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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

All Things Bright and Beautiful

by James Herriot

Buy it here.

***

Plot: The adventures and misadventures of a newly-wed country vet.


This book is a sequel to All Creatures Great and Small which I have also read and quite enjoyed. I didn't like this one as much as its predecessor, but it was still a good read. Like the first book, this one is a compilation of humorous and/or emotional stories from James Herriot's real life. While All Creatures Great and Small took place between the time that he first joined the country practice fresh out of vet school until he married, All Things Bright and Beautiful picks up shortly after his marriage and contains stories from then until he leaves to serve in WWII. The author deftly avoids mentioning the war except where necessary and focuses all his attention on the day-to-day mishaps and wonders of the practice.

Overall, the book is good. Not life-changing, hardly thought-provoking, just a light-hearted snippet of life. I do look forward to reading the rest of the series someday but the reason I gave 3 stars rather then 4 is because I would not recommend this book to everyone. Only for those with a real love for animals and who can handle the surgery scenes without losing their lunch.

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