The Heartwarming Tales of James Herriot and His Animal Companions

Heidi Vokes: Watching the show on PBS has made me love this story so much that I wanted to read the book. (There are several in this series!) Tjrough my research though I found there are two series. The British book series and the American book series which consolidates some of British books together. I choose to go the British route. Love this first book! The story telling is exactly like the movie series on PBS and I feel as if I can see the characters in front of me. It’s a good read, a funny read, a sad read, an animal lover read, a love read all rolled into one. I highly recommend this story and I’m hoping future books in the series. You won’t be disappointed.

United States on Jun 18, 2023

Janet Mitchell: Loved every page, James Herriot was the master of words such a joy to read,

United Kingdom on Jun 12, 2023

SweetRead: What a fun read. The perspective of the country vet made me giggle. The eccentric mentor, the laid-back brother, the straight faced secretary, all made for a fun and comical life. The way James Herriot accepted the antics of all of them and then described it on paper was very nearly perfect. No holds were had, and he made sure to even tell stories on himself.

I also enjoyed his stories about the animals and what he went through to do his job. The stories about Tricki really caught me. His descriptions of helping deliver coes, pigs, and even Clydesdales were very enjoyable and informative.

If you love animals, you wanna get a look into an early 20th Century vet this book is for you. Looking forward to finding the show.

United States on Mar 10, 2023

Philip LawsonPhilip Lawson: First let me say the book is well made and looks lovely. I just wish I'd checked the size first. I got this for my father in law as he's watched the TV series and wants to read the books. Unfortunately he's a big chap with hands like shovels and fingers like pork sausages so I'm not sure how he'll get on with it. Hey ho, I'll probably be getting a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers from Amazon before long!

United Kingdom on Jan 04, 2023

LLAKSHMANA RAO: Very well written book, hilarious and great humor .
Strongly recommend to buy/ read the whole series by the author

India on Sep 01, 2022

Meera: It is a very different look into the world as it was back then through the culture and work of a vet. I loved reading the anecdotes of Herriot’s life and found him fun but relatable, Siegfried was frustrating and the hardest part of reading about his life with the mood swings and double speech so he was never wrong. I found myself often frustrated. It was a fun read and am very much looking forward to reading more of his memoirs.

United Kingdom on Jul 01, 2022

Linda Johnson: I bought this to add to my Herriot collection. Just a beautiful book.

United States on Apr 16, 2022

Susan: Having watched both the original and new TV adaptation of this (and other Herriot books) you will recognise most of the stories in this book, but like an old friend you haven't seen for a while, they are all slightly different than remembered. The TV series have both taken the bare bones of the stories, but changed them slightly, to make them more "family viewing" friendly.
One thing that did surprise is that this isn't a continual narrative, but rather the chapters are all episodic, each being a separate anecdote, which I think makes it easier to adapt for TV, or film.
If you enjoyed the TV series, and films, then you will enjoy this book.

United Kingdom on Nov 16, 2021

john davis: I was a bit taken by the small size of the book. Should have looked closer at the size before buying. Quality of the book is good. The work of the author is the same great story telling as his first work.. Would recommend the first set to anyone to get started with his work..

United States on Oct 16, 2020

Kindle Customer: This book made me cry. I had a hard time catching my breath. It was so damn funny. It was also poignant. I love the time period - 1930s - and the locale - York. This took me forever to read. It's basically vignettes so I'd read one story and set the book down for a week. But I prefer to think of it as savoring. It was so good, and extremely well written. The humor sprung up naturally from the situations and never seemed forced. I really can't recommend this enough. I know, I know, I'm late to this party - this book has been out for 40 years and I'm just now discovering it - but that doesn't make it any less impressive. Enjoy.

United States on Aug 17, 2015