Still funny after all these years

I first read the four original James Herriott books in the late '70s and early '80s, when they were first issued. The U.S. government records audio books for blind folks like myself, and the readers they get are good. However, in the cases of the Herriot books, they made the huge mistake of using an American reader. Fortunately, this recording has a British reader--an absolute must for these stories. Mr. Timothy is exceptional, and sounds a great deal like the man who played Herriot in the TV series "All Creatures Great and Small," in the '80s. The decades between haven't taken the fun out of these tales, and neither has an extremely unkind biography of Herriot, though the author certainly tried to destroy what Herriot created. I close with a line from the original Dr. Doolittle movie--"Maybe what the doctor tells me isn't all together true, but I love every tale he tells me. I don't know any better ones, do you?"

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6 people found this helpful

James in the RAF, Homesick and Nostalgic

All Things Wise and Wonderful (1976) is the third of James Herriot's wonderful books combining two shorter ones each, following All Creatures Great and Small (1972) and All Things Bright and Beautiful (1974). Like the others, this one is comprised of numerous short story chapters based on his experiences working as a veterinarian among the fells, moors, dales, and farms of Yorkshire, especially in the fictional community of Darrowby. Like the other books, the stories here range from earthy to philosophical and from comedy to tragedy and depict a wide range of animal and human personalities, idiosyncrasies, and relationships. Like the others, this one mostly takes place from the 1930s on, when animal medicine was modernizing (before antibiotics had been introduced), tractors were beginning to replace draft horses, and dairy farms were becoming industrialized. While the first book tells the overarching story of James starting his career as a vet in Yorkshire and meeting and falling in love with Helen Alderson and the second tells the story of his dating and marrying Helen and realizing that he loves his Yorkshire work and adopted home, this third book tells the story of his training for the World War II RAF and confirming his love of Darrowby and Helen and his vet career by removing him from them. Thus this book, alone of the three, consists of one set of memories (Yorkshire) nested inside another (RAF).

I found the dual memory device uncomfortable and so prefer the first two books, which consist only of Yorkshire stories. Herriot's point is that while in the RAF his memories of home were closer to his heart than his training to be a pilot, which is why at the start of nearly every new chapter something he sees or hears or does in the RAF sends him into a Yorkshire flashback, but many of the memory links feel contrived (as when while waiting to be operated on in the RAF James thinks that he would much rather be on the other end of the knife, which sends him into a Darrowby memory in which he and Tristan are operating on a dog's ear, but this story is really a comedy about Siegfried, Tristan, and James), the RAF experiences only once have anything directly to do with an animal (when James helps deliver the calf of a Shropshire farmer's cow), and the Yorkshire parts are so much more vivid, substantial, moving, and funny that I looked forward to them and regretted leaving them to return to the RAF.

Herriot rarely repeats himself. In addition to depicting a wide variety of human beings (including juvenile delinquents, philosophical farmers, depressed bachelors, laughing spinsters, and weathered old couples) and animals (including dogs, cats, cows, pigs, horses, and a donkey), he writes about many different health problems: false pregnancies, grief, milk fever, fungal growths, foot and mouth, premature blindness, Hodgkin's, prolapsed uteruses, car accidents, and much more. The stories are often suspenseful because Herriot is so good at making us sympathize with the animals and their humans and James cannot always save the lives of his patients or figure out what's wrong with them. As a cat lover, as I was reaching the end I thought, "I wish there were more cat stories to go with the wonderful dog ones," when Herriot recounts the tale of Oscar, the lost cat found starved and disemboweled, one of the most exquisitely sad and happy stories I've ever read by any author.

There is much great writing throughout--

On animals:
"She was the classical picture of an ancient bovine; as fleshless as her owner, with jutting pelvic bones, splayed, overgrown feet and horns with the multitude of rings along their curving length. Beneath her, the udder, once high and tight, drooped forlornly almost to the floor."

On vet work:
"I stared at it intently, appalled by the smooth glistening articular surfaces of the tibio-tarsal joint. There was something obscene in its exposure in the living animal. It was as though the hock had been broken open by brutal, inquisitive hands."

On food:
"Then I bit into the first slice of bread; home made, plastered thickly with farm butter and topped by a lavish layer of heather honey from a long row of hives I had often seen on the edge of the moor above. I closed my eyes in reverence as I chewed."

On people:
"Mr. Barge gave me the kind of sorrowing smile a bishop might bestow on an erring curate."

On place:
"But as I drove away, the somber beauty of the place overwhelmed me. The lowering hillsides burst magically into life as a shaft of sunshine stabbed through the clouds, flooding the bare flanks with warm gold."

About the audiobook, it is perfectly read by Chistopher Timothy, who played James Herriot in the BBC TV adaptations of the books. In addition to loving the material and reading the stories with conviction and delight, Timothy convincingly voices different genders and ages and classes and accents--cockney, Birmingham, Scottish, standard south of England, and, of course, the appealing Yorkshire: "There's nowt spoilin'. Ah never likes to hurry me grub. . . And how about you, Mr. Herriot? You could do with summat to keep your strength up." He also does fine farmer coughs and sneezes and dog howls and barks.

One trivial issue with the audiobook presented as a digital download is that (I assume) they originally were produced as CDs, with string, wind, and piano music opening and closing each disk, which means that often in the middle of stories pleasing but also somewhat distracting music fades in and out.

Readers who love animals or are interested in Yorkshire or the history of veterinary medicine should really read James Herriot, preferrably beginning with All Creatures Great and Small but not forgetting in time All Things Wise and Wonderful.

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A Very Entertaining Story

Herriot is always intriguing, amusing and informative. The performance is very well done. all in all, well worth the time.

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Really good listening

Would you listen to All Things Wise and Wonderful again? Why?

The stories are well written and wonderful to listen to. The narration is great. Just a really good way to relax.

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The last chapter is out of order

There is an error in this recording where the final chapter appears out of nowhere and then the book continues with the rest of the chapters. I think it might have even skipped a chapter. It never said how he got sent home from the war and it ended with a reflection Aron a random traveler. Having said this, most of the chapters were in the right order and his stories are wonderful. Then ending, which wasn't the ending as written was disappointing. I will have to get book out of library and finish it properly.

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Just as good as I remember

My mother gave me this series to read when I was about 11 or 12 and I thought it was wonderful. I got James Herriot's Stories for Children from Audible for my kids to listen to on car rides and enjoyed it so much that I got the All Things Great and Small series for myself. It held up to everything I thought about it 30 years ago. I was a great series to listen to while I worked. Wonderful observations on humanity, funny stories, sad moments and just an overall pleasure to enjoy again. Excellent performance by Christopher Timothy as well.

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The best books available.

I love these books and listening to them has made the world even more exciting. The narration is impeccable and I recommend these to anyone and everyone!!

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so heartwarming

I shall miss the characters, after listening to all three books they have become friends.

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great life!

he was always bent on self-improvement. always moving forward. a great man. a great family. a great life.

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Wonderful in every way!

This book is brimming with detailed stories and heart warming characters- animals and people alike. Herriot’s series in a well loved treasure whenever I need to renew my faith in the world. They remind us all to take joy in simple pleasures and count our blessings. The narrator is fantastic as well. It is a listen the whole family enjoys repeatedly as it is an often requested favorite that appeals to everyone.

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