Thursday 7 August 2008
If only they could talk ch. 3
Chapter 3 starts with siegfried giving james a tour around the practise dispensary where they look at a lot of unpronouncable medicines which are familiar and comforting to james. The medicines do become more reconizable as the book goes on so do not let this put you off. Siegfried then shows james a trick with a few crystals of resublimated iodine and added some turpentine which once combined lets of a dense cloud of purple smoke, this is one of siegfreid's party tricks and never fails to startle the farmers. He then shows james some of the antiquated instruments in the surgery and then tells james that although there isnt a lot of 'dog and cat' work at the moment he is gradually trying to get farmers to change there ways. This contradicts a lot of siegfried's later comments in the book, james is all for small animal work whereas siegfried isnt. He then takes james on his round with him, after suffering siegfrieds car seat which flings him backwards when sat upon they arrive at a farm where a horse has gone lame. The diagnosis is made and james sets about his first job. He is extremely conscious of siegfreids presence as he opens up the horses foot and evacuates all the pus and you actually feel james agony as all the weight of the horse is upon him and he dare not move untill the job is done. Eventually he does it and siegfreid finishes the job off with his turpentine party piece. Of they go to another farm where he stitches a calf up and then gets kicked in the solar plexus by a cow which literally takes the wind out of him. The farmer of course finds this hilarious but james gets the job done clearing an obstruction from one of the cows teats. The farmer seeing that the milk is now running freely again comes out with the immortal line 'capital!, she's going on four cylinders now!.
Friday 1 August 2008
If only they could talk ch.2.
Chapter 2 records james's journey to darrowby and narrates just how difficult it was once you had qualified as a vet to actually find employment. His lifeline came from siegfried farnon MRCVS who offered james the chance to become his assistant. The beauty of the beginning of this chapter is the way james describes the ever changing enviroment as he continues his journey to darrowby from drab mills and factories to the wonderful english countryside. James then imagines what siegfried looks like and comes to the conclusion that he must be a short stodgy german "herr farronen". He then describes his arrival in darrowby and in amazing detail he outlines skeldale house, he does this so well you can paint a vivid picture in your mind as to how the house looks. James then describes the awkwardness of waiting for siegfried to show up, his first encounter with Mrs hall the housekeeper and a particularly excruciating few minutes with a miss brompton who has also turned up to see siegfried. Inbetween all this he meets his first client who tells him about a "womiting dog" all in all a baptism of fire. Eventually just as james is falling to sleep in the garden siegfried eventually turns up and this is the first example of his shocking memory. James is shocked to see the most english looking fella he has ever seen, nothing at all like "herr farronen". The chapter ends with siegfried offering to give james a tour of skeldale house.
Tuesday 29 July 2008
If only they could talk
This is my chapter by chapter review of 'if only they could talk', the book that launched my fascination of the one and only James herriot.
Ch.1. The opening chapter starts with the best hook paragraph I have ever read "They did'nt say anything about this in the books I thought, as the snow blew in through the gaping doorway and settled on my naked back" , he then goes onto descibe in painstaking detail a bad calving with dour Mr dinsdale and the indomitable know-it-all uncle who owns a farm in listondale and who's own cattle is seen to by the amazing vet Mr broomfield. James then describes a battle of wits between the two of them with the cow struggling in the middle. It seems that uncle with his vast experience must surely come out the winner and indeed 2 hours into the battle james is all but beat, but the miracle of life wins through, the cow calves and it would seem uncle has been thwarted but he does get the last dig in when Mr dinsdale says "how about a drink", james absolutely shattered says "yes please" but Mr dinsdale meant a drink for the cow, when james sheepishly agrees that a drink would be beneficial for the cow uncle pipes up with the immortal line "Mr Broomfield doesnt believe in giving a drink after calving, says it chills the stomach". The first chapter is a wonderful start and sets the tone for the rest of the book.
Ch.1. The opening chapter starts with the best hook paragraph I have ever read "They did'nt say anything about this in the books I thought, as the snow blew in through the gaping doorway and settled on my naked back" , he then goes onto descibe in painstaking detail a bad calving with dour Mr dinsdale and the indomitable know-it-all uncle who owns a farm in listondale and who's own cattle is seen to by the amazing vet Mr broomfield. James then describes a battle of wits between the two of them with the cow struggling in the middle. It seems that uncle with his vast experience must surely come out the winner and indeed 2 hours into the battle james is all but beat, but the miracle of life wins through, the cow calves and it would seem uncle has been thwarted but he does get the last dig in when Mr dinsdale says "how about a drink", james absolutely shattered says "yes please" but Mr dinsdale meant a drink for the cow, when james sheepishly agrees that a drink would be beneficial for the cow uncle pipes up with the immortal line "Mr Broomfield doesnt believe in giving a drink after calving, says it chills the stomach". The first chapter is a wonderful start and sets the tone for the rest of the book.
