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kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
more glorious stories of country vet life just before the war. i love the chapters where james accidentally gets drunk, usually at the hand of a fellow vet from a few towns over, because christopher timothy is so funny reading them.
the last chapter is heart-wrenching, as james leaves for the war, thinking of all he'll miss in the dales, and pregnant helen cries from the window.
the last chapter is heart-wrenching, as james leaves for the war, thinking of all he'll miss in the dales, and pregnant helen cries from the window.
melissahoward's review against another edition
5.0
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.
kerisreads's review against another edition
4.0
Charming, like his first novel. I laughed out loud more than once, smiled often, and despite not being an animal lover or country girl by any stretch of the imagination, I quite enjoyed his vignettes of country vet life from start to finish.
My only minor complaints are these:
1) His chronology gets a bit confusing at times, switching ambiguously back and forth from his current married days to recalling his courtship with Helen - a story that we never really get the full picture on. I would have loved to have filled in the gaps more coherently between the beginning of their courtship and when they get married as one connected story rather than disjointed flashbacks.
2) There continues to be mild adult content, much like book 1 - some course jokes from the farmers, the occasional episodes of drunkenness and an expressed view of women that a little uncomfortably values physical beauty - even one off-handed comment describing his dance partner as pleasant for being "well-endowed."
Besides these minor drawbacks, I absolutely have loved getting into this series so far, and book 2 really did not disappoint.
A pleasant, cozy read that warms the heart with stories of veterinary care in the English countryside in the years immediately preceding WWII. Plus, the book's vignette structure makes it fun to meander through or consume in a few sittings depending on your mood and desired pace...
Can't wait to start book 3!
My only minor complaints are these:
1) His chronology gets a bit confusing at times, switching ambiguously back and forth from his current married days to recalling his courtship with Helen - a story that we never really get the full picture on. I would have loved to have filled in the gaps more coherently between the beginning of their courtship and when they get married as one connected story rather than disjointed flashbacks.
2) There continues to be mild adult content, much like book 1 - some course jokes from the farmers, the occasional episodes of drunkenness and an expressed view of women that a little uncomfortably values physical beauty - even one off-handed comment describing his dance partner as pleasant for being "well-endowed."
Besides these minor drawbacks, I absolutely have loved getting into this series so far, and book 2 really did not disappoint.
A pleasant, cozy read that warms the heart with stories of veterinary care in the English countryside in the years immediately preceding WWII. Plus, the book's vignette structure makes it fun to meander through or consume in a few sittings depending on your mood and desired pace...
Can't wait to start book 3!
luisaandrade's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
3.0
amykenney's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely love Herriot's awed descriptions of country life, idealistic and tinged with nostalgia as they may seem. His descriptions of cows calving and sows on the warpath are strangely hypnotic, and I always wait with bated breath the outcome of each veterinary manoeuvre - even though I know most of them turn out well.
I do find this collection slightly more disorganised than the first book, though, and there is less mention of Siegfried and Tristan, both of whom I love!
I do find this collection slightly more disorganised than the first book, though, and there is less mention of Siegfried and Tristan, both of whom I love!