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All Creatures: Heartwarming Tales from a Yorkshire Vet
'A delightful read' RADIO TIMES'Heartwarming tales' DAILY MAILA celebration of the different creatures - great and small - that this Yorkshire vet has come to know and love.Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton has spent his days as a mixed practice vet treating animals across the bucolic Yorkshire Dales. Julian's voice and humour - well known from his titular role in Channel 5's long-running series The Yorkshire Vet - leap out from every page as stories of drama and excitement unfold.Whether treating dogs, cows or sheep, Julian has come to recognise and appreciate the very particular ways in which healthy and happy animals express their well-being and contentment. Lambs will skip and gambol, cows will ruminate placidly, and the gentle sounds and soft curious facial expression of alpacas or llamas are enough to lift the spirits and warm the coldest of hearts. Here in All Creatures, Julian tells the stories of each of the eight species he has the good fortune to care for every day. He shares the heart-warming and life-affirming characteristics of animal happiness and once again reminds us of the power these creatures have to bring joy to us all.
- GenresAnimals
332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 25, 2021
9 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Julian Norton
16 books35 followersJulian Norton is a British veterinary surgeon, author and TV personality, best known for his appearances on the Channel 5 TV series The Yorkshire Vet
Norton was born and brought up in the mining town of Castleford and went to school in Wakefield at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, before gaining a place to study veterinary medicine at Cambridge University
Since 2015, Norton has been involved, taking the titular role in Channel 5 docuseries The Yorkshire Vet, produced by Daisybeck Studios in Leeds. The programme has been popular, achieving viewing figures of over 2 million, making it one of the channel's most successful.Julian has also featured as a regular guest on The Wright Stuff as well as Springtime on the Farm and Big Week at the Zoo.
He contributes a weekly column in The Country Week of The Yorkshire Post.
He performs regular "in conversation" events with comedian and stand up poet, Kate Fox.
Julian's website is www.thenakedvet.co.uk which offers links to the podcasts of the same name, which he performs with Kate Fox.
Norton attained a certificate in Small Animal Practice in 2007 and has been awarded the Dalesman "Yorkshireman of the Year 2017".
Norton was born and brought up in the mining town of Castleford and went to school in Wakefield at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, before gaining a place to study veterinary medicine at Cambridge University
Since 2015, Norton has been involved, taking the titular role in Channel 5 docuseries The Yorkshire Vet, produced by Daisybeck Studios in Leeds. The programme has been popular, achieving viewing figures of over 2 million, making it one of the channel's most successful.Julian has also featured as a regular guest on The Wright Stuff as well as Springtime on the Farm and Big Week at the Zoo.
He contributes a weekly column in The Country Week of The Yorkshire Post.
He performs regular "in conversation" events with comedian and stand up poet, Kate Fox.
Julian's website is www.thenakedvet.co.uk which offers links to the podcasts of the same name, which he performs with Kate Fox.
Norton attained a certificate in Small Animal Practice in 2007 and has been awarded the Dalesman "Yorkshireman of the Year 2017".
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 18, 2023
Another great read from Julian.
I will never tire of reading books by either Julian or Peter Wright. I just love all the stories, as much as I love the TV programmes and hope they never end!
I'd never have wanted to be a vet so don't know why I enjoy them so much but I do. Always full of little great stories and this was the same! This book was split into sections based on different animals and it was a good layout for the book.
Very enjoyable read.
I will never tire of reading books by either Julian or Peter Wright. I just love all the stories, as much as I love the TV programmes and hope they never end!
I'd never have wanted to be a vet so don't know why I enjoy them so much but I do. Always full of little great stories and this was the same! This book was split into sections based on different animals and it was a good layout for the book.
Very enjoyable read.
August 13, 2023
Things I've learned about Julian Norton from this book:
* He's familiar with The Fast Show - especially Jesse.
* He knows his Peaky Blinders.
* He knows at least one song by The Smiths: Reel Around The Fountain is one of his chapter headings.
* He knows about the band Camelphat (Who? I have no idea).
* He seems very familiar with Star Wars.
* He likes alpacas and llamas.
* He likes sheep, but he LOVES goats.
My second book in a row by an author called Julian is a very different kettle of fish!
This is the fifth book I've read by Julian Norton, and it is by far his best. His confidence has grown, and it's clear to see how much his writing has developed from his earlier books. All Creatures has a great deal more fluidity, and its humour not only feels much more natural, but is at times genuinely laugh out-loud funny - and sometimes a bit edgy! There's a very black-humoured remark about an 80 year old giant tortoise which I couldn't believe I was seeing at first, but which still made me laugh. Another story is about the time Julian took alpacas on to the set of This Morning. This was the infamous occasion when one of them spat in Philip Schofield's face because it was annoyed by him trying to pull it by its lead, and to which said alpaca took great exception. According to Julian, Schofe was one of his childhood heroes, so...*awks*...
