All Things Wise and Wonderful: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

Written by James Herriot

Narrated by Christopher Timothy

Readers adore James Herriot's tales of his life as a Yorkshire animal doctor in All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Now here's a third delightful volume of memoirs rich with Herriot's own brand of humor, insight, and wisdom, and the basis for the PBS Masterpiece drama.

In the midst of World War II, James is training for the Royal Air Force, while going home to Yorkshire whenever possible to see his very pregnant wife, Helen. Musing on past adventures through the dales, visiting with old friends, and introducing scores of new and amusing characters—animal and human alike—Herriot enthralls with his uncanny ability to spin a most engaging and heartfelt yarn.

Millions of readers have delighted in the wonderful storytelling and everyday miracles of James Herriot in the over thirty years since his delightful animal stories were first introduced to the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Mar 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9781593971755

James Herriot

James Herriot (1916–1995) was the pen name of James Alfred “Alf” Wight, an English veterinarian whose tales of veterinary practice and country life have delighted generations. Many of Herriot’s works—including All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and Every Living Thing—became international bestsellers and have been adapted for film and television. Herriot’s stories rely on numerous autobiographical elements taken from his life in northern England’s Yorkshire County, and they depict a simple, rustic world deeply in touch with the cycles of nature.

Reviews for All Things Wise and Wonderful

[melanti_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The military aspects of the book consisted mostly of a couple paragraphs that about the war then the rest of the chapter being about what that event made him think of, or what he was daydreaming at the time it happened.

The military elements were more of a framing structure than part of the narriative.

[word.owl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Herriot's writing, but this one was another slow one. I felt like the stories were more varied than in All Creatures Great and Small, but it still took me a long time to get through since there wasn't much of an overarching narrative other than some thinly stitched-together experiences in the RAF during WWII. Most of his veterinary stories are framed by his war experiences and written as reminiscences of life before (and sometimes after(?)) the war.

The story that stayed with me the most was the one about Paul Cotterell and his dog Theo. James thinks that Paul is sort of a carefree person without many attachments in life, including to Theo. He compares himself to Paul and wonders why he has to be so emotional. Later, he finds himself to have been a poor judge of Paul's character when he finds out how Paul reacts to Theo's death. It made me reflect a lot on how meaningless it is to compare ourselves to others when we have no idea what it's like to walk in their shoes. Even people whom we think are amazing usually have struggles that we can't know. It's better not to dwell on our own faults and compare people to one another, because we're all just doing the best we can.

Anyway, I always love Herriot's stories for their combination of sadness, humor, and insight on life, and will probably read the rest of them at some point. I hadn't realized that All Things Bright and Beautiful comes before this one, but it doesn't seem like I missed too much by reading them out of order.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Woven in with his sometimes harrowing Vet practice events is the story of his quest to be an RAF pilot.

So many beautiful landscapes are included with all of the farmer characters and the loving animals he saved.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I remember my dad giving me these books for a birthday or xmas fairly early on, and I've loved them and returned to them ever since. Just re-listened to the excellent audio book version. _- love the accents, the humor, the wonderful setting, and the compassion to animals. Great storytelling.

[andorion-259107 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can I say about this wonderful book that has not already been said?

A truly unique and fulfilling reading experience, I recommend this book to anybody who has had a bad day, is tired, depressed, angry, generally feeling out of things. The stories are like therapy. I have rarely rad anything where the warm affection, the kindness and the love are so tangible.

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although ALL THINGS WISE AND WONDERFUL has been out since the 1970s and although this book is the third in a series, it is the first of James Harriot‘s books that I’ve read. I loved it and wonder what took me so long.

Most of us know of Harriot's books even if we haven’t read them. They’re classics. He was a country veterinarian in England, and his books are stories of, mostly, his work with the various animals. Plus he also throws in some people stories here and there. In ALL THINGS WISE AND WONDERFUL, while he is training to be a pilot in the Royal Air Force, he remembers his time as a veterinarian during the 1930s.

While many readers like myself are easily bored by books of stories, this one is absorbing. Harriot‘s books were best sellers, and people all over the world love him. Now I do, too. I only wish he were still alive so I could tell him.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These four books were the first I read from the adult section of the tiny town library I grew up with. Still remember them fondly - still don't want to be involved in animal husbandry or to have a pet. That universality of appeal is a large part of their genius.

