All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot: A Review

💚 First thing first, let's get this straight: all eight of James Herriot's books in the All Creatures Great and Small series are NOT non-fiction. I've always had the impression that it's a memoir. I have read it as a memoir. But as I researched through Google today, I realized that it's actually a semi-autobiographical novel. Herriot (real name: James Alfred Wight) drew the characters from real people, but the events were only inspired by real ones. He used his imagination for the rest. Some sources even mentioned that the story was only 50 percent true. While reading through, I have been suspicious about many of the stories. They didn't sound true; many felt exaggerated, and sometimes were too coincidental. I have been wondering how much of it is true. Now I know. But that didn't change my mind; it's a lovely and inspiring book.

💚 James Herriort is a young fresh graduated veterinary surgeon who got his first job as veterinary assistant in small village called Darrowby, in the Yorkshire Dales. His boss is Sigfried Farnon, an eccentric, temperamental, and caustic, but kind veterinarian. Most of the funniest, laughable things in this book came from James' dynamic relationship with Sigfried.

Swaledale, one of dales in Yorkshire Dales National Park

💚 There's also Sigfried's younger brother Tristan, a laid back young chap, whom Sigfried sent to vet school but didn't get on well. He often became the receiver end of Sigfried's occasional outburst rages, many times sacked, but then returned after few days as if nothing ever happened.

💚 The book consists of individual disjointed stories of incidents in the veterinary surgeons daily lives and works. Phone calls from the farmers - day and night, even midnight! - when their animals get sick, or the cows are having trouble during calving, and so on. Sometimes the case proved to be triumphant for the vets, but their failings aren't less often too. They were fortunate when called by hospitable farmers who trusted and appreciated the vets, but there were numerous of those who were suspicious of modern treatment and made the vets' life miserable.

💚 There are some hilarious stories, while several others are quite heartwarming. One of my favorites is Mrs. Pumphrey, a wealthy lady, with her Pekingese Tricki Woo, who talks seriously to James - the lady, not the dog - as if Tricki is a child, calling him Uncle James, and even sent him invitations from Tricki. Sigfried used to tease him on this account, but James was indulged by the lady with treats after each visit, so...

💚 Then there's also a jolly fellow called Phin Cavert, who's so impressed that James cured his pig (?) with only Epsom salts and cold water, that he repeated the story to everyone. He calls James "Harry", by the way. That story was pretty hilarious!

my gorgeous fore-edge painted copy

💚 Not all the farmers are prosperous. There's a touching story of a poor old man and his cancer dog, which James must put to sleep due to its helpless case. It was the most beloved dog of his late wife. The old man gave Herriot a cigar at the end. That one is one of the most memorable stories. The other is a rich old man who takes care with love of two pensioner horses for twelve years. He started as a farm labourer, had been working hard until, finally, become a landowner with many good breeding horses, which he treated as stocks. When asked why he cared so much for those pensioner horses, the answer is quite touching: "They were two slaves when I was a slave".

💚 On one occasion James reflected on two visits he had attended for the day. One is for a prosperous farmer, whose snobbish wife and daughter treated him (the farmer) cruelly. The other is a farmer with very opposite condition. This one is probably the poorest farm in Darrowby. The old farmer work every day, no matter sick or health, to provide for the family, without ever complaining. His daughter loves him, and happily rides her bike miles away to nearest town only to buy a bottle of her father's favorite liquor. She beams at the thought of how the bottle would give her father a cheerful surprise after a day of toil. What a lovely daughter! James pondered upon these two families. He asked himself, of the two farmers, which one he'd rather be? In the end he thinks he'd prefer to be the poor one - poor. And I couldn't agree more!

💚 It is during his visits to these farms that James first met the girl he's attracted to: Helen Alderson. She's a bit tomboy, very intelligent, and not shy and giggly like most girls James has ever known. It's quite hilarious their courting, through half the book; James's awkwardness and Helen's patience are too cute and sweet!

💚 All in all, it's a delightful, honest, rustic piece of work, beautifully woven into a neat book. I would definitely read the sequels.

Rating: 4 / 5