Call the Vet: Farmers, Dramas and Disasters - My First Year as a Country Vet by Anna Birch
| Call the Vet: Farmers, Dramas and Disasters - My First Year as a Country Vet by Anna Birch | |
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| Category: Autobiography | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: Newly-qualified vet Anna embarks on an exciting career as a country vet in rural Dorset. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 352 | Date: April 2014 |
| Publisher: Virgin Books | |
| ISBN: 9780753555071 | |
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Newly-qualified vet Anna arrives in the sleepy coastal village of Ebbourne filled with dreams of following in the footsteps of her hero, James Herriot as she starts her new role working in a rural mixed practice. She will be treating farm animals, as well as smaller pets, in a friendly community in a stunning location. However, Anna barely has time to settle in before being thrown headlong into the thick of things with two tricky calvings to deal with and plenty of muck, blood and gore. Oh yes Mum, it’s a glamorous job... she laments.
Call the Vet is a delightful, engaging account of Anna’s early experiences as a country vet. She has a wonderful sense of humour and effortlessly reels off one hilarious anecdote after another. For example, there is a darkly-comic scene where Anna visits the local crazy cat-lady that had me laughing out loud, and another, featuring some testicles floating in a jar and a potential suitor that was pure comedy gold.
Anna clearly feels a great deal of warmth towards her newly adopted home and speaks particularly fondly of the local residents, who are a diverse bunch. We meet Tamara and her greedy Labrador Sophie, who is constantly getting into trouble due to her appetite for unsuitable things; Old Lizzie, a dairy farmer who loves her cows like children; Mr Michaels who is unwilling to bring his sick dog in for treatment and Mrs Taylor, who always manages to co-ordinate her blouse, lipstick, eyeshadow and nail varnish. Some of the stories are funny and some are tragic, as Anna shares the ups and downs of life as a vet.
The story also has a little romance, which is delightfully sweet. I enjoyed reading about Anna’s tentative romance and how it blossomed into true love between two individuals with a shared passion for rural life and the natural world.
Call the Vet was a lovely read that had me laughing one minute and crying the next. It will appeal to anyone who loves animals, especially fans of James Herriot stories. I sincerely hope that this book will be part of a series, as I would love to read more of Anna’s experiences with animals and the funny folk who care for them.
If Call the Vet leaves you aching for more, try Trust Me, I'm a Vet by Cathy Woodman
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You can read more book reviews or buy Call the Vet: Farmers, Dramas and Disasters - My First Year as a Country Vet by Anna Birch at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Call the Vet: Farmers, Dramas and Disasters - My First Year as a Country Vet by Anna Birch at Amazon.com.
Call the Vet: Farmers, Dramas and Disasters - My First Year as a Country Vet by Anna Birch is in the Top Ten Autobiographies 2014.
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