If Only They Could Talk (Bull's-eye S) [Import] [Paperback]

James Herriot (Author), Jean Nobes (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Hutchinson (November 5, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 009140391X
• ISBN-13: 978-0091403911
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebirth of an all time great, April 21, 2010

By 

Benjamin J. West (Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Only They Could Talk (Paperback)

James Herriots' stories are always going to go down well.

A struggling vet just out of college joins a practise and attempts to woe the old fastidious farmers in and around Darrowby in Yorkshire circa 1930's.

Trying to educate them to his own way of thinking becomes a far bigger task than he realises and some of the characters he meets on this journey are nothing short of brilliant.

They are all so well depicted you feel that they are so genuine and realistic that should you drive into the Yorkshire Dales you would half expect to bump into them.

The story has been around for years but well done, it is still a magnificent story.

Benjamin J. West, Author of The Eight of Spades, A Law unto Themselves

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the series you were expecting?, November 14, 2011

By 

Hobbit Wannabe - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Only They Could Talk (Paperback)

Ok, I'd like to clear something up. People keep saying they're disappointed because these books (If Only They Could Talk, Let Sleeping Vets Lie, Vet in a Spin, etc.) are a rip-off of the "original" series, including All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, etc.

The first-mentioned series (starting with If Only They Could Talk) is the original. Later, these shorter books were compiled into the longer "All Creatures" series. the shorter books aren't a rip-off; they're just in their original published format.

Now, as to the books themselves, they're absolutely hilarious. A great read! They almost make one want to become a Yorkshire Dales vet... almost, but not quite. These books don't tone anything down. We are given the nitty-gritty details of farm and vet life in the 30s and 40s. Those who are especially squeamish may shudder a bit at some of Herriot's experiences. By the end of the series, you could almost deliver a calf in a pinch... almost, but not quite.

Anyways, wonderful series. Read them!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Thing, December 13, 2009

By 

George L. Dziuk III "Grimwyrm" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If Only They Could Talk (Paperback)

By just reading the back you'd think this book would be a fluffy tale about a young handsome country vet who moves to an idyllic rural English countryside and lives the life ...of a country gentleman. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is the first book in a series that is the true story of life as a country vet in late 1930s England. There's no fluff here...you get specifics about what its like being a vet: its 2am, its the dead of winter, you're stripped to the waste, the only light is an old lamp that a gruff farmer is holding above your head, and you've got your arm up a cow's birth canal trying to turn the calf around so it doesn't kill itself or the mother. That being said, you grow to love the people James Herriott works with (eccentric Siegfried and lazy Tristan) and the farmers of Darrowby. Being a vet is rough, but this series makes you appreciate what they do and the important role they play in agriculture and in taking care of your pet.