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The Heart of the Dales
- Narrated by: Gervase Phinn
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Categories: Education & Learning, Education
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I loved this book
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Star Teacher
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It's 1985, and as Jack returns for another year as head teacher at Ragley village school, some changes are in store. It's the year of Halley's Comet, Band Aid, Trivial Pursuit, Dynasty shoulder pads, Roland Rat and Microsoft Windows. And at Ragley-on-the-Forest, Heathcliffe Earnshaw decides to enter the village scarecrow competition, Ruby the caretaker finds romance and retirement looms for Vera the secretary.
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Brilliant read
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The villagers of Thrush Green celebrate Christmas traditionally, in a way that has hardly changed over the generations. Children eagerly hang up their stockings, families go to church together and everyone enjoys the treats of the festive season. And when it snows as the carol singers make their way round the cottages on the green, it looks as if Christmas will be perfect this year. But not everything is as peaceful as it seems.
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Not the same charm
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All Creatures Great and Small
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The inspiration for the BBC series of the same name. Fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, to the young James Herriot 1930s Yorkshire seems to offer an idyllic pocket of rural life in a rapidly changing world. But from his erratic new colleagues, brothers Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, to incomprehensible farmers, herds of semiferal cattle, a pig called Nugent and an overweight Pekingese called Tricki Woo, James find he is on a learning curve as steep as the hills around him.
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Great story and narrator - terrible sound quality
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Changing Times
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For the residents of Ragley, the small Yorkshire village, the war is finally starting to feel like a distant memory. Gone are the days of rationing and sacrifice, replaced with the joys of spin-dryers and Beatlemania. But Lily Feather can’t quite forget the events of the war and the years that followed. Buried in her past remains a terrible secret from which she cannot escape but that still threatens her fragile family. After the death of their mother, her brother, Freddie, has come to depend on her and her husband, but their lives will soon change for ever.
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a lovely book
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The Yorkshire Vet
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This is the life story of vet Peter Wright, charting his working relationship with the famous 'James Herriot', from work experience with him as a lad, to taking over his practice in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Packed full of laugh-out loud moments, heartbreaking stories and transporting tales of his love for working with the animals and people of this breathtaking part of the country. Covering his bucolic childhood growing up on a farm right through to the heady days of his successful Channel 5 TV series, Peter's warm nature and professional attitude shine through.
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a wonderful book.
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Summary
Gervase Phinn has an extraordinary talent to entertain, and the latest instalment to the Dale Series is heart-warming, wry, and will make you laugh out loud.
Critic reviews
"Evocative, funny, and delightful to listen to." ( Choice magazine)
What listeners say about The Heart of the Dales
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- Jackie A.
- 20-07-15
Funny little ditties
Would you listen to The Heart of the Dales again? Why?
Gervais, recounts his tales as a schools inspector with humour and sensitivity, he obviously loved his role and the special relationship he builds with children and staff alike.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Heart of the Dales?
He recounts the tale of some school decorators, who haphazardly dispose of some paint thinners down the toilet.....then describes the chaos that ensues after one if them disposes of a cigarette whilst sitting on the unflushed toilet. Priceless
Have you listened to any of Gervase Phinn’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Listened to him live at the theatre before, which at the time I thought was unbeatable, but as he narrates his own books this was on a par.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Laughed my socks off
Any additional comments?
Thank you mum for introducing me to such a witty author.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-08-19
Wonderful
Not from yorkshire myself, but soon felt quite at home with these tales of school life in such a beautiful part of the country.
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Overall
- Kindle Customer
- 07-08-18
The Heart of the Dales
Brilliant! Gervas e has so many voices that you can visualize the characters. Always entertaining - will buy more!
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- John Pearson
- 14-03-15
Great Book
This book is a fabulous read for almost any age it is light hearted and funny and I would highly recommend it.