfried, and Tristan, with the addition of James's wife Helen at Skeldale House, are at it again, being of veterinary service to the good and humble people of Darrowby. He makes being a veterinarian sound so amazing yet laborious, I regret not becoming one myself. But, perhaps, it was all for the best 😉
I am in love with James Herriot's books! I can't get enough of the wonderful, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that fill his books. He brings the reader along in his cases/adventures and I feel as if the hard working people he befriends and meets are my friends and neighbors as well. And the imagery of Darrowby! I drink it in when he effortlessly paints the beautiful green hills and clear blue skies of Yorkshire in my mind with his words. He certainly was a talented fellow.
Now, onto the third one!
I am in love with James Herriot's books! I can't get enough of the wonderful, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that fill his books. He brings the reader along in his cases/adventures and I feel as if the hard working people he befriends and meets are my friends and neighbors as well. And the imagery of Darrowby! I drink it in when he effortlessly paints the beautiful green hills and clear blue skies of Yorkshire in my mind with his words. He certainly was a talented fellow.
Now, onto the third one!
July 21, 2011
Just about as hilarious as "All Creatures Great and Small," although I felt a rising panic every time Granville Bennett showed up. Towards the end of the book World War II arrives and Herriot, Tristan, and Siegfried have to enlist, so there were some moving chapters when James takes leave of the Dales. As with the first book, plenty of drinking (Granville Bennett!) and swearing (Siegfried!).
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