If Only They Could Talk

As a rule, I never re-read books. To me, it seems like a waste of precious reading time. There are exceptions to every rule, though, and the books by James Herriot are one of those. I mostly read them as in-between books: When I’ve finished a book and cannot review it right away as I usually would, I open a Herriot and am right back in his beloved Yorkshire Dales.

This book is the first of a series of books that are essentially memoirs of Herriot's experiences as a young veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales, beginning in the 1930s. It is a heartwarming and humorous account of his encounters with animals and their owners, as well as his struggles to establish himself as a veterinarian in a rural community.

Herriot's love for both animals show more and people shines through in his writing. He has a great empathy for both his animal patients and their owners, and he portrays them with warmth, humour, and a deep respect. He admires and celebrates the majestic bovines and their proud owners but nobody is beneath him - he helps the impoverished old man and his dying dog just as kindly and empathetically as everyone else.
He portrays them as hardworking, down-to-earth, and deeply connected to the land and the animals they care for.

One of the things that makes Herriot's books so special is his ability to capture the unique personalities and quirks of the animals he encounters: From mischievous cattle and stubborn horses to spoiled Pekinese Tricky-Woo; Herriot has a special talent for bringing them to life on the page, and his descriptions of their behaviour and mannerisms are both funny and touching.

Overall, Herriot's books are a testament to the power of compassion, empathy, and love, both for animals and for our fellow human beings. They are a joy to read, laugh-out-loud funny at times, heart-wrenching at others, and they remind us of the beauty and wonder of the natural world, as well as the importance of kindness and connection in our lives.

Once more, five stars out of five.

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam show less

I remember watching the original series based on the James Herriot books when I was little, and the recent remake - bland and somewhat unconvincing, more Tumblr farmcore than pre-war Yorkshire - inspired me to revisit the show and finally start on the books. Neither thrilled me, I have to admit.

The adaptations try to knit Herriot's professional memoirs into a soap opera but both are far too repetitive to sustain my interest for long. Herriot - real name Alf Wight - was a vet who moved to the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s and joined an irascible but lively 'vitnery' called Siegfried and his younger brother Tristan (Donald and Brian Sinclair), also training to join the practice. Apart from quirky cameos from Mrs Pumphrey and Tricki Woo, show more the first book in the series consists of James sticking his arm up the bottoms of various cows, pigs and horses while receiving laconic commentary from blunt Yorkshire farmers. That's it, that's the book, and the show.

Some of the 'episodes', which were translated very faithfully to the small screen until James Herriot ran out of books, are sad - a horse with torsion in severe pain, and the poor old man with his dog who made me cry - but mostly Herriot was relying on Siegfried bellowing at Tristan and adventures with wayward animals. Great for the first few chapters and then reading became a chore.

I'll wait another ten years and then pick up the rest of the series. show less

If Only They Could Talk - James Herriot *****

I can remember watching the series on TV as a child, so when I came across this book I thought I would give it a try and see if the James Herriot in the book was any different to the one I fondly remembered.

I needn't have had any fears, from the first chapter I was hooked. It is one of those rare books that I found extremely difficult to put down and finished in two sittings.

The books is written in the first person as Herriot recalls many tales, some sad and some so humorous that you will have strange looks as you sit there chuckling out loud. At the beginning of the novel we find Herriot fresh out of veterinary college and on his way for a job interview with Siegfried Farnham. After a show more somewhat unusual introduction he is offered the job and accepts.

The story takes you back in time to when life although being a lot harder, was also a lot simpler. We meet many colourful characters (in particular Tricky Woo, the spoilt and very rich dog). The descriptive language used is second to none and it is not hard to imagine yourself rising at 3am with Herriot in order to help a cow in labour.

Possibly one of my favourite books ever. I have just ordered the complete collection. show less

Very different from my usual reads, this book gave me a real feel for the day to day activities of a life so unlike my own. In a laid back, positive style and with a subtle kind of humor that creeps up slowly, James Herriot takes us through his first year of apprenticeship as a Veterinarian in Yorkshire, in which he has to learn to handle both the animals and their diverse, eccentric owners.

A routine part of the job, Herriot frequently finds himself shoulder deep inside the rectum of some animal or other, and I remember thinking to myself that bad as my days at the office may get, at least I'll never be in that situation. Later in the same chapter, Herriot reflects that things could'v been worse - he could be cooped in an office show more somewhere, pushing papers, away from the fresh air of the open country. I found that highly amusing.

In the course of reading the book I've paused several times just to marvel at the way James Herriot's careful structuring of sentences effortlessly conveyed the atmosphere of the situation and brought the scenes to life; He truly has a way with words.

I won't be reading the sequel straight away, but I just know I'll come back for more, sooner rather than later. show less

Now considered a classic, this was one of the earliest of the semi-autobiographical fiction genre, and also - in my view - one of the best. This is the first of James Herriot's books, starting with his informal interview as a newly qualified vet, and covering the first year of his life in Darrowby.

So well written that even medical procedures that would not normally interest me at all become intriguing; I also enjoyed reading about the relationships he slowly develops with the local farmers, and also his fellow vets.

A reread after watching a couple of episodes of the new dramatisation of Herriot's work. The book is, as a remember, lighter, more joyful and funnier. Yes there are some dark undertones but there is a love (for people, anmimals and place) that underlies the writing that seems largely absent in the new adaptation.

I had made my mind up about these Herriot books without ever having read them. They are much better than i thought. The beginning to this one is excellent - I particularly liked paragraph 2: 'I lay face down on the cobbled floor in a pool of nameless muck, my arm deep inside the straining cow'...it builds on that.