I honestly didn't know much about this book, but I'm on a quest to read or re-read some of the most quintessentially British books before we go to England in August, and this one fit the bill. I'd heard about it for years, but didn't really know what it was about, and honestly, knowing that it was the memoirs of a rural English veterinarian wouldn't probably have made me more likely to want to read it. But I'm so glad I did. It is really impressive how beautifully Herriot writes and how much he makes the reader feel like they are there in every one of his experiences with the animals he's taking care of. I loved reading about the deliveries of calves and lambs, and his admiration of the people of Yorkshire. I was impressed by how well he could describe the people he would visit. He made it seem like his job was one of the most rewarding and interesting ones ever, even though it was definitely unglamorous and crazy (like he starts off at the very beginning with the line, "They didn't say anything about this in the books"). It was really worth a read and absolutely made me want to go visit Yorkshire someday... and to go back to the 1930s when things were actually like this and so different than they are today.
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