All Things Bright and Beautiful

The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

By: James Herriot

Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph

This program is read by Nicholas Ralph, star of the new PBS Masterpiece series.

A tie-in to the upcoming PBS Masterpiece series and Christmas special.

The second volume in the multimillion-copy best-selling series.

Millions of readers and listeners have delighted in the wonderful storytelling and everyday miracles of James Herriot in the 50 years since his animal stories were first introduced to the world.

All Things Bright and Beautiful is the beloved sequel to Herriot's first collection, All Creatures Great and Small, and picks up as Herriot, now newly married, journeys among the remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales, caring for their inhabitants - both two- and four-legged. Throughout, Herriot's deep compassion, humor, and love of life shine as we laugh, cry, and delight in the portraits of his many varied animal patients and their equally varied owners.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Masterpiece® is a registered trademark of the WGBH Educational Foundation. Used with permission. A Playground production for Masterpiece and Channel 5 in association with All3Media and Screen Yorkshire. Cover photo © Playground Television UK Ltd / Photographer: Ed Miller

©1973 James Herriot (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Whatever joy one found in [All Creatures Great and Small] is in [All Things Bright and Beautiful], only even more joyous; whatever laughter rippled from the throat in the reading of the first, finds even greater gusto in this one. It is funny, wry, simple in its story but as deep and perceptive of life's truths as the superlative sensitivity of the write and his talent can make it.” (Dorothy Eastland, The Hartford Courant)

“Christopher Timothy conveys his relish for the countryside and country folk, not to mention animals....Herriot's generous nature and honest concern coupled with Timothy's friendly style are a winning combination.” (AudioFile)

Truly Bright and Beautiful!

A wonderful escape into days gone by. The memoir is beautifully written and very well read. I now have a deep respect for large animal vets AND the hearty farmers of yesteryear. I enjoyed every minute.

Love Nicholas Raph! Pls have him narrate bks 3 and 4

Narrator Nicholas Ralph adds a wonderful rendition to an old favorite ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL. His accents, cadence, voices are each distinct and wonderfully performed. I would absolutely purchase bks 3 and 4 if he narrated them. I have loved and reread these books since the 1970’s when they were 1st published. Perfect Pick-Me-Ups for these days of chaos.

PJ

Beautiful, timeless story flawlessly delivered! I loved the authenticity of the Scottish accent by the actor/reader, Nicholas Ralph.

Loved it.

Loved it all. I love Heriot's work. Loved the narrator especially. I will read books.

Third time reading and still wonderful

James Herriot books and the original PBS series of films are my happy places. the stories of his miraculous cures and missteps are heartwarming,fun and entertaining and you grow to love all the characters, human and 4 legged. The audible is perfectly narrated by the "new James" with the slight Scottish accent. Bravo.

The simple beauty of the people and the awesome description of Yorkshire.

James has such honesty and charactor that was at that time something that was more the rule than an exception!

Excellent book, Excellent Reader

This was such an awesome book with a great reader. It was like I was there on every page. I loved it!

Not always cozy

I've had this series recommended often as warm-hug, feel-good books and they are. This one, however, highlights some of Herriot's darker moments as a vet and is a bit more serious than the first, and less humorous. There are several chapters that describe horrific animal abuse and they were painful for me to listen to, even if the situations did turn out happily in the end. If you are very soft-hearted about animals, you might consider this before purchasing.

Simply delightful!

Nicholas Ralph does an incredible job acting the role of Alf Wight (aka James Herriot) and of animatedly reading his books and the many characters that he encounters. I am sad that the whole series is not read by Nicholas Ralph.

Great Performance by Nicholas Ralph

The characters came to life with Nicholas Ralph! I can't wait until he narrates the third book in the series!