In the last three books, James and Siegfried are enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to serve in WW 2.

After an evening among his tales, anyone with as much as a dog or a budgerigar will feel he should move to Darrowby at once. Observer After an evening among his tales, anyone with as much as a dog or a budgerigar will feel he should move to Darrowby at once.The resulting book, titled All Creatures Great and Small, was an overnight success, spawning numerous sequels, movies, and a successful television adaptation.

From the author whose books inspired the BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small", this first volume of unforgettable memoirs chronicles James Herriot's first years as a country vet, with the signature storytelling magic that has made him a favourite the world over. In 1969 Wight wrote If Only They Could Talk, the first of the now-famous series based on his life working as a vet and his training in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. In the very first chapter we initially meet Herriot while he is performing a calving right in the middle of a winter night, drenched in sweat, blood, snow and mud, and wondering about the situation he is in when compared to the squeaky clean picture of a veterinary surgeon performing a calving that was provided in his obstetrics book while training.Having only been qualified for the last seven months, James knew it wouldn't be easy, but he was up to the challenge or so he believed. There were so many times when I literally laughed out loud (once in a quiet hospital corridor while waiting for someone to come out of the theatre - which got me a few horrified looks! Tapi yang tak pernah membosankan adalah komitmen Herriot untuk setiap saat membantu makhluk hidup yang menderita, biarpun kadang ia harus melampiaskan kekesalan dan kemarahan; dan selalu diakhiri oleh kembalinya kesadaran bahwa hidup itu ajaib, lucu, agung, dan tak pernah membosankan. Here is a book for all those who find laughter and joy in animals, and who know and understand the magic of wild places and beautiful countryside.

This has been a favourite of mine for nearly 35 years, so encountering it in another guise, I was more than happy to re-read it.

James went about his work each day doing what he loved and hoped in time that those who weren't too sure about him would come around and see what a great job he was performing. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Many of the stories are only loosely based on real events or people, and thus can be considered primarily fiction. Because the previous book I read ('The Choice') was a bit on the heavy side emotional wise, I wanted a lighter read and found this first book in this series (6 books or even more followed) among my nature books on my bookshelves.