All Things Bright and Beautiful (1976) by James Herriot

 

💚 All Things Bright and Beautiful is the second volume of James Herriot's memoir as a veterinary surgeon in Darrowby village, in Yorkshire Dales. It begins a few years after the first volume, All Creatures Great and Small, ended. It was in the end of 1930s; Herriot has been in practice for three years, and is now quite settled with his new wife Helen. Helen's appearance makes a refreshing change of Herriot's narration. Sometimes, in between stories about rescuing animals and lambing, we would be entertained with the couple's domestic life, or even signets of Herriot's first courting of Helen. They now live in a bedsitter, just upstairs from the clinic. And that makes Herriot's boss Siegfried Farnon, and his brother Tristan. only appear occasionally in the picture. 💚 Like in the first volume, Herriot blended charming, funny, and sad stories of the animals he treated. But I loved this one much more than the first book, I don't know why. Maybe it's because Herriot has been more settled and confident than before, and people trust him more. And more importantly, he told about Siegfried's inconsistent and temperamental attitude less often than before. I loved it when Herriot he wrote about the animal's unique personalities. Like Jock the sheep dog who loves to pursue (almost racing with) vehicles. It's like a game for him. He would pretend he doesn't see James when he arrives, but soon after James' car is at full throttle, Jock would shoot out from his hiding like an arrow, and races happily for some times, exhilarated by the freedom. I can almost see the dog smiling widely in my mind. On the other hand, there's a vindictive dog called Magnus, who never forgets. I don't remember exactly what Herriot did to him - injecting, or claw-clipping? But the dog was angry with his treatment, and long after that he always regards Herriot menacingly.

💚 Put the animals aside, the owners' antiques often provide equally hilarious entertainment. There's a farmer who loves to show off his knowledge. Herriot must wonder for a few minutes every a sentence or two before grasping his meaning. For instance, the farmer would say semolina when what he means is Salmonella. On the next sentence, laboratory could mean Labrador, while biblical cord is actually umbilical cord! Each "word" sent me to uncontrollable laugh. We were entertained by good and generous farmers, as well as cantankerous ones. But my heart sank with Frank, a poor farmer but with steely determination to run a farm single-handedly. Yet, by only one cow disease, his dream of having his own farm vanished in only a few weeks. In times like this, Herriot felt the burden of seeing lives slipped away without being able to help. If only it happened two or three years later, Frank would have been successful. The modern medication was about to find its way to civilization, but not yet.

💚 Herriot was grateful to witness these arrivals of modern medication. One day he treated an animal with hopeless disease. The farmer has even contacted a person who usually put away the dead carcasses, and asked Herriot to put them away. But Herriot insisted on trying a new medication on them; there's nothing to lose anyway. The following morning, they felt like seeing a miracle! It was so satisfying a story to read - and no doubt much more satisfying for the vet. Speaking of "miracle", there's one hilarious story of Sigfried, who was operating a lamb's tumor on its rectum. It only took him a few seconds to perform; with no marks of an operation ever being done, yet the tumor was gone. It's hilarious to see the astonishment in the farmer's face - he's never understood how that had happened! :))

💚 I have been crying a couple of times too over some touching story. One over the death of an old horse with tetanus, the beloved of an old man. He chose Herriot to put the horse to sleep. And the other when reading the touching story about the salvation of an abandoned golden retriever, or about a widow who struggled for twenty years to maintain the farm, alone with her sons, after her husband died, and strived. What a triumphant story it was! But my favorite was perhaps when Herriot got a call on Christmas day, when he'd been hoping to spend the day in peace. The farmer was a poor one, living a simple life. Yet, it was then and there, that Herriot felt the spirit of Christmas was upon him. The simple farmers offered him simple refreshments, but with generosity and simplicity. It was a serene and warm moment!

💚 In short, this book is about the triumph and failure in life, both of human and animal. It's also about love, struggles, courage, and resilient. It's about the dawn of a new era; a scary future (war was imminent), but also hopeful. James Herriot ended the book beautifully with his leaving home to serve in the war (Second World War). One more time, just as what he done several times throughout the book, Herriot's pondering over the lush, picturesque scenery of Yorkshire Dales; of how he loved the land, and his life as a vet, and his wife. Herriot's eloquent writing shone on this final chapter, that I ended it with a deep sigh of satisfaction. It's truly a beautiful and heartwarming book to read! 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