All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
Product Details
Web ID: 2305946Watch the TV series, skip the book
All Creatures Great and Small (All Creatures Great and Small, #1) by James Herriot This is a stand-alone book. James Herriot, a Scottish veterinarian arrives in Darrowby, Yorkshire Dales, sometime in 1937. Right out of Vet school, he has come to interview for an assistant veterinary job at Skeldale House at the veterinary practice of Sigfried Farnon. As James takes up his calling, he 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. Most characters are not developed at all, but some. like Mrs. Hall, the woman 3ho takes care of the house, Miss Harbottle, the hired secretary that fights with Siegfried to be able to bill his clients, Tristan Farnon, Siegfried's younger brother who just finished veterinarian school, and finally, young Helen Anderson who is courted by James - are developed much better The book is narrated from the first-person point of view, It's an easy fast read, but there is no plot. It reads like a diary. I felt that the TV series are a much better way to enjoy the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients. Not recommended!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heartwarming
Great writing style. I loved the humor. It is very touching, especially for animal lovers.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Please Please Read Me
If you enjoyed the recent Masterpiece Theater presentation of "All Creatures Great and Small" then do yourself a favor and not only read this book; read all in the series. I first read it in 1992 after years of enjoying the original 1978-1990 series. I re-read the first novel in 2006 followed by all in the series including "Animal Stories", "Cat Stories" and "Dog Stories." Then I re-watched the original series from start to finish. I feel the first three seasons and the two feature length specials (1978-85) are more faithful to the novels than the current series. Season four through seven (1988-90) of the original series are based on the characters from the books and, to the best of my knowledge, only inspired by the Herriot books. Overall, this is a series, both in print and on home video, that is worth your time.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enjoyable Book
Can't find any fault in this excellent book. Highly recommend!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
As Charming as Ever
This was a re-read (well, a listen this time) for me - I first read this book back in the late 70s and loved it. It's one of those books I've always wanted to revisit, and have told my daughters more than once "You need to read this book" (or this series, actually). When I saw the opportunity to listen to a new audio version, narrated by the actor who plays Herriot in the new PBS series, I jumped at the opportunity. And lo and behold, it was just sweet, just as charming, just as funny and sometimes heartbreaking as the first time I read it. The narration is wonderful - I'm quite sure I wasn't hearing a Scottish accent in my head when I read it, but Nicholas Ralph's voice most definitely added to the experience this time around. I'll be highly recommending it - again - to my daughters. Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com