Thursday 24 July 2008
james herriot
This is the official wikepidia entry for james herriot (alf wright)..
James Alfred Wight was born on 3 October 1916 in Sunderland, County Durham, to James (1890-1960) and Hannah (1890-1980) Wight. Shortly after their wedding, the Wights moved from Blandford Street, Sunderland to Glasgow in Scotland, where James took work as a pianist at a local cinema, and Hannah was a singer. For Alf's birth, his mother returned to Sunderland, bringing him back to Glasgow when he was three weeks old. He attended Yoker Primary School and Hillhead High School.
In 1939, at the age of twenty-three, he qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Glasgow Veterinary College. In January 1940 he took a brief job at a veterinary practice in Sunderland, but moved in July to work in a rural practice based in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. On 5 November 1941, he married Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury. The couple had two children, James Alexander (Jim), born 1943, who also became a vet and was a partner in the practice, and Rosemary (Rosie), born 1947, who became a medical doctor.
From 1942, Wight served in the Royal Air Force. His wife moved to her parents' house during this time, and upon being discharged from the RAF as a Leading Aircraftman, Wight joined her. They lived here until 1946, at which point they moved back to 23 Kirkgate, staying until 1953. Later, he moved with his wife to a house on Topcliffe Road, Thirsk, opposite the secondary school. The original practice is now a museum, "The World of James Herriot", while the Topcliffe Road house is now in private ownership and not open to the public. He later moved with his family to the village of Thirlby, about 4 miles from Thirsk, where he lived until his death.
Wight intended for years to write a book, but with most of his time consumed by veterinary practice and family, his writing ambition went nowhere. Challenged by his wife, in 1966 (at the age of 50), he began writing. After several rejected stories on other subjects like football, he turned to what he knew best. If Only They Could Talk was published in the United Kingdom in 1969, but sales were slow until Thomas McCormack, of St. Martin's Press in New York City, received a copy and arranged to have the first two books published as a single volume in the United States. The resulting book, titled All Creatures Great and Small, was an overnight success, spawning six sequels (published as four outside the UK), movies, and a successful television adaptation.
Wight was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1992, and underwent treatment in the Lambert Memorial Hospital in Thirsk. He died 23 February 1995, aged 78, at home in Thirlby.
To me James herriot conjures up images of a bygone era and if I want to cheer myself up I read any of his books and immerse myself in the world of darrowby. I want this blog to be a tribute to this magnificent author and in my next post I will be reviewing each of his books in chronological order.
James Alfred Wight was born on 3 October 1916 in Sunderland, County Durham, to James (1890-1960) and Hannah (1890-1980) Wight. Shortly after their wedding, the Wights moved from Blandford Street, Sunderland to Glasgow in Scotland, where James took work as a pianist at a local cinema, and Hannah was a singer. For Alf's birth, his mother returned to Sunderland, bringing him back to Glasgow when he was three weeks old. He attended Yoker Primary School and Hillhead High School.
In 1939, at the age of twenty-three, he qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Glasgow Veterinary College. In January 1940 he took a brief job at a veterinary practice in Sunderland, but moved in July to work in a rural practice based in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. On 5 November 1941, he married Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury. The couple had two children, James Alexander (Jim), born 1943, who also became a vet and was a partner in the practice, and Rosemary (Rosie), born 1947, who became a medical doctor.
From 1942, Wight served in the Royal Air Force. His wife moved to her parents' house during this time, and upon being discharged from the RAF as a Leading Aircraftman, Wight joined her. They lived here until 1946, at which point they moved back to 23 Kirkgate, staying until 1953. Later, he moved with his wife to a house on Topcliffe Road, Thirsk, opposite the secondary school. The original practice is now a museum, "The World of James Herriot", while the Topcliffe Road house is now in private ownership and not open to the public. He later moved with his family to the village of Thirlby, about 4 miles from Thirsk, where he lived until his death.
Wight intended for years to write a book, but with most of his time consumed by veterinary practice and family, his writing ambition went nowhere. Challenged by his wife, in 1966 (at the age of 50), he began writing. After several rejected stories on other subjects like football, he turned to what he knew best. If Only They Could Talk was published in the United Kingdom in 1969, but sales were slow until Thomas McCormack, of St. Martin's Press in New York City, received a copy and arranged to have the first two books published as a single volume in the United States. The resulting book, titled All Creatures Great and Small, was an overnight success, spawning six sequels (published as four outside the UK), movies, and a successful television adaptation.
Wight was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1992, and underwent treatment in the Lambert Memorial Hospital in Thirsk. He died 23 February 1995, aged 78, at home in Thirlby.
To me James herriot conjures up images of a bygone era and if I want to cheer myself up I read any of his books and immerse myself in the world of darrowby. I want this blog to be a tribute to this magnificent author and in my next post I will be reviewing each of his books in chronological order.
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