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    All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor
    Unavailable
    All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor
    Unavailable
    All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor
    Audiobook15 hours

    All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

    Written by James Herriot

    Narrated by Christopher Timothy

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The classic multimillion copy bestseller

    Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

    When this book was first published, it was merely a simple volume of memoirs by an unknown Scottish veterinarian. But within a year, the book became recognized as a masterpiece. And in the three decades that followed, Dr. Herriot has become one of the most universally loved authors of our time.

    In this first volume of memoirs, then-newly-qualified vet James Herriot arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby and he has no idea what to expect. How will he get on with his new boss? With the local farmers? And what will the animals think? This program is filled with hilarious and touching tales of the unpredictable Siegfried Farnon, Siegfried's zany brother, Tristan, and Herriot's first encounters with a beautiful girl called Helen.

    Now as then, All Creatures Great and Small is full of humor, warmth, pathos, drama, and James Herriot's love of life. His journey across the Yorkshire dales, and his encounters with humans and dogs, cows, and kittens are lovingly told by Christopher Timothy with all the fascination, affection, and joy that suffuses Dr. Herriot's work.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateMar 1, 2003
    ISBN9781593971731
    Author

    James Herriot

    James Herriot, a pseudonym for James Alfred Wight, grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, which begin with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.

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    Reviews for All Creatures Great and Small

    4.5/5

    1,795 ratings83 reviews

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    • 5/5
      If you need an antidote to the depressing postmodern inanities we are forced to read in college, read Herriot. If you're tired of literary pretension and pomposity, read Herriot. If you're looking for humor and a warm humanity set against a backdrop of wild, breathtaking natural beauty — well, you really ought to read Herriot. In All Creatures Great and Small, the first in his autobiographical series, James Herriot tells of his experiences as a veterinary surgeon in 1930s Yorkshire, England. It's a treasure of a book, the kind you buy extra copies of to give away, the kind you return to like an old friend.Herriot is one of the most likeable narrators I've ever had the pleasure of reading. He is very humble and aware of his own shortcomings, but instead of burdening the reader with self-absorbed, angsty self-esteem issues and blaming his environment and/or social context for whatever failings he possesses, he pokes fun at himself and gets us laughing too... while still sympathizing keenly with his triumphs and defeats. Other critics have noted that it's simply astonishing that an unknown vet would have such perfect literary control in his first book, but he does. It almost seems effortless.But this is no cozy, insipid, chicken-soup "inspirational" read. People who like such books may enjoy it, but there are harsh realities here too. Some stories don't have happy endings. Animals die. People die. Herriot witnesses the range of human relationships, from the millionaire whose wife and daughter despise him to the struggling farmer whose daughter bicycles two miles in the rain just to surprise her father with a bottle of Guinness. A lifetime of labor may come to nothing in the end; a man's dreams can fall through at the smallest misfortune. Farming in Yorkshire in the 1930s was about survival, a lifelong struggle with the elements. Herriot admires the toughness and plain courage of the average Dalesman while acknowledging the price such a life exacts. This isn't a book of warm fuzzies; it's much more real than that.At the same time, Herriot's wry humor is infectious and many of his observations get me laughing out loud, even on my third or fourth read. Siegfried Farnon and his colorful brother Tristan are masterpieces of character sketching; they could walk off the page. They were no doubt infuriating at times to live with, but such fun to read about. From Tristan's practical jokes and escapades to Siegfried's well-known "saintly" expression and tussles with Miss Harbottle, life with the Farnon brothers is always an adventure. And don't forget the crusty Dales farmers and other local characters, too many to count, or the many animals whose personalities color the stories.As the book is largely composed of anecdotes from Herriot's early years as a vet, there is an episodic feel to the narrative. But there are also some themes and broad arcs that come to a neat close by the end of the book, like Herriot's growing appreciation of the Dales farmers and his courtship and marriage with Helen (his descriptions of her, by the way, are lyrical in their simplicity and amazingly romantic; you can tell he loves her deeply and faithfully). Interspersed among all the stories are little asides about the practice of veterinary medicine, the old remedies the vets used and the revolutionary discoveries that were about to crash in on the practice and change it forever. I love the historical flavor, imparted by one who was there to see the old give way to the new.I used to read Herriot in college to draw the poison when my soul was sick with reading "important" books. I submit to you that there are few things more important than the warm honesty, heart, and humor of the colorful characters in Herriot's Yorkshire. There is something so wholesome and invigorating about the world he depicts, and I love my visits there. This is a wonderful book.
    • 5/5
      Those of a certain age will remember the popularity of these books and the spinoff TV series. In retrospect it seemed strange that the gruelling life of a vet in an isolated part of Yorkshire in the 1930s could be an international bestseller. I recently happened across mention of James Herriot and thought I would engage in some nostalgia.
      This book is a model of memoir. I now appreciate more than in my youth why these books were so popular. Although the tales are entertaining Herriot's writing is absolutely exquisite. His wonderful language and masterful timing wring every ounce of pathos, tragedy (and more than a few belly laughs) out of the material.
      Christopher Timothy, the narrator has a natural bent for the main character due to his years playing him in the TV series, however shows himself to be an outstanding reader, performing all the actors with aplomb.
      A wonderful experience to listen to and a superb book to revisit.
    • 5/5
      Entertaining and at times hilarious 1930s memoirs of a Yorkshire country vet, fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College. Fantastic new covers for this series of classic works.
    • 5/5
      Superbly written! What an enchanting and amusing listen. This title has rocketed into one of my most favorite novels, and I shall happily revisit it again.
    • 3/5
      If you love animals this book is for you.
    • 4/5
      Havin read this book years ago, I was delighted to find that it pleasured me all over again when I read it for bookclub.