The book's layout is a good one, with different sections for different groups of animals: cats, dogs, pigs, cows, horses and donkeys, sheep and goats, alpacas and llamas, and a miscellaneous section. Each section has an introduction, and then Norton describes memorable cases in each group of animals. Some cases will be familiar from The Yorkshire Vet, such as Toby, the tortoise with post-hibernation anorexia, Squeaky, the swan who needs to have her wing amputated, and Bertha, the favourite cow of Farmer Chris, who has to have her eye removed.
As ever, it's the animals who take centre-stage; but there's also more about Norton's childhood and veterinary training, and his often touching portraits of the lives of some of the farmers he encounters.
I really enjoyed this book, and as I read it, I wished it was longer. I definitely recommend it, even though Julian thinks Ghengis Khan predated the Romans!
* He's familiar with The Fast Show - especially Jesse.
* He knows his Peaky Blinders.
* He knows at least one song by The Smiths: Reel Around The Fountain is one of his chapter headings.
* He knows about the band Camelphat (Who? I have no idea).
* He seems very familiar with Star Wars.
* He likes alpacas and llamas.
* He likes sheep, but he LOVES goats.
My second book in a row by an author called Julian is a very different kettle of fish!
This is the fifth book I've read by Julian Norton, and it is by far his best. His confidence has grown, and it's clear to see how much his writing has developed from his earlier books. All Creatures has a great deal more fluidity, and its humour not only feels much more natural, but is at times genuinely laugh out-loud funny - and sometimes a bit edgy! There's a very black-humoured remark about an 80 year old giant tortoise which I couldn't believe I was seeing at first, but which still made me laugh. Another story is about the time Julian took alpacas on to the set of This Morning. This was the infamous occasion when one of them spat in Philip Schofield's face because it was annoyed by him trying to pull it by its lead, and to which said alpaca took great exception. According to Julian, Schofe was one of his childhood heroes, so...*awks*...
The book's layout is a good one, with different sections for different groups of animals: cats, dogs, pigs, cows, horses and donkeys, sheep and goats, alpacas and llamas, and a miscellaneous section. Each section has an introduction, and then Norton describes memorable cases in each group of animals. Some cases will be familiar from The Yorkshire Vet, such as Toby, the tortoise with post-hibernation anorexia, Squeaky, the swan who needs to have her wing amputated, and Bertha, the favourite cow of Farmer Chris, who has to have her eye removed.
As ever, it's the animals who take centre-stage; but there's also more about Norton's childhood and veterinary training, and his often touching portraits of the lives of some of the farmers he encounters.
I really enjoyed this book, and as I read it, I wished it was longer. I definitely recommend it, even though Julian thinks Ghengis Khan predated the Romans!
January 24, 2025
A really lovely insight into life, both past and present of the Yorkshire Vet.
June 25, 2021
Another fabulous read from The Yorkshire Vet. Full of stories and anecdotes. I love Julian’s style of writing and look forward to reading others past, present and future.
April 7, 2021
Best book by Julian
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish very entertaining etc lovely down to earth I could actually vision my self within the practice I've visited borough bridge and actually seen the vets practice I think this is the best read so far from Julian looking forward to the next one definitely recommend 😊😊😊😊😊
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish very entertaining etc lovely down to earth I could actually vision my self within the practice I've visited borough bridge and actually seen the vets practice I think this is the best read so far from Julian looking forward to the next one definitely recommend 😊😊😊😊😊
February 22, 2022
Another lovely read from my favourite vet (I don’t even have dogs now). You’ll find witticisms throughout, as well as interesting stories. I quote:
‘holding the scalpel blade between my teeth so I could use both hands, like some sort of bovine Tarzan but without the vines to swing on.’
‘holding the scalpel blade between my teeth so I could use both hands, like some sort of bovine Tarzan but without the vines to swing on.’
November 24, 2025
I love this book so much I didn't want it to end! It was so heartwarming and Julian has a way to write so smartly and in a way that's so funny as well. The book got me out of my reading slump as a stressed young attorney who is looking for a cozy read.
May 28, 2022
Lovely memories from watching Yorkshire vet plus other heart warming funny stories
April 5, 2022
I have loved all of Julien's books and this is possibly the best one yet. Told in his usual down to earth manner he never fails to make me smile with his stories and anecdotes. I loved the way the chapters dealt with different animals, Cows, Pigs, Goats etc. The background to all his tales is his beloved North Yorkshire. It's a heart warming and interesting book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews