All Creatures Great and Small

Educational and humorous - a must read for aspiring veterinarians!

As a teenager in the technical age, I sometimes forget about the hard work that past generations have done. I recently adopted a dog from my local humane society, and I love her very much. When my family and I take her to the veterinarian, I imagine an air condition office with sterile instruments organized in cabinets and large, metal operating tables, but that is not the case for Mr. James Herriot in his memoir All Creatures Great and Small. Fresh out of veterinary school and newly employed at a small private practice, James is unprepared for long drives, unreasonable farmers, and disobedient farm animals and must adapt quickly to life in the Yorkshire countryside. Mr. Herriot's veterinary experiences are not only educational to any aspiring veterinarians, but also quite humorous, as he makes light of the sometimes trying moments of his practice. He shows his dedication to the animals and his practice by putting them first. For instance, James attends a last-minute case of a scouring cow at the cost of a chance to win fifty pounds at the horse races. In addition, just after wedding his wife, they spend their honeymoon testing farm animals for tuberculosis. Through each chapter, I grew more and more connected with James and his life of service. I learned to appreciate the life I have now and not to complain because there always is someone working harder or having a worse day.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

For All Animal Lovers!

When I was a young girl I always wanted to be a veterinarian. I thought that it would be so much fun to be with the animals all day long. The moment I saw All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot I knew it was a book for me. I recommend this book for anyone and everyone who loves animals. In this memoir you get to experience the fun, lighthearted moments James has with his numerous animal clients, like the time he gets a letter from a small dog named Tricki. "Tricki requests the pleasure of Uncle Herriot's company on Friday, February 5th. Drinks and dancing," (111). While reading All Creatures Great and Small you could experience how James felt, especially when he miracurosly saves two twin cows. "Twins are often dead when they're mixed up like that-good job we got them out alive," (359). James Herriot does a wonderful job explaining the hardships and accomplishments he faces as a young vet in Yorkshire, England. Therefore, I would definitely recommend this book to all people who share a love for animals.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Hey people! Read this:) :)

Hey people! SERIOUSLY, THIS IS NOT A CHAT ROOM. I AM TIRED OF SEEING " HEY ROBIN, OR HEY FUZZYFACE. I DONT CARE IF YOU NEED TO TALK, GO ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER. People rely on these reviews and i dought they want to hear about some random person. Now stop with the chatroom stuff. Im in 5 th grade, and i hate seeing this stuff and everybody else does too!

Lakita

*follows Bluejay*

Spirit

Your welcome. Shes ok. Just a broken leg and a few scars. The scars should heal easyily.

Ponca

*blinks awake.* i fell asleep?

Bluejay

-Stops then tries to get up again.She can do it this time. She smiles at her succes then limps away to see what everyone else is up to.-

-Bluejay

Robin

His aluve bidy comes bak

I loved reading this book and how it just took me away and broug

I loved reading this book and how it just took me away and brought me to those green hills with beautiful forests. This book is constantly moving while making you laugh or just smile with its humor. This book does require an elevated reading ability to be able to follow the flow of the story. The chapters are usually very short and in each chapter you get immersed in a entirely different story each time, and this is the one part I didn’t like because that made it very hard to be aware of how much time passed throughout the story. But that is the only downfall of the book but a few times the chapters do connect and once you get the hang of how that part works you will be just fine. Also unless you are very familiar with the veterinary practice then you will encounter quite a few terms of different diseases tools and various other things of the sort but do not let that worry you too much because you don’t really have to understand them to enjoy the book, and the book also does a very good job of telling you what is going on in these cases. This book is a great read and I enjoyed reading the book the whole time.

Loved it

Makes me think of my grandfather, also a vet in the country.

Read it thats all im going to say

This is oone the most amazing books i have ever read and i love it

Great Book

This is a great book but it made me cry.

Somewhat Enjoyable Read

All Creatures Great and Small is a somewhat interesting book. This book has action, tragedy, and is a bit comedic. I found it to bore me a little as I reached the halfway point in the book. The book seems to go on and on forever right until you finish. Being part of a younger generation I didn't find this book to be very fun or action packed like books today. I would recommend this book to people who are older, but not people still in high school. Some parts were appealing to me and got me reading for a while but then as the book slowed down again I felt bored. James Herriot is a young man just out of college. His job sends him to treat from the biggest to smallest of all animals. Along with animals he meets all kind of people with a range of personality. "Tricki request the pleasure of Uncle Herriot's company on Friday February 5th. Drinks and Dancing." (109) James even gets letters from his patients who are overly spoiled by their rich owners. Not only does he get to go to high class parties but gets regular gift baskets from some of his patients, but also gets invited to have dinner from several farmers. Along with being spoiled countless times from countless patients and farmers James experiences very tragic moments in the story. One of the most memorable moments was when James had to put down a dog. The owner of the dog had told James he was his only friend. "The old man was silent, then he said 'Just a minute,' and slowly and painfully knelt down by the side of the dog. He did not speak, but ran his hand again and again over the grey old muzzle and the ears, while the tail thump, thump, thumped on the floor." (75) This was an enjoyable book to read but I don't recommend it to people of a younger age.