[merrymeerkat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very funny like the others, however I could have done without all of the Army bits.

[helynrob · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A little bit of James Herriot usually makes everything a-ok.

[debbiemccauley-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The third book in this series is set during the midst of World War II whilst James Herriot is in training for the Royal Air Force. At home in Yorkshire Helen is coping alone whilst heavily pregnant. James muses on his veternary exploits in another heartwarming and funny narrative.

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Still delightful, although I don't think Herriot's war service works particularly well as a framing device. There are several entertaining anecdotes about it, but most of the chapters start with some clumsy segue that doesn't actually add anything and is rather distracting.

[countrylife_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly delightful stories involving the veterinary practice of James Herriot in Yorkshire. Plucked from his vocation as a country vet, Dr. Herriot now belongs to the Royal Air Force. He shares some little bit of his RAF training and experiences, while with those incidents, his mind invariably wanders back to his happy home and memories of his patients and family, which stories, of course, form the bulk of the book. Nice, clean, warm and endearing.

[emscape · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Herriot's third collection of loosely autobiographical tales of veterinary practice in the Yorkshire dales ostensibly takes place while he is serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II. However, most of the chapters only begin with a paragraph or two about his military life which inevitably reminds him of someone or some animal-related event from his past. This was mildly disconcerting as the connections between the RAF event and the story to follow are sometimes quite a stretch. The tales are still quite entertaining and enjoyable, although it becomes slightly more clear that what is being related is becoming a bit more fictionalized than the incidents contained in the first two books of the series.

[t1bnotown · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved Herriot's collection of vet stories based off of airforce stories. Herriot tells the story of his time in the airforce, which everything he does reminding him in some way of different experiences he had as a vet- experiences that are generally funny, sometimes sad, and sometimes inspiring. All of them are well written and enjoyable to read.

[hamburgerclan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good book, but I can't wholeheartedly recommend it. My wife did. She's enjoyed the whole series and thought that I would like it too. She suggested many months ago that I grab one of the two James Herriot books off the shelf and have a read. So after a proper amount of delay--one mustn't respond too quickly to one's wife's suggestions, after all--I grabbed this one and stuffed it into my lunch bag so that I could leisurely peruse the volume over my lunch hours. This is where I erred. Oh, the stories were fine--well written, full of warmth and humor. I did think it a bit odd that a book set during Mr. Herriot's RAF service was predominantly full of flashbacks, but that didn't really spoil the book for me. No, the problem is that All Things Wise and Wonderful, like the other books in the series, are anecdotes culled from Mr. Herriot's veterinarian practice. So while I'm trying to enjoy my bologna sandwich and nibble my Doritos, Mr. Herriot is sticking his arms into various barnyard orifices and describing all sorts of messy physical ailments. Fortunately I was hungry enough to carry through and finish both book and lunches. So if you are like me and enjoy some literature with your afternoon sustenance, be warned: This may be a book to save for after dessert.
--J.

[danstratton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The third book by Mr. Herriot is about his years during World War II. He interspersed the stories of his time in the RAF with flashbacks to stories of being a vet. He spent one year before being discharged for medical reasons, but did get the opportunity to learn to fly before. He was the second in his group to solo, so he must have been pretty good at it. He was very sorrowful that his discharge ended his flying career, but was glad to get back to his practice and his son that was born while he was away. Some of the stories, including when he went AWOL to visit his wife without getting caught, are side splittingly funny.

Herriot's gift for writing is, as always, present and delightful. He has a wonderful ability to draw the reader in and help them feel as if they are standing just behind, peering over his shoulder. The characters and animals he meet are breathed to life in some of the easiest to read descriptions. They are quickly old friends of mine, too, as I wish I could actually be there and meet them myself. And, as always, I am left with a desire to go wander the Yorkshire Dales. What a masterful writer he is.

[merrymary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

James continues the saga of his life with a look at the WWII years, when he was in the army. The army stories are amusing, but he uses them mainly as segues back to his beloved Yorkshire and the animals and people there.

[diwms · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you love animals you will love these books. Additionally, these books can be read and put down easily since each chapter is generally a individual story . This makes it quite nice for brief periods of reading.