Rating: 
Summary: Appallingly bad writing
Review: The most positive thing about this book is that it shows you what Jim Wight (James Herriot's son) was up against when he wrote his memoir. I highly recommend Jim Wight's memoir for anyone who is interested in learning about James Herriot (Alf Wight). I think Mr. Lord may have been well-meaning when he wrote James Herriot: Life of a Country Vet but the book is really appallingly bad. Mr. Lord has no feel for the WWII period, has done no practical research, seems to have little to no perception of human character and relies almost exclusively on gossip and word-of-mouth. One gets the impression that Mr. Lord decided before writing his book what he was going to find and proceeded to twist or ignore any information to the contrary. He relies on those "witnesses" who will tell him what he wants to hear without taking into consideration the inherent complexity of human beings. Witnesses do not always tell the truth--it is a gross error in judgment to think that one person can fully, and accurately, explain another person. The lack of reliable facts results in Mr. Lord relying almost exclusively on guesswork, and the assumptions inherent in Mr. Lord's guesswork are almost all negative. For instance, he assumes that because he, Mr. Lord couldn't find evidence that Alf Wight's parents were musicians, ergo, they weren't, therefore Alf Wight was lying when he referred to his parents as professional musicians. The point may be debatable but in the interests of good writing, the assumption is not enough. If Mr. Lord wasn't willing to do the required research to prove the point conclusively one way or the other, he should have left it out. Mr. Lord strikes one as the kind of man who is continually surprised by the inconsistencies of human nature. He reports with something like glee that Alf once told someone that his father died in 1961, instead of 1960. This becomes evidence for . . . the mind boggles. I'm not sure Mr. Lord himself has a clue what he is trying to accomplish in this book. Whatever it is, it suffers from an utter lack of scholarship and is therefore deeply insulting both to Alf Wight's memory and to the reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing here will dampen your enthusiasm.
Review: The real James Herriot was a soccer player. James Herriot of veterinary fame was really Alf Wight. Siegfried was really Donald. And Tristan was Brian. More surprising yet, All Creatures Great and Small is not an autobiography. It's fiction! If all this sounds too much, then don't even think about reading this book. If, on the other hand, you are one of those insatiable Herriot devotees who just can't rest until you've read everything there is to read about the famous Yorkshire vet, then by all means read on. Nothing here will dampen your enthusiasm.
Rating: 
Summary: PROBABLY THE WORSE BIOGRAPHY I HAVE EVER READ
Review: This book is not even worth turning the first page! This is one of those books where you actually feel embarrassment for the author. The book is poorly researched, poorly written, poorly edited, and well...... words just fail me. While I am not a great Herriot fan, I do have to give him, Herriot his due, the man could write well and could tell a great story (isn't that what authors are suppose to do?). This guy though, Graham Lord, I suspect, has problems feeding the paper into his typewriter! The entire book is such a obvious ploy to make some quick money on the shirttail of a "dead" but popular author it is rather nauseating. Shame on the publisher for accepting such shoddy work! I did finish the book though (thank God I did not purchase the thing) because each page became worse and worse and I could not stop, my thinking being with each turn of the page "well it just cannot be any worse than that last page/chapter." How wrong I was! If you must read the thing, borrow it or check it out of the library. I would hate to see a person waste their money, and I certainly would not want the author and his publisher to be rewarded for a work such as this. Herriot's life, warts and all, could be such a fastinating subject. I do hope someone will turn out a good study of him eventually. We certainly did not get it here. I just hate having to give this one even one star. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Poorly researched and highly speculative
Review: This can barely be called a biography. The writing gives little insight into the personality and life of "James Herriott." Rather it is a poorly researched and highly speculative conglomerate of anecdotes and opinions. The author makes lots of suppositions about many aspects of his subject's life with little to back up his conclusions. Much is made of the fiction versus non-fiction content of the "All Creatures Great and Small" books, as if it would be incredibly shocking (apparently especially shocking to Americans) to the reader. I love those books and it came as no surprise to me that a good amount of the work is fiction or fictionalized. Mr. Lord has taken what is, essentialy, a newspaper piece (and not a very good one) and streched it into a book. Herriot fans deserve a solid biography of Alf Wight. This isn't it.