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot is a heart-felt book with stunning details and captivating characters. This memoir lures you into the unusual daily life and adventures of this Scottish veterinarian in the Yorkshire dales of England. His career along the countryside encounters a diverse range of animals. Herriot's connection and affection towards the animals are well expressed in this touching memoir. His natural urge to love and care for the animals remind me of my own dog. Having grown-up with a pet to look after for as long as I can remember, my experiences can easily relate to Herriot's feelings towards animals throughout the book. This book intrigued me at first, but later it began to drag on to an almost pointless and dull storyline. There was not as much interest and excitement as I had expected and the chapters soon became almost predictable. However, there were occasional chapters which caught my attention with its ability to allow the reader to picture the vivid scene and actions. James Herriot does a spectacular job describing the characters in his memoir with remarkable detail and imagery. "The dog did not move as the needle was inserted, and, as the barbiturate began to flow into the vein, the anxious expression left his face and the muscles began to relax. By the time the injection was finished, the breathing had stopped" (75). This brilliant imagery from Herriot's memoir describes him euthanizing an ill dog. Though the story seemed to be redundant, by the end of the story, the characters' personalities and experiences would have all come to life. "This is the end. You're sacked, do you hear me? Sacked once and for all. So get out of here- I don't want to see you around anymore. Go on, get out!" (41) Herriot is able to assist the reader in picturing the tense relationship between Tristan, who is Siegfried's brother, and Siegfried, Herriot's employer. Herriot connects certain chapters with a common theme such as the arguments and lectures from Siegfried to Tristan. This book is appropriate for all ages and I recommend this memoir to those who are interested in becoming a veterinarian. All Creatures Great and Small opens a greater range of perspectives towards veterinarian practices.

An Inspiring memoir

The memoir, All Creatures Great and Small, is a surprisingly interesting life story of a veterinarian in rural England. Most of us work in offices or labs, and whenever we go to the vet, we are in a clean, sterile environment: a hospital. Yorkshire is very different from the vet hospitals that we know. James Herriot thinks back on this several times throughout his book, and most of these times he is helping a cow or horse give birth. In our textbooks, everything looks so easy and clean, but in the real world, it gets down and dirty. James discovers this very early on, as countless farmers and animals strive to make his job more difficult. I like this book because I can really see these things happening. It is not so far-fetched that I cannot believe it, but still different enough from daily life that it is interesting. I especially like the quote: "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are a lot better off than humans." (270) James says this while comforting an old lady when her dog dies. Another thing that I found memorable is a quote here that enhances the fact that every job, no matter how difficult, has its own, special, rewards: "This was my favorite part. The little miracle. The newly born calf was shaking its head and trying to sit up." (7) I really enjoyed reading all about James Herriot's experiences in Yorkshire, England, and I hope that you will too. I would really recommend this book to anyone interested in reading it.

An Animal Lover Like Me

For an animal lover like myself, the memoir, All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot, automatically caught my attention. The book opens with much excitement, and I was very intrigued by the young man Herriot and his courage to practice his skills in the rural Yorkshire. As the book continues on, the story starts to become uninteresting. I feel its dragging on, with not much grab hold to.
At times, though, something thrilling pops up, but after that it would go back to the similar dull, uninteresting story. In one particular part of the story, Herriot has to euthanize a man's dog, and has trouble with it. When Herriot tells the man, "He's out of his pain now" (75), I could really relate to it. When my dog died, my mom told me that it wasn't a sad thing, but a good thing, because she isn't suffering anymore. Although the story is a bit boring, the characters are captivating. They make you realize that even in this tough world, there is many great people. It is easy to relate to because you could really feel the connection between the characters, like you would with a friend or anyone else you love. Although the characters are heartwarming, the story has no diversity. In the book, there is a little to none "bad" characters. This makes the story a bit unreal.
Herriot states,"It wasn't so easy to work out as it seemed; in fact it became increasingly difficult to decide who was getting the most out of their difficult lives"(399). Herriot has some challenging situations, which he has to go through, and throughout the story, many lessons were learned. We all have to keep moving forward, and forget about the past. Also, sometimes we cannot be ready for overwhelming circumstances, even how hard we may try to prepare for it.
I always wanted to become a veterinarian when I grew up. This memoir showed me what a vet would has to go through, surprising me. I never thought it would be so difficult and intense. I could see that Herriot loved animals, just like I do.

