If Only They Could Talk: The Classic Memoir of a 1930s Vet

Product Information

He never feels superior to any living thing, and is ever eager to learn — about animal doctoring, and about his fellow human creature.

Set in the Yorkshire Dales, this is the first book in a series by rookie vet James Herriot and his new life in the countryside and among the animals and his struggle to win over the old Yorkshire farmers and eccentric characters he meets there. I was glad to see some of my long-time favorites from Herriot's little Darrowby community, like Mrs.Alf Wight, seorang dokter hewan dari Yorkshire, menovelisasi hidupnya dan menggunakan nama samaran James Herriot. I was talking to someone yesterday and she told me she often went back to Herriot's books in difficult times.

Ada kisah mengharukan saat Herriot harus memberikan penenang permanen kepada hewan yang terkena kanker untuk melepas penderitaannya. I remember watching the TV series back in the 70's and 80's and picking this book up for the first time was like settling down by the fire with old friends. Further, it is Wight's shrewd observations of persons, animals, and their close inter-relationship, which give his writing much of its savour.I grew up reading James Herriot's book and I'm delighted that thirty years on they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then.

I thought I had read pretty much read all of James Herriot’s books, so stumbling across this one—and the name didn’t ring a bell—I was all excited about a ‘new’ Herriot. I always thought that these were strictly non-fiction, told in a funny way, but I learned recently that Herriot did fictionalize some of his stories.Thirsk masih jadi kota kecil yang tenang, dengan marketplace dan jam kota yang sama dengan yang digambarkan di buku ini, dikelilingi koperasi yang sudah modern, bar, bank, toko permen :). Such a warm and cosy read too - in spite of the often harsh life being described (it was freezing up on the Yorkshire moors in winter).