All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, narrated by Christopher Timothy | 2006, originally published 1972 | Macmillan Audio | Audiobook $32.99
Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world’s most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.
In this first volume of memoirs, then-newly-qualified vet James Herriot arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby and he has no idea what to expect. How will he get on with his new boss? With the local farmers? And what will the animals think? This program is filled with hilarious and touching tales of the unpredictable Siegfried Farnon, Siegfried’s zany brother, Tristan, and Herriot’s first encounters with a beautiful girl called Helen.
This is humorous memoir done right. I think that in some cases when an author is trying to get a laugh out of the reader there is a temptation to get a little bit mean about other people. And yeah, snark is funny! But sometimes the humor can cross that blurry line from snark into real meanness, and the expected laughter shifts from genuine, “Haha, what a goofy thing that person has done,” to either an uneasy, “Haha, what an idiot that specific person person is,” — or worse, “Haha, all [fat / female / gay / insert-race-here] people are inherently ridiculous.”
I feel that the humor in this book is almost entirely of the first sort, depending upon silly situations or individual actions rather than treating people like a punchline — and for that sense of wit, I admire James Herriot.
I found myself laughing out loud a few times. An incident involving escaped pigs struck me as especially funny, and I was very charmed by every single mention of spoiled-rotten posh dog Tricki Woo. And I wasn’t expecting this memoir to include tales of how the author wooed his future wife (or rather, tried to woo with great but funny-in-hindsight difficulty), but these little episodes were also quite charming.
And yes, I realize that there’s a Masterpiece Theatre TV show series based on this memoir and its sequels. I’m very interested in watching it, but haven’t had a chance yet.
This is a great book if you’re a fan of rural slice-of-life stories, or if you’re in need of some good old-fashioned wholesomeness — and who isn’t, these days?
But to be clear, it’s not all laughs. The work of a vet involves difficult situations with animals, including death. There is animal death in this book, including the death of beloved companion animals (not just livestock). There was one story about the death of an elderly dog that I would absolutely skip if I were to read this book again. So, keep that in mind if you choose to read this book and you’re sensitive to sad animal stories.
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Publication information: Herriot, James. All creatures great and small. New York, NY: Macmillan Audio, 2006. Audiobook.
Source: Public library, via Overdrive.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
