A Tincture of Time

About the Book

The Following book review was printed in the Sherman Sentinel in Sherman, CT. I don't know the author and it was unsolicited by me. It concerns my recent book, was embarrassingly positive, and was so close to my intended target that I would like my readers to see it. EWV

    "I came to Sherman when Dr. Everett Vreeland was retiring from veterinary practice, so it naturally followed that I inherited some of his previous clients. They regaled me with tales of a white coveralled, tall, gregarious man who would be seen careening through town on his way from one animal medical emergency to the next. He was described as decisive, well-liked, a good 'cow-man', a man who dares to experience and love life. 'Doc' Vreeland has distilled his rich experiences acquired during forty years of general veterinary practice into a book, A Tincture of Time.

    The gold standard with which to compare any veterinarian's memoirs is, of course, the work of English country veterinarian, James Herriot. Everett Vreeland is James Herriot with the bark still on him. He is Ernest Hemingway as an animal doctor. An experience of my own serves to illustrate my first impression of Dr. Vreeland¹s book. I was working on a local dairy farm and had just met the herd¹s veterinarian for the first time, a colorful character quite similar to Dr. Vreeland. I mentioned to the herdsman that I didn't quite know how to take this fellow, to which he replied, "sometimes you take him right between the eyes!"

    I found A Tincture of Time often hilarious, sincere, opinionated, and sometimes prurient. It is a book for adults, describing with sometimes brutal honesty the joys and tribulations of being a solo veterinarian in rural New England. His recountings of his dealings with colorful clients, whose identities are disguised with clever cognomens, are keenly observant, accurate and well articulated. His interpolations of non-veterinary experiences make the book genuine and interesting.

    This book is a labor of love, written by a man with a calling to be a veterinarian. In a profession that can offer unmatched rewards and pressures, he has managed to convey his formula towards achieving happiness."

Paul Biagiotti, DVM

About the Author

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