In 1970, newly qualified vet Bruce Fogle arrived in London from Canada assuming that because he spoke English he would understand the English. He also thought that because he'd graduated from the world's best veterinary school he would understand how to be a decent vet. He quickly learned that both assumptions were quite wrong. Working at the prestigious Woodrow & Singleton, a surgery in the heart of Knightsbridge, Bruce's services were called upon by the most distinguished pet owners in Britain – from Duchesses and Sultans to Paul McCartney and Elizabeth Taylor. He also cared for the exotic inhabitants of the 'Zoo Department' at Harrods. Treating cats and dogs as well as alligators, monkeys and even a puma, with the support of the far more knowledgeable nurses around him, Bruce's veterinary education began in earnest leading to many unforgettable adventures. Call the Vet is a wonderfully rich and warmly funny memoir. Set in one of London's most eventful decades, it explores the...

Every year, from the end of June to the end of August, Bruce and his family go to their cedar-clad cottage on the blue, wide lake on the edge of the wilderness. At first, the summer of 1954 seems like any other. But just when he realises life is perfect, everything starts to change. He's ten, the family dynamics are shifting, and over the summer both the harshness of the adult world and the patterns of the natural world reveal themselves. By the time the weather turns he will be a different child, and will have chosen his own path to understanding the world.