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The book started off slow, but I got really attached. In reading the book one gets a good feel for the small town in England and the life that people lead in the town. One thing is that drinking and driving was not considered a problem in those time, because many times in the book they describe drinking at the bars all night and driving home without a second thought.Even though the book is a bunch of short stories it still have a slight common thread running through it and a nice ending. This book is about the life of an veterinarian (James Herriot) in the 1930's. It was a nice relaxing read. Each chapter in the book is a short story about one animal case that James was evolved in. This book starts out when the James gets out of veterinarian school and lands his first job. The book goes into great detail about the surgeries and procedures involved in working with the animals.
The book is extremely charming, heart felt, humorous and realistic. I read this series of books years ago as a teenager and enjoyed it immensely. I also purchased the audio CD, unabridged, and have a great time in the car listening to a very personalized voice narrating the book. Many times, I feel like I am there with James as he is treating an ailing animal or owner. It's a surprise I didn't go into veterinary medicine. I am now a people doctor and frequently wish I were a vet.
Books to laugh and cry with--what could be better.In the late '70s, I discovered them in a Heathrow bookstall--something to read on a long flight to West Africa. I've read them aloud to my children and find that, now as adults, they often re-read them. How can anyone possibly not love the series of books about the English country vet "James Herriot". I was instantly enchanted. As do I. What wonderful stories. Not only well-written, but filled with humor, understanding, and at times total pathos.
That's not to say that I didn't like the book, because I did, I loved it - it had many parts that were laugh-out-loud funny - the brother, Tristan, was an especially comical character. I really liked this memoir of being an English countryside vet in the late 1930s. It actually had less to do with animals than I thought it would - there was a great deal about people - even a central romance. The memoir was educational too, but the veterinary technicalities were well explained. The book, though it did follow a loose chronology, seemed more like a series of articles or anecdotes than a cohesive novel. Some chapters did flow together, but the vast majority did not.
any fan would enjoy this, or anyone who loves animals, or anyone interested in human nature (Herriot is a great observer of people). Great for long trips, while sewing, etc. I loved these stories when I read them many years ago, but reading time is harder to come by these days. Christopher Timothy does as good a job reading as he did in the BBC series.
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