Customer Reviews

All Things Bright and Beautiful

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read all of the 4 Herriot books when I was in high school, but I find I'm getting so much more out of them as an adult. Mr. Herriot is a delightful companion to take along on an overseas flight, but you should be prepared to explain to your seatmates why you are laughing so hard that tears are streaming down your face!

This is a really great book and the only biography I've really ever liked. It's about a guy (James Herriot) who is a country vet. This has stories about his work at a pet show, him when he's trying to court his future wife, and it has a lot about the personalities of the animals he treated. It also has a lot of his blunders, like when he got drunk (accidentally, I think) and went out to a farm. The people there were really religious, and he found out the next day the despised drinking! He didn't go out there again. All in all, it was a really good book, and I recommend it for any animal lovers or future vets out there.

Only once a century (or less) someone one like Herriot comes and makes you feel like you are truly there. I wish I could of meet him. He has made me want to be a veterinary doctor. Once again, JUST AWESOME!!!

This book truely reflects the escents of being a country vet on the Yorkshire Dales. It really captivates you and takes you on a journey to the town of Darrowby and surrounds you in the rich atmoshere. I have never been there myself but I feel as if I've lived there my whole life! This is a truly amazimg book I know that anyone who has read it would definetly agree that this book deserves my rating of five stars. James Harriot is most definetly the best author I have ever read!

This is a truly great book. I love all Herriot books, he is s man who writes from his heart and all his books have the unique ability of making you smile inspite of all odds.

Is there anyone who read ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and who didn't rush right out and buy this one next? I didn't think so. I gave the first one a rave review, and rightfully so, but somehow I don't recall enjoying it as much as I did this one. He's an amazing talent on so many levels. Read the real reviews by the real reviewers. They're all true. This man lived in the moment, and he enjoyed all in life that is enjoyable.

All Things Bright and Beautiful is a fantastic book that had a curious effect on the direction of my life. This sequel to Herriot's best-selling "All Creatures Great and Small" continues the true, autobiographical adventures of the author as an English countryside veterinarian. I had just read his first book and dove right into this second one, absolutely convinced as a teenager that veterinary medicine was my destiny. But by the end of this second book, Herriot helped me realize that while I loved animals, I wouldn't be happy as a vet. The odd hours, inevitable disappointments, and requirement to frequently and literally go elbow deep into places I'd rather not, caused the realization that petting a warm and fuzzy pet and fixing a sick and slimy farm animal are two entirely different propositions. One measure of a book's merit is its power to change lives. This one has such power, for which I'm eternally grateful. -- Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead and owner of 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 horses.

James Herriot Describing Himself in All Things Bright and Beautiful
In the novel All Things Bright and Beautiful, the author James Herriot is using his experiences as a veterinarian in Scotland to make an indirect characterization of himself. Reading the book, we get the picture of James Herriot as being a person who simply loves life because of the small things that happen in it whether they happen when he visits the farms in the country, goes and gets drunk in a pub, or has to get up in the middle of the night because of his job. Due to his amusing and joyful way of describing what he sees and does, we get encouraged to love life as much as James Herriot loves it himself. The way he indirectly describes himself makes the novel a joy to read.
We are not supposed to learn the lessons of life when reading this novel; we are supposed to enjoy James Herriot as a fantastic storyteller and get inspired to enjoy the small though extraordinary things in life that happen every day. The indirect characterization of James Herriot is what makes us realize that. We get inspired by his personality and his actions. James Herriot has put his personality onto every page of the book, and it is his personality that shapes the novel and makes it as good and amusing as it is. James Herriot has not written this novel because he had to; he has written it because he wanted to, and his love of writing about a topic as banal as his own life makes this novel a positively different and extraordinary piece of literature.

The audio version of this title, isbn:155927400X, is
not abridged as you are advertising. This title is
unabridged. Best Regards,
Casey

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot is a true classic and I can see why it has been such a big seller through many decades. Sadly, I missed seeing his books when they were made into a television series. This autobiographical work is charming and delightful.

Jim Herriot was a vet in Yorkshire, England. He was pretty much a country veterinarian, servicing farm animals for most of his years. He began his career when the practice of being a vet was pretty much in the dark ages. Antibiotics were not yet on the horizon and many of today's vaccines weren't invented. Each chapter is a story about a different experience--birthing a lamb, caring for injured animals, judging a favorite pet contest, tasting homemade wine, etc. Through them all, we get to sense Jim's love for his job, his patients, and the simple but grateful folk he came in contact with every day. Many times, being a vet was also to be a detective. He often had to come up with a diagnosis for a mystery ailment, and he had to deal with everything from copper deficiencies to hairballs. As in life, not all of his stories have happy endings.

I am happy to have finally acquainted myself with James Herriot and will definitely read more of his books. I have already started James Herriot's Dog Stories.