      It's a great book to have in electronic format if you're traveling. Each story is short, entertaining, heart-warming, poignant. Our guy doesn't always win the battle of the day, but he always rejoices in having had the day to live.
    • 5/5
      The expressiveness of the reader was wonderful; delightful to listen to.
    • 4/5
      I had read the second omnibus of his writings, which brought me to this, the first. Gentle, engaging stories drawn from his veterinary practice, in these his beginnings as understudy to his mercurial mentor.
    • 4/5
      Great look at the humor and challenges of rural veterinary practice in Britain a century ago. James Herriot is a master storyteller who keeps the reader's interest and emphasizes the blessing of common things.
    • 4/5
      3.5/5
      My reading experience has had its ups and downs. There were stories that hooked me with the first sentences. With others, I was mildly interested but as I kept reading I was more invested with it. But with others, I had some difficulty paying attention as it wasn't entertaining me that much. I must admit that it might have something to do with the fact that I listen to the audiobook. Or perhaps I should've read something in between.
      Despite all that, I heavily recommend this book. It's so endearing and real! And there were so many moments that made me laugh and even made me cry a couple of times.
    • 4/5
      The stories of a young veterinarian in the rugged English countryside pre WWII. The people and animals he met along the way and their interaction. I laughed, I sighed and always was entertained. I was able to put down and happy to pick back up when time became available. Though vets have changed in the 60 years passing the love of the animal has remained.
    • 4/5
      (Audiobook narrated by Christopher Timothy)Vignettes in the life of a veterinarian in the 1940s English countryside.A reread for me, and as lovely as ever. Sweet and easy writing, funny stories, and interesting characters. Should I reread further in the series? Maybe.
    • 5/5
      This is an audiobook compilation of the first 2 books and a bit of the third. I've read them before many years ago and loved them then. I loved this too - it's an excellent reading by the actor who is in the new TV series. I laughed out loud several times and it's just so feel good. I'm just really hoping that my library will get the new audiobook of the next few books.
    • 4/5
      A re-read, decades after my initial reading; prompted in part by the new BBC series, in part by having purchased the book for W but finding it too advanced to capture his interest. Having read this second time, I realise the narrative really is more about people-people relations than people-animal relations. The animal knowledge is there if not front and center, but the love for animals largely assumed and the details don't build into a bigger picture of animal care or a special understanding of animal behaviors, so much as they illustrate the sorts of tasks and knowledge a farm animal vet depends on. While Herriott saw a great variety of animals, for example, the recurring visits to sheep, cows, and horses provide a hint at the farming prevalent in northern Yorkshire; pigs were far less frequent a patient, and I don't recall reading about chickens, geese, ducks even once as the focus of veterinary care.Herriott's love of the Yorkshire landscape comes across as strongly as his feeling for the people and animals he worked with, and this part I hadn't remembered, but is as much a reason to revisit as any.
    • 5/5
      I remember my dad giving me these books for a birthday or xmas fairly early on, and I've loved them and returned to them ever since. Just re-listened to the excellent audio book version. _- love the accents, the humor, the wonderful setting, and the compassion to animals. Great storytelling.
    • 5/5
      A lovely read. Each chapter a new adventure and yet woven into one story. A classic. You won't be disappointed.
    • 5/5
      A really pleasant and easy read. Each chapter is a nicely-contained story which generally has no connection to any of the other stories. This first book has around 60 of them. I was always very eager to read each story right through to the end but since the chapters each had an ending I didn't feel a pull to come back and binge the entire book in a single sitting.

