Overview
James Herriot is the most beloved storyteller of our time. Every Living Thing is his first new book of memoirs in over a decade, and from its opening pages our every expectation is fulfilled: We return in a twinkle to the green Yorkshire dales, to old friends and family, to that miraculous world of wonders great and small. It is a book aglow with the qualities that have made Herriot's other volumes such rare treasures: warmth, humor, drama, color, humanity. His tales of life as a country vet are rendered with skill, grace, and savor; they are the work of a true literary artist. Most welcome of all, though, is the return of the vet himself; James Herriot is as cherishable a companion as can be found in any book. He possesses a vast capacity for joy, a full embrace of life; and, with him, we come to feel how lucky a life it has been. The voice, the spirit, the heart of James Herriot - these are the soul of a durable and delicious body of work, a set of five volumes that will be read and celebrated by us and by generations to come.The international bestseller, finally in paperback. Every Living Thing is famed veterinarian James Herriot's first new volume of memoirs in over a decade, and from its opening pages, the reader's every expectation is fulfilled. Excerpted in McCall's and Good Housekeeping. Reader's Digest Condensed Book. Martin's. (Animals)
Synopsis
James Herriot's final work and last in his beloved series of animal stories
This fifth and final of James Herriot's heartwarming story collections brings back familiar friends (including old favorites such as Tricki Woo) and introduces new ones, including Herriot's children Rosie and Jimmy and the marvelously eccentric vet Calum Buchanan.
As James grows older, he finds that change comes even to his beloved Yorkshire—-but not necessarily bad, as he watches his own two children come to share and participate in his deep love of the animal world. Herriot's last memoir, Every Living Thing is a truly heartwarming read, burstingly full of his deep joy in life, sense of humor, and appreciation of the world around him.
"Smashingly good...bliss for happy readers!"—-Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Herriot's many fans will not be disappointed by his latest, which picks up the story of his veterinary practice in Yorkshire after WW II. BOMC main selection and 22-week PW bestseller in cloth. (July)
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Herriot's many fans will not be disappointed by his latest, which picks up the story of his veterinary practice in Yorkshire after WW II. BOMC main selection and 22-week PW bestseller in cloth. JulyLibrary Journal
This audio version of Herriot's inspirational account is wonderfully read by talented actor Christopher Timothy, who plays Herriot in the popular BBC series. Timothy's versatile voice brings life to a host of colorful characters. Herriot's ability to effectively convey the lovely countryside, the harsh winters, and the intriguing personalities who are a part of his life makes for delightful listening. Primarily about the people and events touching on Herriot's Yorkshire life and practice, this audiobook may disappoint listeners who cherish stories based principally on the author's work with animals. Libraries that have had an enthusiastic patronage for Herriot's work should consider purchasing. Although not the best of his material, it is still beautifully written, expertly read, and professionally produced. The natural, comfortable breaks in Herriot's vignettes make this recording ideal for commuters. A worthwhile addition to most collections.-Carolyn Alexander, Technical Information Ctr., Ft. Hunter Liggett, Cal.Kirkus Reviews
Smashingly good sequel to the beloved veterinarian's earlier memoirs, and well worth the ten-year wait since The Lord God Made Them All. Although no exact dates are given, Herriot seems to pick up just where he left off, in the 1960's in rural Yorkshire, when veterinary medicine was still a barehanded, rough-and-tumble affair, with farm animals the main patients and infection a constant threat. (Herriot seems to spend half his time slipping on cow turds or with his arm up a cow's vagina, helping a birthing calf see the light of day.) The author's superbly gifted partner, Siegfried, is back, as is Herriot's loving wife, Helen. But the practice has expanded and much of the good feeling here involves two assistants: John Crooks, who goes on to become a world-class vet, and Calum Buchanan, eccentric supreme, who eats ducks with feathers attached and collects a menagerie of badgers, foxes, monkeys, and rabbits before setting out for Papua New Guinea. Herriot buys a house; dresses like a buffoon to save a client's farm; comes down with a dreadful cow disease; tends to our old friend Tricky Woo, Mrs. Pumphrey's spoiled Pekingese; and, in general, sheds his benign presence on a zooful of animals and a zooful of human beings. The milieu is deliciously familiar—"a dirty, dangerous job" made glorious by "the whole rich life." So is the moral—that love of animals is synonymous with love of human beings, and that there can never be too much of either. Crafted with foxy intelligence and angelic compassion: proof that for a "vitnery" in the Yorkshire dales, life is bliss—and bliss, too, for a few hours at least, for happy readers. (Book-of- the-Month Dual Selection forOctober)From the Publisher
"A new James Herriot is always cause for celebration!"— San Francisco Chronicle"Smashingly good...bliss for happy readers!"— Kirkus
"Will make the tears flow and the heart sing!"— Chicago Tribune