Title : All Creatures Great and Small
Author : James Herriot
Narrators : Christopher Timothy
Genre : Non-fiction
Publisher : Macmillan Audio
Listening Length : 15 hours 45 minutes
Rating : 5/5
Narrator Rating : 5/5

I rarely read non-fiction, but one of my all time favorites in non-fiction is the series of books by James Herriot (really Alf Wight; Herriot was a pseudonym). Herriot was a veterinarian in the English countryside. The three book (All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful) series describes his life and adventures when he comes, as a newly minted vet straight out of college, to the green valleys of Darrowby, to live and work with established vet Siegfried Farnon and his younger brother Tristan Farnon.

When Herriot arrives he finds the situation thusly: Siegfried, a bachelor, lives in the countryside. His home is run by the efficient Mrs. B. His brother Tristan is studying to be a vet, and makes occasional trips to the countryside during the holidays. Siegfried, while a good, kind man is given to certain quirks, which James as a newbie junior vet must tolerate, and Tristan as flighty and impetuous younger brother must mock.

While James’s life is not quite a breeze – being a Darrowby vet can entail being called out in the middle of the night in harsh weather conditions, the rewards are many: the bonhomie of the good country locals, a kindly boss, a comfortable home and generous wages. The pleasure of the books then is the lovely descriptions of James’s day-to-day life, his many humorous interactions with the animals and their owners, the very entertaining home life escapades with Siegfried and Tristan forever at odds, and grateful, good-natured, cheerful ruminations on the nature of life itself. Herriot knits it all together seamlessly.

Through his words we get a good picture of James Herriot himself, as a good-natured, sensible young man, who is grateful to be where he is. His love for his profession, and his concern for the animals and by extension their owners comes through. Herriot is very likeable, and we are in his corner right from the get-go, which makes all the anecdotes he tells all the more enjoyable.

The books are also very well-written. Descriptions are detailed, so in my mind’s eye I can picture the green moors, the ruddy cows and the squealing pigs. It also helps that I have seen the BBC adaptation, and that this book is read so beautifully by Christopher Timothy, the actor who played James Herriot in them.

There are few books that I have read more than once, so few in fact that I can count them on the fingers of my left hand. But these are some of those few. The books are charming, redolent with atmosphere and good humor. The author, James Herriot himself, is a compassionate man, and that comes through clearly in his telling of the many, colorful stories. Herriot appears to be a genuinely good man, who sees the good people along with the not-so-good, but describes both to us in so compassionate a manner, that we view them through a rosier lens. He is also a gifted writer, because his descriptions are all-encompassing without being overly detailed, and he manages to portray each anecdote entertainingly, with humor, or a twist at the end. It is indeed an art to be able to describe the vagaries of human nature entertainingly, and as such Mr. Herriot is a true artist!

These books are like a favorite snuggly blanket, a definite picker-upper and something to look forward to on every re-read.