      These books were written in the 60s and set in the 30s. There's a real "back in the good old days" feeling to them, but it's nice to hear the voice of "modern" veterinary medicine poke in every so often to say that most of their medicines pale in comparison to things like steroids and antibiotics and everything that had advanced over the author's career. This isn't a technical book about medicine, though, this is a book about people, and the way the author describes fictional Darrowby almost makes it feel like a fantasy land on par with Tolkein's Shire.
    • 4/5
      This recording of Herriot's well known and well loved memoir gave me several pleasant hours of listening. Herriot's charm is in relating detailed stories of his time as a Yorkshire vet, told in a manner that vividly captures the people and animals involved, whether it be an irascible pig or an eccentric dog-owner. These people leap off the page, as do the animals, and many of the tales told will brought a smile to my face, and maybe even a chuckle or two. The serious side of life is told as well, and who wouldn't have a tear form in their eye upon hearing about the last few moments of a beloved dog who was the last faithful companion to a poor widower? I can see why these tales have been adapted for television, and why so many have loved them. The author also includes lovely descriptions of the countryside and his own feelings of rapture at the natural beauty of the Yorkshire dales. The narrator of the audio version that I listened to had just a hind of an accent (Scottish?), which added to the charm, but it wasn't distracting and it didn't make any of the text indecipherable. This first installment did seem to be a bit long, but then I hear it was originally two books that were combined into one volume by the American publisher.I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves "cozy" books, as these tales were all PG rated and had a heartwarming feel. Animal lovers will especially enjoy them, but anyone who enjoys well written memoirs that take you back to a simpler time and place couldn't miss with this one.
    • 5/5
      I fondly remembered the TV series, which was a family treat on a Sunday afternoon when I was a child. So, when my dad was bedridden earlier this year, I bought the dvds for him to watch. However, I wanted to listen to the original at my own pace, so I acquired the audio book.

      I'm so glad I did. Christopher Timothy does a great narration, and the story has all it needs, even without the images (although I have to admit that I had the TV characters before my inner eye, even if they didn't quite seem to match the description in the book.

