Customer Reviews

5 reviews

• Donal Murphy, MRCVS, Deputy CEO Head of International & Regulatory Affairs

  The Yorkshire Way is a beautifully written memoir about a young vet’s first forays into farm animal clinical practice in Yorkshire. As a fellow vet, I believe that the author eloquently captures the pressures, strains and mental gymnastics that go with being a young vet in practice, under intense scrutiny trying to get things right, when sometime completing a type of surgery for the first time. The settings are vividly described with wonderful vocabulary. While the character descriptions are fantastic, and the reader feels they personally know the warm hearted but sometimes challenging vet practice owner Murdo, and the long-suffering Bridey on her eternal wait for some coal to heat the house during the long Yorkshire winter! The personal challenges and sacrifice that vets undertake to put animal health and welfare first are also perfectly captured and the reader is left with huge respect for the efforts that the practitioners put in, setting their own needs to one side. All in all, this is a great read, and I look forward to part 2 !

• Dr Jason Aldiss

  In The Yorkshire Way, Angus Munroe offers readers an evocative and richly detailed memoir that chronicles a life both professionally rooted in veterinary practice and deeply immersed in the fabric of rural British life. With warmth, wit and unflinching honesty, Munroe transports us through a transformative era in veterinary public health and general practice, vividly capturing the social and professional tapestry of the Yorkshire Dales and beyond. Munroe’s narrative begins with all the drama and farce of a journey doomed from the outset—his unreliable Triumph TR4 Roadster, a heavily pregnant and understandably exasperated wife, and the prospect of a crucial job interview with a formidable prospective employer. This initial chapter sets the tone for much of what follows: a wonderfully self-deprecating and humorous recounting of trials, tribulations and personal growth, played out against the uncompromising backdrop of rural practice in Northern England. What distinguishes The Yorkshire Way is not only the charm of its anecdotal structure, but also Munroe’s acute observational powers. He paints characters with the sure touch of someone who has lived among them, worked beside them, and sometimes sparred with them. From the idiosyncratic Mr Wilson and the pompous Mr Sleath, to the more roguish and colourful farmers and fellow vets, the memoir is populated with individuals as textured and vivid as the moors and hills they inhabit. There is a quiet profundity underlying the humour. The reader is reminded of the immense responsibility borne by veterinary surgeons—particularly in mixed and public health practice—during a period of significant evolution in the profession. Munroe’s eventual move into Veterinary Public Health and his later recognition with an MBE for services to the Food Standards Agency are testament to a career built on service, resilience and quiet determination. Stylistically, Munroe’s prose is engaging, colloquial and often laugh-out-loud funny, yet never flippant. The cadences of Yorkshire vernacular and veterinary lingo are used with authenticity and affection. His wife, Bridey, is a consistent and formidable presence throughout—sharp-tongued, deeply intelligent, and a grounding influence. Their exchanges, peppered with sarcasm and warmth, provide a relatable and often hilarious counterpoint to the professional episodes unfolding around them. For those within the veterinary profession, the book offers a nostalgic and often poignant journey through a landscape that has changed considerably. Yet it is equally accessible to general readers, who will find in it a deeply human story of perseverance, identity, and belonging. Munroe never shies from portraying the difficult or absurd; yet he does so with an enduring affection for his adopted county and the profession he so clearly loves. In conclusion, The Yorkshire Way is a triumph of recollection, characterisation, and cultural observation. It stands as a tribute not only to a life well lived, but to a profession often undervalued and little understood by the public. This memoir will resonate not only with veterinary professionals, but with anyone who appreciates a life told with candour, humour, and the enduring power of place

• Barrie Whitfield, Retired Barclay’s Yorkshire Dales Bank Manager.

  Fabulous read and a real page turner. I just wanted to know what was unfolding and what happens next - truly an amazing 6 weeks

• Collin Willson MRCVS OBE

  Really enjoyed reading this book with the stories that take you back to the early 70’s. Fascinating stories and characters from the Dales. A real insight into life in farming communities and small villages that applies all over the UK at the time. The last chapter leaves you wanting to get the next book for the story to continue.

• Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux FRCVS (BVA president 2024-25)

  A light-hearted and personal reflection of life in veterinary practice in Yorkshire in the 1970s. An enjoyable read that will be of interest to all those who appreciate the country life.

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