This book was a good read, even though it was for school. You should read the epic adventures of James Herriot in the book All Creatures Great and Small.

This book clearly shows how the veterinary practice has changed and it has many details, some you might not really want to read but still it is a fantastic book. You will get to see into one of the lives of a country veterinarian somewhere in Europe. You will also get to know the character very well and how hard he works. This story or really stories are heartwarming and memorable, you will love them. There one or two downers about this book though, it is hard to read it all in one day, at least this is how I felt while reading this book, and some of the details are a bit graphic. Overall the book was super good and gets a 4 to 5 stars. If you can't sit down for long periods at a time and read a book then this book might not be for you and if you don't like reading about certain parts of animals then you should definitely not read it. Some of the themes/ important messages in the book are the importance of hard work, never give up, not everything is what it seems, and the importance of friends. These things come up many times in the book but the book is mainly about a new vet named Herriot that works in the city and goes out to the country to get a job. He is hired by a slightly crazy man named Mr. Farnon, who says one thing one day and the next he says the opposite. Herriot will be an assistant to Mr. Farnon and go on many adventures, helping, even saving the animals he meets. In the end Herriot will fall in love. If James Herriot's other books are as good as All Creatures Great and Small, I would recomend all of them especially All Creatures Bright and Beautiful and All THings Wise and Wonderful.

Interesting and humor filled read; highly recommend this book.

All Creatures Great and Small was a comforting kind of book; it's filled with these detailed and funny stories about an up-and-coming veterinarian in Yorkshire, along with the crazy people he lives and encounters along the way and funny animals he meets. This book was everything; it was depressing, it was motivating, it was intriguing, it was upsetting. Personally, I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone, providing that you have a great love for God's furry creatures. The themes in this book are also remarkable; passion, courage, determination, and happiness are all major and the way that Herriot incorporates them into this book is phenomenal. The only aspect of this book I didn't much care for was Tristan, and he was just a character in the book I found to be very obnoxious and unhelpful. I found All Creatures Great and Small to be a funny and entertaining novel, and look forward to reading more of James Herriot books. If you are looking for a book that will make you appreciate any animal in your life, or just something funny and interesting to read with deep themes that leave you speech-less, I would highly recommend All Creatures Great and Small. Another book I might recommend, although not by Herriot, is 19 minutes by Jodi Picoult.

Great read!

All Creatures Great and Small is a wonderful book about an aspiring young vet, James Herriot, who lands a job as veterinary assistant to Dr. Siegfried, in the Yorkshire Dales. The book portrays Herriot's many jobs from calf birthing to treating horses with colic. The setting is London in the 1930's and starts with Herriot jobless and just out of veterinary school and follows him from getting a job as an assistant to earning his own title as a veterinarian. Some major themes or messages in this book include to always show patience and compassion for all. Another message would be to look for the good in everyone. These themes and messages are present everywhere in this book. For example, Herriot has to learn compassion for the animals he had to treat as well as the difficult and rude farmers. He also learned that almost everyone has some good in them, even if they are very wealthy and appear not to care. I think that through this book Herriot was trying to teach the readers to practice kindness. What I really liked about this book was that it wasn't depressing. Overall it was a very enlightening book because of Herriot's strong moral values and the lessons about animals and humans alike. Sadly, there were one or two parts where it ended badly for the animal. Also, this book was very descriptive. When I would read it, it was very easy to visualize what was happening. I also liked that it wasn't all about someone tending to sick animals, it also had quite a bit about Herriot's personal life. The book can get repetitive just like the real life of a rural vet but, what is repeated isn't annoying. I thought the repetition was kind of nice. I think you should really read this book because everyone needs a little happiness in their lives and this book is sure to be just that. This book is G rated, it has humor, it is interesting and it never will bore you. Additionally, I think this book would be good for both a male or a female because, it is told from a male's point of view so it should be interesting for the boys but, there is enough romance and cute cuddly creatures for the girls. If you have a strong hatred for anything living I would not recommend this book. I can't really think of any other reason for you not to read this book. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read. So if you would like to do some good reading you should really go and read All Creatures Great and Small. I would recommend eating some tomato soup while reading this.

Takes you back to simpler times

All Creatures Great and Small is a great book about the daily trials of a 1940's vet in the heart of Yorkshire country. James' story begins when he gets a job with a quirky vet and immediately starts helping the country animals of the village and the farms. This story took me back to a simpler time when families sent the vet away with some kind of homemade treat. This story allows you to live his life and share his experiences through his writing.James Herriot shares his successes and failures in a way that makes you feel like you have been sitting, listening to him talk. His descriptions will make you appreciate the tough work all vets do, back then and now. This story truely will warm your heart and make you smile. One thing that I disliked about this book was how repetative it was at times. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves animals and needs to curl up with a good, heartwarming story.