Synopses & Reviews
James Herriot is probably the most beloved living writer. When
All Things Bright and Beautiful was published three years ago, it became the number one best seller in the world, winning still new friends for the Yorkshire veterinarian whose first book
All Creatures Great and Small had already been enjoyed by millions of readers.
In this, his third book, he takes up where he left off-- both in terms of the warmth, humor, and skill with which he writes, and in the story itself. It is World War Two and James has just been inducted into the RAF. We see him at training camp and we go back to Yorkshire-- on real trips as he breaks away to see Helen who is about to have a baby, and on trips of reverie as he recalls the Dales, the animals, and the Yorkshire people who have so enriched his life. We meet old friends again-- his partner Siegfried, the zany Tristan, the bon vivant Granville Bennett-- and scores of new folk, each with a story to tell. James Herriot is back, and, as one reviewer said of his work, "If ever you have loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you."
Review
"Every character in the book emerges with force and clarity. There is humor everywhere. A
ll Creatures Great and Small may well be the happiest book of the year."--Nelson Bryant,
New York Times Book Review"Perhaps most miraculous of all is Dr. Herriot's literary gift. With seemingly effortless art, this man tells his stories with perfect timing and optimum scale. Many more famous authors could work for a lifetime and not achieve more flawless literary control than this unknown vet has in his first book."--Alfred Ames, Chicago Tribune Book World, on All Creatures Great and Small
"I hope this is but the first installment of a series about All Creatures Great and Small. I probably won't get another book read before this year [1972] is ended. I am glad that by some small miracle my last book of the year was the best."--Grady M. Long, Chattanooga Times
Review
"Surely no one can read Herriot without gaining a new and compassionate insight into
All Things Wise and Wonderful in the world around him. A grand book."--
The Baltimore Sun"Herriot has gifted us with his hilarious, deeply moving and personal experience with all creatures that live and breathe."--The Fresno Bee
"Some stories are funny, some are earthy, some dramatic and some touching to the point of tears."--The Washington Post
Review
"Warm, wonderful, and hilarious...a book the reader hates to finish."
- The Seattle Times
"A wise and wonderful writer."
- The Boston Globe
"Some stories are funny, some are earthy, some dramatic, and some touching to the point of tears."
- The Washington Post
"Surely no one can read Herriot without gaining a new and compassionate insight into 'All Things Wise and Wonderful' in the world around him. A grand book."
- The Baltimore Sun
"A continuing feast...full of gusto, eccentricity and joy."
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review
"Christopher Timothy played James Herriot in the beloved BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small." Here Timothy reprises his role as the young country vet in this third collection of Herriot stories....Sit back with a cup of tea as Timothy tells you funny, gentle and occassionally sad tales about characters such as local farmers with broad accents; the posh Mrs. Pomphrey, whose overfed Poermanian passes gas; and the Ministry of Agriculture officials, who rake James over the coals for inept form-filling. Timothy develops countless individual voices with different class accents, and all are perfect."--AudioFile "... humor, realism, sensitivity, earthiness... gentle compassion and a lively sense of the sad, the ridiculous, and the admirable." --
Columbus Dispatch
Review
"James Herriot found a gentle, wise and often humorous way to write about animals and to evoke a beautiful but fading way of life in those Yorkshire Hills. He showed me how to focus not just on the animals, but on the people who lived with the animals, and their loving, sometimes difficult and very wonderful connections with one another. While he is known for his wonderful writing about animals, I often think of his ability to capture people. From the first, I've tried to capture that feeling, that uplifting and heartwarming style. I can't say that I have ever quite matched the writing of James Herriot, but he has always inspired me and given me something to aim for. He often makes me smile, sometimes makes me cry, you can't really ask more from a writer than that."—Jon Katz,
New York Times bestselling author of
Second Chance Dog,
A Dog Year, A Good Dog, and many others "I recall reading
