The Yorkshire Vet

Not only did the book give an insight to earlier veterinary practices, but also life in Yorkshire. . If the reader has heard Peter Wright speak, they will be able to hear him in their mind as the book is read. He has many stories to tell, about his own practice and when he worked with James Herriott. An absolutely fascinating book - any one who has an interest in animals - large or small will love it.

I am a huge fan and watch this programme so I knew I would have no problem reading this book. It is a wonderful book filled with Peters tales and stories. It also gives you an idea of what a vets life is actually like. A book to cwtch up to and relax.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Mirror Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I’d like to thank Mirror Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Yorkshire Vet’ by Peter Wright in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Peter Wright was born in 1956 near Thirsk in the Yorkshire Downs, and tells of his childhood, his training at Liverpool University, and how he was offered work experience and later on a full-time position at Kirkgate then Skeldale with Jim (son of Alf Wight on whom the books of James Herriot were based), Tim and Julian.

Since Channel Five began showing ‘The Yorkshire Vet’ it’s been a favourite programme of mine. The book describes Peter Wright’s day-to-day life healing and caring for ‘all creatures great and small’, and some of the stories told I remember from the series. The heartbreak when an animal can’t be saved brought tears to my eyes, as did the catastrophic events that foot and mouth brought to the farming industry. I enjoyed looking at the photographs and reading about his childhood and family life with wife Lin and two children. It was clear to see that Peter loves animals and the recent decisions made show how he cares about the future of the veterinary practice he’s been part of for so many years. This is a heart-warming story written with compassion and poignancy and I enjoyed it.

Peter Wright is a vet who left Liverpool University and then worked with Alf Wight (aka James Herriot, The original Yorkshire Vet) at the Skeldale Veterinarian Practice in Thirsk in Yorkshire with Alf as his mentor. He had already met Alf many times before his appointment to work at Skeldale when he did his work experience. It was inevitable that Peter would eventually return to his roots in God’s Own Land and work as a newly qualified vet just a few miles from his home. When Alf and his partner (called Siegfried Farnon in the Herriot memoirs) retired, Peter worked with Jim Wight, Alf’s son and eventually became a partner at the practice.
Peter Wright moved the Skeldale practice into a new purpose built practice but kept the iconic name of Skeldale. The old practice became a tourist attraction dedicated to all things James Herriot, famous for his many best-sellers, true life stories about his life as a rural vet. I read all of these avidly, watched the films and the TV series called ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. I loved them all. Julian Norton also worked at Skeldale and starred with Peter in ‘The Yorkshire Vet’, another TV series about the humans, animals and even more that pass through the doors of the practice.
This memoir is all about Peter’s life as a Vet, his social and family life and his achievements. It’s well written and includes animals and their humans seen in the TV series alongside anecdotes that are fresh and new. There are lots of funny incidents, heartwarming stories and some heartbreaking scenarios, all dealt with by Peter and his hardworking staff and showing their understanding, compassion and sense of humour. It is very informative and interesting. I received this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Mirror Books in return for an honest review. Thank you most sincerely for my copy. I recommend it as a lovely read for animal lovers and those who like to find out more about real life incidents.

I was so happy when this book was approved on Netgalley. I grew up reading Herriot's book and I like the Yorkshire Vet show and Peter Wright.
I had high expectations that were all met.
It was a fascinating and enjoyable trip down the memory lane. It was great to read about the people behind the books, the different cases and the life in Yorkshire.
I live the style of writing and how the memories were assembled. It's page turner that kept me hooked till the last page.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Mirror Books and Netgalley for this ARC

Fascinating and absolutely engrossing.

Peter Wright worked in Sinclair and Wight's practice in Thirsk. 'James Herriot's' practice. I grew up reading the wonderful Herriot books and at the time never realised the surgery was so near to the area I live in so this book has tremendous appeal. This is a new gem in the nostalgic world of James Herriot. Easy reading, not loaded with technical terms, so easy to enjoy. I loved how he told his story. Lots of warmth and nostalgia, just lovely.

