If Only They Could Talk

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I thought I had read pretty much read all of James Herriot’s books, so stumbling across this one—and the name didn’t ring a bell—I was all excited about a ‘new’ Herriot. I didn’t even bother to read what it was about. One of the more subtle differences, which didn’t really fit into the table, is in the nuances of character of some of the main protagonists. I would say that all the main characters feel slightly warmer in the books than they do on TV. James is warmer and funnier than he’s written on the TV series, and Tristan is more competent and mature. Some of the disasters that almost always happen to Tristan in the TV series happen to other people, including James, in the books. The friendship between James and Tristan is something that just seems to happen very naturally in the book – Herriot doesn’t “gush” about how great a friend Tristan is or anything like that (it’s not a sentimental book) but they do seem to spend quite a bit of time together and get on well. This was one of the aspects that I didn’t think worked all that well in the series – it often feels to me as if Tristan is trying too hard with James and that James is rather disapproving of him. Helen also seems a good deal nicer, partly due to the fact that there is no Richard Edmundson sub-plot in the part of the books that I have read so far, so it doesn’t come across as if she is stringing both James and Richard along.

If Statues Could Talk | NGL Life If Statues Could Talk | NGL Life

Herriot remembers his high school years at the veterinarian practice. James was getting used to strange phone calls about many different ills in animals in the most recondite places of town and at the most unusual hours of the night. As well as, he was getting accustomed to listen to Siegfried fighting with his brother Tristan. In this chapter, Herriot affronts a difficult case of a reversion of uterus in a cow and he takes Tristan with him in case he needed extra help with the case. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-06-18 13:03:57 Boxid IA1847103 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Nezinu nevienu citu grāmatu, kur galvenais varonis lielāko daļu epizodēs ir iebāzis roku kādā lielā mājdzīvniekā. Nesavieb seju nepatīkamā grimmasē, galu galā tāda ir skarbā realitāte, ja esi nolēmis savu profesionālo ceļu brist lauku dubļos. Jā, jā, vetārsts ar mīļiem mājdzīvniekiem sterilā kabinetā, atrodas lielpilsētā. 1930.gadi jaunam vetārstam no universitātes sola dziļos laukos nozīmēja negulētas naktis, nogurdinoši attālumi un nebeidzami izsaukumi, pieņemot dzemdības govīm, zirgiem, aitām, kā arī ārstējot neskaitāmus mājlopus. Bet, ja vien visas rūpes aprobežotos ar dzīvniekiem. Izrādās, ka tikpat liela noņemšanās ir ar to saimniekiem. Skarbo lopkopju visgudrība un lielā mīlestība pret saviem četrkājainajiem draugiem bieži vien izrādās traucējoša un kurioza.Nothing on the masterpiece of words, the thought out plot, the detail that Orwell describes extensively, not even mentioning the main characters. Or the ending....

If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot | Goodreads If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot | Goodreads

Siegfried decides to become self-sufficient and acquires hens and pigs. The hens escape and fail to lay and are eventually given away.Overall, Herriot's books are a testament to the power of compassion, empathy, and love, both for animals and for our fellow human beings. They are a joy to read, laugh-out-loud funny at times, heart-wrenching at others, and they remind us of the beauty and wonder of the natural world, as well as the importance of kindness and connection in our lives.

If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot | Waterstones

I grew up reading James Herriot's book and I'm delighted that thirty years on they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then.' – Kate Humble If only they could talk” is the first of many books that follow the same historical line in James Herriot’s life. Like “If Only They Could Talk” (1970) , It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972) , Let Sleeping Vets Lie (1973), Vet in Harness (1974), Vets Might Fly (1976) ,Vet in a Spin (1977), James Herriot's Yorkshire (1979), The Lord God Made Them All (1981), Every Living Thing (1992), James Herriot's Cat Stories (1994), and James Herriot's Favourite Dog Stories (1995). The Herriot books are often described as "animal stories" (Wight himself was known to refer to them as his "little cat-and-dog stories"), and given that they are about the life of a country veterinarian, animals certainly play a significant role in most of the stories. Yet animals play a lesser, sometimes even a negligible role in many of Wight's tales: the overall theme of his stories is Yorkshire country life, with its people and their animals primary elements that provide its distinct character. Further, it is Wight's shrewd observations of persons, animals, and their close inter-relationship, which give his writing much of its savour. Wight was just as interested in their owners as he was in his patients, and his writing is, at root, an amiable but keen comment on the human condition. The Yorkshire animals provide the element of pain and drama; the role of their owners is to feel and express joy, sadness, sometimes triumph. The animal characters also prevent Wight's stories from becoming twee or melodramatic — animals, unlike some humans, do not pretend to be ailing, nor have they imaginary complaints and needless fears. Their ill-health is real, not the result of flaws in their character which they avoid mending. In an age of social uncertainties, when there seem to be no remedies for anything, Wight's stories of resolute grappling with mysterious bacterial foes or severe injuries have an almost heroic quality, giving the reader a sense of assurance, even hope. Best of all, James Herriot has an abundant humour about himself and his difficulties. He never feels superior to any living thing, and is ever eager to learn — about animal doctoring, and about his fellow human creature. If you are even slightly interested in animals, stories, people, romance, England, and Vets, this is the book for you. I should mention that you will COMPLETELY fall in love with the settings, and if you do enjoy the books, they made a rather good, and very accurate, series of it. Of course, the books are better, but a noble effort to do justice to a magnificent piece. In ‘ If Only They Could Talk’, the first book in a series of his semi-autobiographies, the reader gets acquainted with a young James Herriot, just out of veterinary college, taking up a rural practice in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire during late 1930s. In the narrative he creates a fictional village called ‘ Darrowby’ based on the town of Thirsk and the surroundings rural areas, which act as the perfect setting for describing his amusing experiences about the early days of his veterinary career.Fresh out of Veterinary College, and shoulder-deep in an uncooperative cow, James Herriot’s first job is not panning out exactly as expected . . . I’ve just finished the first James Herriot book, “If Only They Could Talk”, and have compiled a table of which chapters correspond to which episodes of the TV series. One major difference between this book and the early TV episodes is that it does not feature Helen Alderson at all; she first appears in the second volume “It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet”. If anyone notices any mistakes here, please do let me know in the comments!