Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
All Things Wise and Wonderful  By  cover art

All Things Wise and Wonderful

By: James Herriot
Narrated by: Christopher Timothy
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.74

Buy for $24.74

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Listeners adore James Herriot's tales of his life as a Yorkshire animal doctor in All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Now here's a third delightful volume of memoirs rich with Herriot's own brand of humor, insight, and wisdom, and
the basis for the PBS Masterpiece drama.

In the midst of World War II, James is training for the Royal Air Force, while going home to Yorkshire whenever possible to see his very pregnant wife, Helen. Musing on past adventures through the dales, visiting with old friends, and introducing scores of new and amusing characters—animal and human alike—Herriot enthralls with his uncanny ability to spin a most engaging and heartfelt yarn.

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

©1977 by James Herriot (P)1996 by Audio Renaissance Tapes, a Division of CPU, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Christopher Timothy played James Herriot in the beloved BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small." Here Timothy reprises his role as the young country vet in this third collection of Herriot stories....Sit back with a cup of tea as Timothy tells you funny, gentle and occasionally sad tales about characters such as local farmers with broad accents; the posh Mrs. Pomphrey, whose overfed Poermanian passes gas; and the Ministry of Agriculture officials, who rake James over the coals for inept form-filling. Timothy develops countless individual voices with different class accents, and all are perfect.” —AudioFile

“... humor, realism, sensitivity, earthiness... gentle compassion and a lively sense of the sad, the ridiculous, and the admirable.” —Columbus Dispatch

What listeners say about All Things Wise and Wonderful

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,474
  • 4 Stars
    210
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,099
  • 4 Stars
    117
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,087
  • 4 Stars
    131
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story, Poor editing

I love the James Herriot books, and this one is a favorite. Christopher Timothy does a great job as the narrator. However, in the middle of Chapter 50, the story changes completely, and then the end of the book is in the middle of chapter 55! Then it takes up where it left off in Chapter 50. Editors, where are you?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great but flawed

Any additional comments?

I first discovered this entire series as a child and loved them then. Listening to them as an adult, I find them even more remarkable. However, this particular edition (or at least my download) of All Things Wise and Wonderful has a major flaw. It seems that at some point, the dvds the Audible edition was created from was put out of order. The end of the book occurs about an hour or so before the recording actually ends. I suspect that a single dvd was placed out of order.

Other than that, these are remarkable stories about fascinating people and animals. I highly recommend them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mistake in Audible's version

The original recording is on cassette tapes and Audible mixed up the last tape so the end of the story is out of order. Other than that, I always love James Herriot! Wish Audible would fix this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The best in Classics

This and all of the books by James Herriot are supreme examples of the wonder of Human compassion and love for creatures other than humans. They are all warm and inviting and appeal to ones sense of decency and love of life. All of his books are unique and in a category of their own - unsurpassed, superb, totally enjoyable from the first page to the last. I think they should be required reading for everyone!!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Final chapters out of order

This book needs to be re edited. The story ends nicely with him coming home from the Air Force but then there are more chapters following with him still in the air force. The animal tales are good as expected. Audible should really fix this glaring error.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A little different story...

In addition to all the animal stories, this volume of Herriot's books talk about his experiences in the RAF during WWII. It's touching and funny at times. The atmosphere of wartime England is palpable. As with the rest of the Herriot audiobooks, this one is very well-read and engaging.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Still funny after all these years

I first read the four original James Herriott books in the late '70s and early '80s, when they were first issued. The U.S. government records audio books for blind folks like myself, and the readers they get are good. However, in the cases of the Herriot books, they made the huge mistake of using an American reader. Fortunately, this recording has a British reader--an absolute must for these stories. Mr. Timothy is exceptional, and sounds a great deal like the man who played Herriot in the TV series "All Creatures Great and Small," in the '80s. The decades between haven't taken the fun out of these tales, and neither has an extremely unkind biography of Herriot, though the author certainly tried to destroy what Herriot created. I close with a line from the original Dr. Doolittle movie--"Maybe what the doctor tells me isn't all together true, but I love every tale he tells me. I don't know any better ones, do you?"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!

Where do I begin?!?! James Herriot's words and experiences are brought to vivid life by the flawless and brilliant narration of Christopher Timothy! I have never been so captivated! Timothy's spot-on vocals left me awestruck- he truly captures Herriot's sharp wit and genuine love of all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a life!

How lives a life like this is one question but to have the gift to write about it so eloquently is truly amazing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Luv the story

Transports me to a wonderful world thank you .. Please audible I wish you could fix the ending as its placed near chapter 55 not at the end but it still is such a special story and is so well read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful