Was it not W. C. Fields who claimed that a man could not be all bad if he disliked animals and young children? Allow me a suggestion: even if the reader dislikes animals and pets and children, he will like [All Things Bright and Beautiful]. It brings the world of animals and people into a ring of beauty, precisely because it touches the human often and with skill. The title is a first line from a hymn of Mrs. Cecil Alexander whose second line is the title of James Herriot's first book: All Creatures Great and Small. As that work was received with enthusiasm, so should this be. It's a joy. (pp. 304-05)
Eugene J. Linehan, S.J., in Best Sellers (copyright 1974, by the University of Scranton), October 1, 1974.
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Read the rest of this Criticism with our Herriot, James 1916–: Critical Essay by Eugene J. Linehan, S.j. Access Pass.