      If you want to spend a few delightful hours listening to a story about life in the Yorkshire Dales in the last century, go on and treat yourselves to this wonderful rendition of a wonderful book. For me, it is a classic, even though it's just a few decades ago that James Alfred "Alf" Wight (aka James Herriot) struggled with weather, beast, and man.
    • 5/5
      Young Scotsman Herriot had just passed his veterinary exams in the 30's when work of any kind was hard to come by. He was fortunate to be taken on as an assistant by Siegfried, and established vet with a practice in the Yorkshire Dales. Soon they were joined by Siegfried's younger brother Tristan, who had failed his vet exams but still helped on the rounds. This is a region that took adjustment for the young vet, as he was an outsider and the terrain was difficult, made worse because Herriot's loaner car didn't have brakes. He proved himself to be smart, innovative, and courageous, as he described shoving his hands in places that make the reader cringe. He does whatever he can to help both the animals and the farmers who are often on the edge of survival.This is one of my best reads of the year. There are grim situations, but Herriot also writes of his hilarious date with Helen, when the rest of the house tried to cobble together appropriate dinner clothes for him, or the comical frustration of dealing with a boss who didn't listen.
    • 5/5
      An episodic biography of veterinarian James Herriott. The chapters are short and enjoyable with laugh out loud human and animal antics.
    • 5/5
      In the late 1930s, during the period near the end of the Great Depression but before the world went to war, a young Scotsman graduates from veterinary school and looks for any job he can get. His search leads him to accepting a position as an associate at a small practice in the Yorkshire dales, where he will be responsible for healing both livestock and house pets. Although well-trained academically, he is woefully short of practical experience, something which the local farmers and his colleagues alike are only too happy to point out. Nevertheless, the young man perseveres and soon becomes a respected and indispensable part of the community. Along the way, he learns his craft by dealing with literally hundreds of animals—as well as their owners, in many cases—under conditions that range from harrowing to humorous. Above it all, though, he also finds himself enamored and deeply affected by the people, the landscape, and the rhythm of life in his newly adopted home.All Creatures Great and Small is the memoir of James Herriot, the humble and thoughtful man who embarks on this heartwarming journey. (Incidentally, while it is a history, the book apparently is not a strictly verbatim account; for instance, James Herriot is the pen name for James “Alf” Wight, the man who actually wrote it about three decades later based on his experiences.) Over the course of 67 relatively short chapters, Herriot delivers tale after delightful tale of his work with the animals, his interactions with the local inhabitants, his budding friendships with his boss and his boss’ younger brother, his growing admiration for the natural world around him, and, most of all, his halting courtship of the woman who will become his wife. While each of these chapters often relates a distinct event, collectively they constitute a chronicle of the author’s life as he moves through the first few years of his new career. It is hard to express just how utterly charming I found this entire volume to be. Herriot may well have been a gifted and empathetic veterinarian—and, by all indications, he certainly was—but he was just as clearly a remarkable writer. While his stories of treating animals (particularly the large ones: cows, horses, pigs, and sheep) were uniformly splendid, where the author’s prose really stood out for me was in his descriptions of the northern English countryside as the seasons changed from the harsh realities of late fall and winter to the life-affirming growth of spring and summer. Beyond that, Herriot had a real talent for capturing the essence of his human subjects in subtle ways, either through the words they spoke or the actions they took. He lived at a time and under circumstances that are rapidly receding from memory, but we are fortunate to have such a gentle and endearing tribute to remind us all of what took place.
    • 4/5
      James Herriot is just starting out in veterinary medicine. He is green behind the ears as many of the local farmers like to remind him. James has the biggest heart and the kindest soul. He wants to do his very best and it shows.Ok…I am behind. I have never read this book. So, when I saw it was a show on Masterpiece Theatre, I knew I must read it first. Luckily it was an audiobook at NetGalley.I will say that this audiobook is very long. It is a good book and extremely unique but a little long.There is so much in this memoir. I have laughed and cried and learned quite a bit. I enjoyed all the characters, as a matter of fact, I think some of them are people in my home town. This is a joyful and fun read. Also, the narrator, Nicholas Ralph, did a fantastic job. There could not have been a more perfect narrator for this memoir.Need a good, down to earth listen…this is it!I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.
    • 4/5
      This is an amusing story about a young veterinarian in Yorkshire, England. He describes his trials and successes in treating livestock and pets. Many of the stories are humorous and lighthearted. He describes his employer, Siegfried, and Siegfried’s brother Tristan, who were interesting characters. His courtship and marriage of Helen bring the story to conclusion. I enjoyed the stories and James seems like he has a nice person who cared about the animals he treated. The job sounds difficult and laborious, especially in the climate of northern England. I would recommend this book as light reading for amusement.
    • 5/5
      historical, hilarious, memoir, nonfiction, 1930s, short-stories, rural, village, Yorkshire, veterinarian, verbal-humor*****Of course I started with Book two. But here I finally got to Book one and none of the rest mattered. I think I'm glad I waited this long to listen to this fun classic story written by a real rural veterinarian in the 1930s because this performer is so good that he is doing the BBC series! The whole is beyond wonderful!!!This program is read by Nicholas Ralph, star of the new PBS Masterpiece series and his interpretation is wonderful! I love listening to him as he portrays Herriot and everyone else.I requested and received a free audio copy from MacMillan Audio via NetGalley. Thank you!
    • 5/5
      Christopher Timothy’s narration is superb! Stories you can listen to again and again!
    • 5/5
      Loved this warm and uplifting book. Everything that James Herriot writes is wonderful. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet him years ago.
    • 3/5
      Very cozy book, and fortunately, almost all the stories have happy endings (happy being: no animals died by the end of the telling, to put them out of their misery or otherwise). The whole setting just feels charming, and the reader gets to see-saw with "Herriot" over the miseries and joys of being a rural vet (superstitious, impecunious farmers, being shoulder-deep in a cow in a cold cowshed; friendly, good-natured farm folk, beautiful countryside and fresh air, helping animals).

      Why only 3 stars? It started to get a little samey, especially his interpersonal adventures with Tristan and, ugh, Siegfried. Maybe Siegfried was striking a little close to home but oi, stuff it, you scatterbrained hypocrite. I would easily recommend this book to others, but I don't see myself with any compelling urge in the future to re-read it, nor do I feel spurred on to read the ensuing books. (It's like, sometimes you go to a restaurant and have a perfectly fine experience with it, yet somehow you never remember to go back there when you're eating out again. That's this book to me.)
    • 4/5
      Love these books! I think I'll reread them this summer.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic book. It's crazy that I'd never read this before. Herriot is a new vet who finds work assisting a rather annoying man in the Yorkshire Dales in England around 1940. The book contains story after story of his first couple years there. The work with the animals is really fascinating. The people are maybe even more fascinating. There is a bit of romance going on as well. Chapters are short, so this book is very nice for just a short read in the evening to relax and feel good.