We have all lost a great friend in Alf Wight. How many countless happy hours have we spent with James Herriot, either in books or TV shows? Indeed none of us will ever forget him. I wish I had been able to meet him.

I would like to thank Jim Wight personally for writing this book. He expresses his first feelings of misgiving about trying to live up to his father's excellent writing, but he need not have worried. He tells about a boyhood friend of Alf's who jumps out of a second floor window with an umbrella. "The old umbrella suddenly turned inside out and, accompanied by the screaming boy, zoomed to the ground." This could have come straight off James Herriot's pen.

Alf Wight had a huge heart, and it seems that his son does, too. It is clear that he misses his father terribly. He presents Alf as a perfectly ordinary person who was astonished at his own fame, and who still remained "99% vet." This book shows the good and the bad of Alf Wight, his family and his friends. And yet I came away still in love with Siegfried, Tristan, and all the rest. And still totally devoted to James Herriot.

Thank you, Jim.

75 of 75 found the following review helpful:


A Touching Memoir  Mar 25, 2000
For those of us who grew up watching ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL on PBS and who delighted in James Herriot's books, this biography of Alf Wight, the real name of the writer James Herriot, is fascinating, heart-warming, and wonderful.

What makes this book so good is that the author is Jim Wight, Alf's son and later partner in his vet practice. Jim describes Alf's life with real insight and shares his own opinions when discussing key characters in Alf's books. Jim talks about Donald and Brian, the real people behind Siegfried and Tristan, and the various farmers and family members with definite love; he knew them and worked with them, too.

This book is not just a collection of facts; it is a real tribute to the life of the man known to most of us as James Herriot. Jim's insights into his father and his life are extremely interesting, and the gentleness of his father's writings has surely filtered down to his son. Certainly, Jim writes critically, but he also writes with affection and understanding.

I cannot think of a more fitting memoir for Alf Wight. His vision of the world is unique, and his son's tribute to him, both a biography and a personal memoir, could not be better. Through Jim's book, we can see just how true Alf's descriptions are - and how lucky we are to have them.

I definitely recommend this book to all fans of James Herriot.

37 of 37 found the following review helpful:


Affectionate and tactful but still revealing  May 26, 2003 By L. Antman
It is clear from this book that Jim Wight, like his famous father, doesn't like to say negative things about anybody, but this is a thoroughly honest book that includes information available nowhere else, and it is quite detailed. It makes the hoped-for identifications of what real individuals paralleled characters and how they reacted to their portrayals (Tristan loved his portrayal and Siegfried was so unhappy he actually threatened to sue!), and is honest about the embellishments in stories as well. It doesn't shy away from describing very bad times in the personal life of Herriot.

The bottom line is that any fan of James Herriot will truly enjoy reading this book, gain real insight about the man, and enjoy going back and reading the story books with the knowledge gained from this biography.

28 of 28 found the following review helpful:


Heartwarming tribute from a son to his father  Nov 17, 2004 By a-wish-upon-a-star
If you have read and enjoyed the "James Herriot" books, like I did, you will enjoy this intimate biography of the real James Herriot, Alf Wight, written by his son.

Although I have read all his books, I never thought too much about the real man behind them, but reading "The Real James Herriot" has a awakened a tremendous appreciation for one of my favorite authors. Too often after reading a biography of one of my favorite authors I found that their lives did not quite measure up to their books, but with this author I found quite the opposite, I found myself in awe of this modest and unassuming man.

My first reaction upon finishing this book was how unusually nice it is for a son to write so well of his father, and it certainly made me stop and think about my relationship with my own children. What greater tribute can a person have that his children should think so highly of them, should write with such love and devotion about a parent? How rare it is today (or at least psychologists would have us believe that it is rare) for a son to follow in his father's profession, working in the same practice, living just miles away, with hardly an unkind word for his father?

This book is an anti-dote for all those "dark" books, where the worst of human nature is emphasized again and again, and it is refreshing to read about a "normal", happy person, with a devoted wife and family, a humble and modest man who succeeded in life beyond his wildest dreams. A man who, upon making millions when his books hit the bestseller list, refused to change his lifestyle one iota, preferring to continue in the vocation and place (the Yorkshires) he loved rather than turn into one of the "rich and famous". Who, as someone who had idealized the beautiful Yorkshire country in his books, was someone who actually lived the way he wrote - why go on vacation, when I have everything I could want, right here?

A beautiful biography of a wonderful person, and highly recommended for anyone, especially a "James Herriot" fan.

20 of 20 found the following review helpful:


A Reality Almost More Interesting Than The Fiction  Feb 25, 2002 By Bay Gibbons
I am a longtime fan of the BBC television series and devoured this satisfying short biography in one sitting. I was expecting disappointment -- can reality ever live up to our inner visions of beloved fiction?, I asked myself.

I came away believing that Alf Wight, the "real James Herriot", is, if anything, more interesting than his fictional alter ego. Most interesting to me was the account of the long and secret apprenticeship Wight undertook as a writer. Here is the story of a truly great man who shared a priceless gift with the world but who also remained unchanged by his success.

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