Rating:
Summary: This book has the wrong sub-title
Review: This is one of those books where you actually feel embarrassment for the author. The book is poorly researched, poorly written and, well, words just fail me. While I am not a great Herriot fan, I do have to give him his due - the man could write well and could tell a good story (isn't that what authors are suppose to do?) but this guy Graham Lord, I suspect, has problems feeding paper into his typewriter! The intire book is such an obvious ploy to make some money on the shirttail of a "dead" and popular author, it is rather nauseating. Shame on the publisher for accepting such shoddy work! I did finish the book though (thank God I did not purchase the thing) because each page became worse and worse and I could not stop, thinking with each turn of the page "well it just cannot be any worse than that last page/chapter." How wrong I was! If you must read the thing, borrow it or check it out of a library. I would hate to see a person waste their money, and I certainly would not want the author and his publisher to be rewarded for a work such as this. Herriot's life, warts and all, could be such a fastinating subject. I do hope someone will turn out a good study of him eventually. We certainly did not get it here!
Rating:
Summary: Not Worth Turning the First Page
Review: This is one of those books where you actually feel embarrassment for the author. The book is poorly researched, poorly written and, well, words just fail me. While I am not a great Herriot fan, I do have to give him his due - the man could write well and could tell a good story (isn't that what authors are suppose to do?) but this guy Graham Lord, I suspect, has problems feeding paper into his typewriter! The intire book is such an obvious ploy to make some money on the shirttail of a "dead" and popular author, it is rather nauseating. Shame on the publisher for accepting such shoddy work! I did finish the book though (thank God I did not purchase the thing) because each page became worse and worse and I could not stop, thinking with each turn of the page "well it just cannot be any worse than that last page/chapter." How wrong I was! If you must read the thing, borrow it or check it out of a library. I would hate to see a person waste their money, and I certainly would not want the author and his publisher to be rewarded for a work such as this. Herriot's life, warts and all, could be such a fastinating subject. I do hope someone will turn out a good study of him eventually. We certainly did not get it here!
Rating: 
Summary: A BETTER PICTURE OF THE SAME MAN
Review: This story has many lessons, and if one bears with it, it is deeply moving. One lesson is the pathos of Alf Wight's - "James Herriot's" - final years, when, in failing health, he was plagued by hordes of readers who were determined to write or to visit him, without a moment's introspection or a trace of imagination that could have led to their leaving him alone out of the realization of the far greater importance of his personal privacy under the assault of such massive fame. Another lesson lies in the condemnation of the absorption of modern writers in what is tawdry, sordid, and lacking in the virtue that exalts us as human beings. This criticism is implicit in the immense popularity of books that were so very different in their ethos and in the criticisms gently and indirectly, but unmistakably, expressed by Wight himself of what is now the standard in literature and of course in the crass industry of mass entertainment. A further lesson is the humility and essential goodness of this man's life, and in the celebration of the world he knew and remained a part of, which in its earlier simplicity, authentic individuality, and rural vibrancy can neither be transcended nor equalled by ours. Indeed, because Graham Lord's story is a literal one, rather than the symbolic half-fiction of the Herriot books themselves, it is more able to teach these lessons that resided in the actual story of the man himself. For those who hallow the Herriot tetralogy, I recommend this biography as a poignant enlargement of what they already know. - Patrick Gunkel Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Rating:
Summary: Not a Bio After All
Review: Whoever called this book a bio should take a course in library science. Its pages ought to be ripped out and distributed inside those trashy celeb magazines under the label of Gossip. I enjoyed Jim Wight's book about his father much more so and not only because it was naturally a warmhearted look at Alf's life but because there's honesty in his words. Not so with Graham Lord. You'd expect more of a slant with Jim's book than you would Graham's but that is not the case. Graham's research reminds me of National Enquirer-style publications and their anonymous-source dissing, except that Graham does provide their names. But so what? It only made me think less of some of his sources. I've met their kind in offices and at cocktail parties, dime-a-dozen personality hackers running off at the mouth about so-and-so. Graham insults our intelligence with shovel-fuls of similar dirt. And his motives for doing so are unclear. He seems to want to burst bubbles but what bubbles are they? As a reader, I instinctively knew that Alf Wight's books came from his life and were based on his experiences, irregardless of Graham's pathetic attempts to prove them fiction. The stories were meant to entertain and they no doubt were entertaining for Alf to write. No crime there. Alfs' characters are well portrayed. Readers are given a good look at vetting in that time and place.
