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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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