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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
The third of this series, as I have always imagined it. The narrative in this is more disjointed in chronology, or it is just more noticeable than in [b:All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor|49127553|All Creatures Great and Small The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor (All Creatures Great and Small, 1)|James Herriot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603739947l/49127553._SY75_.jpg|69329306] or [b:All Things Bright and Beautiful|56073409|All Things Bright and Beautiful (All Creatures Great and Small)|James Herriot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1606585372l/56073409._SX50_.jpg|2752234]. James Herriot (which I only just realized in a pen name) jumps between RAF pilot training and flashbacks to veterinary adventures and misadventures. It, like the others, is a gentle read, despite the occasionally sad outcomes, and Nicolas Ralph does an excellent reading. It definitely makes me want to get another dog or traipse around Yorkshire.
I feel like this book was a bit lazy. I don’t know what the point of including his time in the air force as a part of the narrative was, given that he only uses examples of his RAF memories as lead ins to his vet stories. Like, “We marched for miles….which reminds me of a cow I tended too long ago who had trouble with its hooves…..”
There were also quite a few typos that even I noticed. I rarely notice typos so I think there must have been a lot more that I glossed over. This book was enjoyable and I love James Herriot, but this is the third book in his series and it is the third best.
There were also quite a few typos that even I noticed. I rarely notice typos so I think there must have been a lot more that I glossed over. This book was enjoyable and I love James Herriot, but this is the third book in his series and it is the third best.
In the course of my successive re-reads of James Herriot's books as a child, I would routinely skip this one, which I thought of as "the sad one." It is sad. In it, Herriot covers the years during World War II, including his service in the Royal Air Force. It is no heroic, chest-thumping saga. He talks about homesickness, about missing his wife and worrying about the birth of their first child, and about being lonely and scared. It's not as happy or bubbly as some of his other books, but, now that I've reread it as a card-carrying adult, I now realize it may be the most touching of all the books.
Herriot doesn't worry too much about strict chronology, and he doesn't try to hide the fact that most of the time his RAF life serves only as a backdrop to his memoirs, stitched in with hasty segues. Some of the anecdotes told in this book are the most affecting of all of his stories. There are many tearjerkers: some for very sad stories, but many for heartbreakingly joyous ones, told amongst desperate situations. In this book lurk Blossom, the cow who came home; Oscar the cat-about-town; Debbie the Christmas cat; and Jingo and Skipper, best friends. It's a wonderful, stirring book, and shouldn't be missed. Even if it is "sad."
Herriot doesn't worry too much about strict chronology, and he doesn't try to hide the fact that most of the time his RAF life serves only as a backdrop to his memoirs, stitched in with hasty segues. Some of the anecdotes told in this book are the most affecting of all of his stories. There are many tearjerkers: some for very sad stories, but many for heartbreakingly joyous ones, told amongst desperate situations. In this book lurk Blossom, the cow who came home; Oscar the cat-about-town; Debbie the Christmas cat; and Jingo and Skipper, best friends. It's a wonderful, stirring book, and shouldn't be missed. Even if it is "sad."
Another great set of stories about animals and the author's life caring for them. Unlike the first two books, this one spends considerable time on his service in the Royal Air Force during World War 2, with the same sharp, but not mean, eye for the ridiculous in others and in himself. I love this series and am looking forward to getting and reading the final of the four, and then his books about dogs and cats. Wonderful and highly recommended.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
4.5, the best one so far (not to knock the others though!) In this book, Herriot's tales of wartime service mix with more vet anecdotes to form a more compelling narrative compared to the first two books. There's more emotional vulnerability and variety in topic. Looking forward to finishing the quadrilogy soon.
medium-paced
I still love this book! A sweet nostalgia read. I think trying to use the framing of his RAF experience to flash back to the farms doesn't work quite as well, but I understand why he used it. The story about Oscar the cat and about the little dog at the end both brought tears to my eyes again.