The Lord God Made Them All

Rating:
Summary: A feel-good classic!
Review: This is the fourth in a series written by a Scottish veterinarian who takes a job in Yorkshire, England, working under Siegfried Farnon. James Herriot, Farnon and his brother Tristan work on all sorts of animals from parakeets to draft horses.

James Herriot has a wonderful ability to poke fun at himself, as is illustrated in one of his earliest essays from the first work, All Things Bright and Beautiful, where he clips the beak of a budgie, inadvertently suffocating the poor creature. We then see him struggle to find a replacement for the little bird, its owner's best friend. Later, we watch Herriot's bumbling attempt to court his future wife Helen.

In The Lord God Made Them All, Herriot is returning from World War II where he served as an RAF officer; he's married with two children but he still works for Siegfried Farnon. Siegfried will remind you of a character from Dickens. He's an excellent veterinary but his many quirks and foibles make him a trying boss at times. Then there's his ne'er-do-well brother, Tristan. They're constantly fighting and Herriot usually winds up in the middle. The Yorkshire farmers are also fascinating. Herriot has a wonderful facility with dialect and some of the dialogue is hilarious.

In the first story Herriot sets out to "nip" (castrate) a calf. "There's nobbut one, Mr. Herriot," the farmer says. "An enormous black animal galloped out . . . I stared at the spreading horns, the great hump of muscle on the shoulder and the coldly glittering eyes. It only needed a blast on a trumpet and sand instead of cobbles and I was in the Plaza de Toros in Madrid."

Quite often Herriot serves as a psychologist, to his human clients. In one story, Herriot is awakened at one in the morning to treat Myrtle the beagle, whose drunken owner has a guilt complex about leaving his dog alone to attend the races. There's nothing wrong with the dog, but to assuage the owner's fears, Herriot gives Myrtle a vitamin tablet. This happens again and again, and when Herriot finally confronts the owner about the imaginary illnesses, the dog is really sick.

Yes, the joke is usually on Herriot, but if your animal is sick, you call James Herriot and sometimes you call him just to talk.
These are wonderful, nostalgic stories that take the reader back to a simpler time. It's so good you'll find yourself reading it as a pick-me-up when you feel blue.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Well, what can i say? This is one of the books that made me think about changing my job to become a vet! The stories are great, the caracthers are full of life. James Herriot writes beatiful stories. In one storie you laugh, in the next you cry. This whole series is a must for everyone!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Well, what can i say? This is one of the books that made me think about changing my job to become a vet! The stories are great, the caracthers are full of life. James Herriot writes beatiful stories. In one storie you laugh, in the next you cry. This whole series is a must for everyone!