In a culture that constantly churns out entertainment full of needless relational confusion, James and Helen remind audiences that honesty and virtue are not stifling and unhealthy, but life-giving and freeing. Even in moments of misunderstanding, they hear each other out, assume the best of each other, and resolve to work it out.

In keeping with their upright characters, their transparency and gentle kindness with each other feels as refreshing as the rural beauty of their Yorkshire home. In the flushed aftermath of happy success, and as the darkness and cold shroud them, throwing caution to the wind and confessing all they feel seems so natural.īut in the end, it’s more satisfying to see James simply cover Helen with a blanket and resolve to get her home safely in the morning, like the true gentleman he is.Īnd because James and Helen pursue such honorable behavior from the beginning, their ongoing relationship only brings increasing satisfaction for the viewer. Their greatest test of strength comes on a snowy Christmas Eve night, when Helen accompanies James to help a young mother dog deliver her puppies at a farmhouse high up in the remotest hills of Yorkshire. They meet because of their community, not separately from it, and they both have established lives within it before they come together. While many current TV dramas dial in almost exclusively on a main romantic relationship, All Creatures offers a fuller picture of a supportive, family-like village that later leads to a happy marriage between James and Helen. They may act to give the story its relational center, but their tight-knit farming community remains the focus as a whole. All Creatures Great and Small reminds its viewers that a supportive community plays a vital role in carrying its people through various seasons.įor James and Helen, their community undergirds their relationship from its beginning and in every subsequent phase. Along the way, many forget that we are social creatures, not simply for the occasional drink or dinner, but for deep and meaningful connection throughout life. Autonomy and self are held up as the highest good. When this book was first published, it was merely a simple volume of memoirs by an. Contemporary life encourages individualism even to the point of unhealthy isolation. These are the stories that catapulted James Herriot to literary fame.

All creatures great and small book