The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father | James Wight

The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father | James Wight | The Real James Herriot

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The Real James Her...

	The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father James Wight Ballantine Books, 2001 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 47 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

No one is better poised to write the biography of James Herriot than the son who worked alongside him in the Yorkshire veterinary practice when Herriot became an internationally bestselling author. Now, in this warm and poignant biography, Jim Wight ventures beyond his father's life as a veterinarian to reveal the man behind the stories--the private individual who refused to allow fame and wealth to interfere with his practice or his family. With access to all of his father's papers, correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs--and intimate recollections of the farmers, locals, and friends who populate the James Herriot books--only Jim Wight could write this definitive biography of the man who was not only his father but his best friend.

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Very Interesting Book

This is a good peek into the true life of James Herriot as written by his son. His son gives his own views and anecdotes of James Herriot. I have really enjoyed reading it and getting to know the author and his characters better.

The Real James Herriot

The book arrived in a timely manner in excellent condition. I am enjoying reading about the life of this gifted, gentle and compassionate man and his family and the descriptions of the countryside and the people of Yorkshire/Glasgow and that area. A good read to help me appreciate and aim for a slower, gentler pace of life.

a son's memorable tribute to a great man

How often do we find that the man behind the myth isn't all he's cracked up to be? Well, that most definitely is NOT the case in this loving biography of the world's best-known vet, James Herriot, by his son Jim Wight. (If you're wondering about the different last names, it's because James Herriot was actually a pseudonym for James Alfred Wight, known all his life as Alf.) This is a tribute to a cherished father and, as the author notes, best friend who always considered himself "99 parts vet and 1 part author," which must be why he remained the decent and down-to-earth individual he was, unspoiled by fame and fortune that would have turned the head of a lesser man. I was moved to find that the individual was as nice if not nicer than portrayed in his books and as appreciated by his friends and family as he was by his fans. Anyone who loved the other main characters in the series, namely Siegfried and Tristan, will also enjoy discovering more about them as well. This is a wonderful, heartwarming, well-written biography of a remarkable human being by one of those who knew him best.

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Lots of fun to read but not much new

I was hoping to learn more about the characters and relationships of the main human characters in the real life. Unfortunately, the book did not offer much in this respect. There was much repetition of the stories that a good Herriot fan would already know well from his books. I got an impression that in real life the relationships of the partners in the practice were less charming than in the books and TV series. But the book still was fun to read.

Fills in the Gaps

In addition to answering many questions you might have, this book also fills in gaps you probably don't know exist.

An excellent chronological biography for the lover of all things James Herriot.

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