I haven't seen the TV series 'The Yorkshire Vet', but I had noticed and bought both of the books by the other vet in the series, Julian Norton, and have yet to read those. So I was coming to this book first. It was totally my sort of book. The author qualified in 1981, is now in his 60s, and he's been a vet for more than 35 years. The book starts with a quick whizz through what a typical working day in his life as a vet is like. Then it goes back to his childhood onwards, interspersing many anecdotes along the way. Stories from something as minor as a family pet getting their claws trimmed, to surgery to remove a tumour, small animals, and large farm animals etc-it's all in here, the wide variety of cases in a vet's daily life. Even from the opening chapter, I could tell it was going to be a fascinating read.

Here's a lovely book which can satisfy your thirst for knowledge, tug at your heartstrings and make you chuckle now and then too. Wonderful!

Lovely memoir by the vet in the British series, The Yorkshire Vet. He is also one of the current partners in the practice made famous in the All Creatures Great and Small. In fact he began working there in his teens when the main vesting those books were still active.

Less focused on charming stories about animals than the Herriott books and more focused on people the book is a delightful follow-up to those iconic books.

Loved reading this book
Peter has a way of writing that really draws you in.
Having lived in the Thirsk area for many years I found the description of the people and especially the landscape so captivating and true.

While I've never seen the television show, I do enjoy the US based shows that are similar so I knew this would be a good fit. I wasn't disappointed! Fans of the James Herriot books will also enjoy Peter Wright's interesting and entertaining accounts of life as a Yorkshire vet.

Thanks to Peter Wright, Mirror Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.

I loved reading this book. Peter was taken on by the real life characters behind the James Herriot books. It bought many happy memories of reading those books and also getting an insight into Alf Wright and the real life Siegfried.
Peter describes his work experience there as a boy and then his years training and then his working life as a Yorkshire Vet alongside the tv series he agreed to do.
There is a lot of humour and sadness in the book as we hear all about his friends and his colleagues.
It has made me really want to visit the James Herriot centre and The Yorkshire vet series is now on a series link on my tv!

A fascinating and heartwarming account of a vet's life. If you love animals, this is a good read for you. Told with compassion and lovely touches of humour. A beautiful read. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

Peter is a natural successor to Alf Wight in literary terms..........Peter's book is a perfect 21st century successor to the James Herriot books which have been a firm favourite of mine since my teenage years.
I loved the easy flow of the narrative and it was as if Peter was reading out loud. There have been other veterinary tales both fictional and non-fictional but this is one of my more recent favourites. I have had to ration my reading of this book to make it last - I hope that, like the James Herriot books, Peter has many more tales to tell and books to put them in !

This is a delightful read for all who are fans of James Herriot and everyone who loves animals. This has a real day to day account of the authors treating animals from the field and office. At times its sad,, funny and always entertaining throughout . I love learning that he worked with the real Herriot as his mentor. and teacher .I highly recommend this book and found it quite enjoyable from first page to the last. Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review. Very well done to the author. As one who has read all the Herriot books and watched the show for years this gives a new current insight of the veterinarian work for animals that goes on in Yorkshire. I look forward to watching this show someday.

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!

I loved it , well done, it’s smells of country side and fresh air. So funny I snorted out loud..
A joy to read..

Loved this book as much as The Herroitt series. The stories are fun and Peter Wright's life story is amazing.

James Herriot warmed the cockles of many hearts, including mine. Whether it was his lovely books or the sweet series based on them, he brought a smile to my face and a warmth to my soul. It was with great pleasure that I was able to interview all three leads of the series in 1982 and I carry the memories with me to this day.
I had no idea until I read this book how intimately Peter Wright was connected to Alf aka James Herriot when I glanced at The Yorkshire Vet on telly during a visit to England. So I was delighted to read this book to fill in the blanks so to speak. It is a enjoyable journey on its own from Peter’s rural and rustic youth to his hobnobbing with the rich and famous thanks to his television show. Not only was Alf his family vet, it was Alf who encouraged and helped Peter along the route to his veterinary career. He joined the clinic first as a salaried staff person all the way to becoming the senior partner.
Along the way, there were many anecdotes of memorable characters both two and four legged. There was much laughter and not a little heartbreak as he and his fellow vets struggled to keep the animals in their care healthy and to provide them with a humane end when all else failed. The reader can imagine how cruel and bitter it must have been during things like the Mad Cow outbreak or the foot and mouth disease outbreak that devastated the animal population in Yorkshire. For so many, animals are not just objects. Clearly Peter has been a noble successor to James Herriot.
There can be no finer praise. Five purrs and two paws up.