All Things Wise and Wonderful is a continuation of the multi-book memoir of James Herriot's time as a veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s. In this particular book, the reader learns of Herriot's adventures primarily through the flashbacks he experiences while training as a pilot in World War II. In that sense, All Things Wise and Wonderful captures two storylines - one of the rural life of the Yorkshire Dales and the other an intimate look at the rigors of training in the Armed Services.
My favorite anecdote from the book is when Herriot is sent to a farm along with several other airmen to assist with the fall harvest and ends up delivering a calf. The farmer was more than a little surprised, to say the least!
Wise and Wonderful is not filled with the laugh-out-load hijinx that appear regularly in Herriot's earlier books, but especially in All Creatures Great and Small. It is no less good, though, for being less funny. I have said before that I enjoy Herriot's work not only for exposing me to a time and place I otherwise wouldn't know, but also for the same innocence that makes the Gilbreths and Edmund Love so delightful. In that sense, Wise and Wonderful shines brightly.
Four stars for Dr. Herriot, again and again. I am already looking forward to my next fix, The Lord God Made Them All. Stay tuned (not that the outcome is much in doubt...).
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