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applegnreads's review
5.0
I have read and loved a few of his books. I forgot to put them on here now and I got an urge to read them again. So, I am.
spiderelsa's review against another edition
3.75
Lovely rambling story of a young professional setting out into practice. Turns out this book started out as two books, which tracks.
I loved to see all the fits and starts, and easy resolutions.
I loved to see all the fits and starts, and easy resolutions.
char931's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
5.0
bargainsleuth's review
5.0
For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
I’m not an animal lover, per se, but as I was growing up I longed for a pet of some kind, and I loved the Black Beauty TV Series that was on Nickelodeon back in the day and watching horse races like the Kentucky Derby. When I was in junior high, I picked up All Creatures Great and Small and thoroughly enjoyed it. I re-read James Herriot’s books when I was 29 and on bed rest with my firstborn child, and I recently added the audiobook to my collection. And now PBS Masterpiece Theater has a new series of the beloved books. There have been five episodes so far.
“For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot’s marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.
In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot’s periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot’s recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.”
If you’re not familiar with the books, All Creatures Great and Small is actually a compilation of two books. They are about a country vet in England in the late 1930’s, loosely based on the author’s exploits as a veterinarian. First published in 1972, the simple stories of a Scottish vet in the Yorkshire Dales became an instant best seller because of their simplicity, honesty, and humor. They catapulted James Herriot (a pseudonym) to instant fame. More books followed, and to date, the books have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide.
The audiobook of All Creatures Great and Small is narrated by Christopher Timothy, who starred in the BBC production of the books from 1978 – 1990. I watched a few episodes but it was not Must See TV for me; I was not the big fan of PBS that I am today. Timothy knows his character well, and tells the stories in the most heartfelt manner. He knows how to deliver a line to extract a smile, warm chuckle, or guffaw, as well as tear or two.
Nicholas Ralph stars as James Herriot in the current PBS Masterpiece series and does an excellent job bringing the vet to life. He first shows the naivete of a newly-graduated veterinarian looking for work. As the show progresses week to week, Ralph shows Herriot’s growth as a doctor and as a man. His interactions with the Farnon brothers ring true to the books and are great to see on the screen. But this series does take some liberties with the books, which were decidedly male-centric, by making Mrs. Hall, the housekeeper, an integral part of the show. Also added is Helen and her little sister Jenny, who don’t show up in the book right until about half way through, and then sporadically appears until the end. In the show, Helen is kind-of-sort-of dating someone else, which didn’t happen in the books.
I’m glad another generation gets to know about this fabulous book series. I’ll definitely be picking up my long-held copies of the other books and re-reading them at some point this year.
I’m not an animal lover, per se, but as I was growing up I longed for a pet of some kind, and I loved the Black Beauty TV Series that was on Nickelodeon back in the day and watching horse races like the Kentucky Derby. When I was in junior high, I picked up All Creatures Great and Small and thoroughly enjoyed it. I re-read James Herriot’s books when I was 29 and on bed rest with my firstborn child, and I recently added the audiobook to my collection. And now PBS Masterpiece Theater has a new series of the beloved books. There have been five episodes so far.
“For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot’s marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.
In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot’s periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot’s recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.”
If you’re not familiar with the books, All Creatures Great and Small is actually a compilation of two books. They are about a country vet in England in the late 1930’s, loosely based on the author’s exploits as a veterinarian. First published in 1972, the simple stories of a Scottish vet in the Yorkshire Dales became an instant best seller because of their simplicity, honesty, and humor. They catapulted James Herriot (a pseudonym) to instant fame. More books followed, and to date, the books have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide.
The audiobook of All Creatures Great and Small is narrated by Christopher Timothy, who starred in the BBC production of the books from 1978 – 1990. I watched a few episodes but it was not Must See TV for me; I was not the big fan of PBS that I am today. Timothy knows his character well, and tells the stories in the most heartfelt manner. He knows how to deliver a line to extract a smile, warm chuckle, or guffaw, as well as tear or two.
Nicholas Ralph stars as James Herriot in the current PBS Masterpiece series and does an excellent job bringing the vet to life. He first shows the naivete of a newly-graduated veterinarian looking for work. As the show progresses week to week, Ralph shows Herriot’s growth as a doctor and as a man. His interactions with the Farnon brothers ring true to the books and are great to see on the screen. But this series does take some liberties with the books, which were decidedly male-centric, by making Mrs. Hall, the housekeeper, an integral part of the show. Also added is Helen and her little sister Jenny, who don’t show up in the book right until about half way through, and then sporadically appears until the end. In the show, Helen is kind-of-sort-of dating someone else, which didn’t happen in the books.
I’m glad another generation gets to know about this fabulous book series. I’ll definitely be picking up my long-held copies of the other books and re-reading them at some point this year.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Book on CD read by Christopher Timothy
This is the book that launched a successful series of memoirs of a Yorkshire country vet in the years before World War II. I am definitely *not* an animal person but Herriot’s reminiscences of his early efforts to build a practice were delightful, if a bit repetitious.
This is a re-read for me. I first read it back in the early 1970s when it was a fairly new book. I probably bought it as a “book-club” selection from Book of the Month or Literary Guild or some other similar organization. I remember that I really loved it, and would probably have given it 4 stars (or possibly even 5 stars). Today it’s a 3-star read for me, but I’ll give it the fourth star as that was closer to my original reaction.
Christopher Timothy does a great job of performing the audiobook. He has a wide range of voices to use in bringing the farmers of Yorkshire to life.
This is the book that launched a successful series of memoirs of a Yorkshire country vet in the years before World War II. I am definitely *not* an animal person but Herriot’s reminiscences of his early efforts to build a practice were delightful, if a bit repetitious.
This is a re-read for me. I first read it back in the early 1970s when it was a fairly new book. I probably bought it as a “book-club” selection from Book of the Month or Literary Guild or some other similar organization. I remember that I really loved it, and would probably have given it 4 stars (or possibly even 5 stars). Today it’s a 3-star read for me, but I’ll give it the fourth star as that was closer to my original reaction.
Christopher Timothy does a great job of performing the audiobook. He has a wide range of voices to use in bringing the farmers of Yorkshire to life.
travelinglibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.0
jesslolsen's review against another edition
3.0
Such an interesting life and job! I loved reading about a careers that's very different to my own line of work, but also the countryside and lifestyle could not be more different that where I live.
Rather than following the traditional flow of beginning > middle > plot twist > end, this is a series of memories from his beginning as a country vet. Sometimes I struggled with this format as it made it seem to go on for longer, but in the end the topic was enough to fascinate me and keep me wanting to finish.
Rather than following the traditional flow of beginning > middle > plot twist > end, this is a series of memories from his beginning as a country vet. Sometimes I struggled with this format as it made it seem to go on for longer, but in the end the topic was enough to fascinate me and keep me wanting to finish.