Stepping away from the books then and looking at the life of the author ought not to be made into some grand disillusionment. So what if Wight's wife, Joan, put her foot down on certain issues and her husband followed her lead from time to time - or if Alf himself grew a little testy with the effects of fame? Is Graham and his holier-than-thou sources trying to tell us that Joan was a shrew and Alf got too full of himself or that he was just acting a part of modesty? All human beings run a gamut of emotions and try out certain roles within their lifetimes. Shall we focus on the more unpleasant ones and snicker over them? No thanks, Graham, not with your type.
Alf and Joan were a successfully married and hardworking couple. They raised their children well. Like many, they encountered hardships in the way of finances and they probably acquired some eccentricities and personality flaws along the way. So? The only thing Alf owed us, upon publication of his books, was an entertaining read. Judging by its' sales, that is exactly what he delivered.
On the other hand, Graham's book, 'The Life of a Country Vet' (deceivingly titled, by the way)was a skim-through. If you must read it, rent it.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Bio After All
Review: Whoever called this book a bio should take a course in library science. Its pages ought to be ripped out and distributed inside those trashy celeb magazines under the label of Gossip. I enjoyed Jim Wight's book about his father much more so and not only because it was naturally a warmhearted look at Alf's life but because there's honesty in his words. Not so with Graham Lord. You'd expect more of a slant with Jim's book than you would Graham's but that is not the case. Graham's research reminds me of National Enquirer-style publications and their anonymous-source dissing, except that Graham does provide their names. But so what? It only made me think less of some of his sources. I've met their kind in offices and at cocktail parties, dime-a-dozen personality hackers running off at the mouth about so-and-so. Graham insults our intelligence with shovel-fuls of similar dirt. And his motives for doing so are unclear. He seems to want to burst bubbles but what bubbles are they? As a reader, I instinctively knew that Alf Wight's books came from his life and were based on his experiences, irregardless of Graham's pathetic attempts to prove them fiction. The stories were meant to entertain and they no doubt were entertaining for Alf to write. No crime there. Alfs' characters are well portrayed. Readers are given a good look at vetting in that time and place.
Stepping away from the books then and looking at the life of the author ought not to be made into some grand disillusionment. So what if Wight's wife, Joan, put her foot down on certain issues and her husband followed her lead from time to time - or if Alf himself grew a little testy with the effects of fame? Is Graham and his holier-than-thou sources trying to tell us that Joan was a shrew and Alf got too full of himself or that he was just acting a part of modesty? All human beings run a gamut of emotions and try out certain roles within their lifetimes. Shall we focus on the more unpleasant ones and snicker over them? No thanks, Graham, not with your type.
Alf and Joan were a successfully married and hardworking couple. They raised their children well. Like many, they encountered hardships in the way of finances and they probably acquired some eccentricities and personality flaws along the way. So? The only thing Alf owed us, upon publication of his books, was an entertaining read. Judging by its' sales, that is exactly what he delivered.
On the other hand, Graham's book, 'The Life of a Country Vet' (deceivingly titled, by the way)was a skim-through. If you must read it, rent it.
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