All Creatures Great and Small many years ago, while working as a veterinary technician for a mobile vet in Los Angeles. We worked with cats and dogs, of course, but with farm animals, too, and apes and monkeys and angry pet raccoons, burros, crows, macaws- the variety of pets in Los Angeles was limitless. During that wonderful time, Id be beaten senseless by a kangaroo, held hostage by a love-struck chimpanzee, chased by angry hogs, and sat on by a miniature horse inside of a well-known celebritys home. It was a magical time, and it made perfect sense for me to read Herriot in the evenings, a grand fellow whod roam the English countryside making veterinary house calls, effortlessly moving from draft horses to kittens, healing, telling stories. I felt a kinship with him and his magical world, and marveled at his talent for drawing me into his cast of characters. Later in life, when I too would write of my experiences with animals and their people, I would hearken to Herriots Yorkshire Dales, and to prose so genuine that it would help inspire my own career as a writer and pet behaviorist. Herriot to me remains a superhero of sorts, who, in visiting home after home like some veterinary Santa, taught me how simple, heartwarming prose about people and their animals could rise above the commonplace, and become art."—Steve Duno, author of
Last Dog on the Hill,
The Everything Cat Book and
The Amazing Dog Trick Book
Synopsis
Readers adored James Herriot's tales of his life as a Yorkshire animal doctor in
All Creatures Great and Small and
All Things Bright and Beautiful. Now here's a third delightful volume of memoirs rich with Herriot's own brand of humor, insight, and wisdom.
In the midst of World War II, James is training for the Royal Air Force, while going home to Yorkshire whenever possible to see his very pregnant wife, Helen. Musing on past adventures through the dales, visiting with old friends, and introducing scores of new and amusing characters—animal and human alike—Herriot enthralls with his uncanny ability to spin a most engaging and heartfelt yarn.
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.
Synopsis
This third bestselling collection finds beloved veterinarian James Herriot training for the Royal Air Force while going home to Yorkshire whenever he can to visit his wife and his many dear friends—of all species—and enthralling us once again with his marvelous and engaging stories.
Synopsis
James Herriot is probably the most beloved living writer. When
All Things Bright and Beautiful was published three years ago, it became the number one best seller in the world, winning still new friends for the Yorkshire veterinarian whose first book
All Creatures Great and Small had already been enjoyed by millions of readers.
In this, his third book, he takes up where he left off-- both in terms of the warmth, humor, and skill with which he writes, and in the story itself. It is World War Two and James has just been inducted into the RAF. We see him at training camp and we go back to Yorkshire-- on real trips as he breaks away to see Helen who is about to have a baby, and on trips of reverie as he recalls the Dales, the animals, and the Yorkshire people who have so enriched his life. We meet old friends again-- his partner Siegfried, the zany Tristan, the bon vivant Granville Bennett-- and scores of new folk, each with a story to tell. James Herriot is back, and, as one reviewer said of his work, "If ever you have loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you."
Synopsis
Readers adored his tales as a Yorkshire animal doctor in
All Creatures Great and Small and
All Things Bright and Beautiful-- now James Herriot treats us to another delightful volume of memoirs rich with his own brand of humor and wisdom.
In the midst of World War Two, James is training for the Royal Air Force, while going home to Yorkshire whenever possible to see his very pregnant wife, Helen. Musing on past adventures through the dales, visiting with old friends, and introducing scores of new and amusing characters-- animal and human alike-- Herriot enthralls us once again with his uncanny ability to spin a most engaging and heartfelt yarn.
About the Author
James Herriot lived in Yorkshire, England with his wife and family, where his son has now taken over his veterinary practice. He is the author of the classic international bestsellers
All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and
The Lord God Made Them All. He is also the author of numerous collections of short stories and a series of illustrated books for children. Dr. Herriot died in February 1995.
Christopher Timothy starred as James Herriot in “All Creatures Great and Small,” the internationally renowned BBC television series based on Herriots work. A veteran of stage, screen, and TV, Mr. Timothy is a winner of the prestigious Sir John Gielgud Scholarship and the Sir Laurence Olivier Award. He also co-produced and starred in a critically acclaimed film version of James Herriots Yorkshire.