Product Description

When Andy Merrifield made his first trip to America aged ten, he vowed that one day he would leave his native Liverpool and live
in New York. He eventually got there, but his dream quickly turned sour. In 2003, weary of city life and fed up with university teaching, he moved to central France and embarked upon a journey of the soul, walking amid the ruins and spectacular vistas of the Auvergne.
This book is the story of that slow pilgrimage, on which his only companion is Gribouille, a tender and intelligent donkey with soft, thick fur on his brow and calm, dark eyes. Shadowed by Robert Louis Stevenson, who 130 years earlier trekked through another part of the region with the donkey Modestine, Merrifield
gradually settles into the purposeful pace of his journey, allowing him to confront himself, as well as the larger mysteries of
existence. He marvels at his tranquil surroundings and revels in the oddities of French rural life, musing all the while on the subtle wisdom of his companion, and the humble virtues of donkeys throughout history.
The Wisdom of Donkeys reminds us that observing, being mindful, and being present in the moment are essential to a fulfilled life. It teaches us that enlightenment is all around us if we only take the time to seek it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119816 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"An amazing book... Erudite, acutely observed and spontaneous. My guess is that it will become what
they call a classic" --John Berger

About the Author
Born in Liverpool, England in 1960, Andy Merrifield taught geography for over a decade in assorted British and American universities. He's author of four previous books, including biographies on two twentieth-century French philosophers. He now lives and writes in a small rural community in France's Auvergne region.

Customer Reviews

Mesmerising and irritating in equal measure
This book is at once glib and profound, sentimental and saccharine, not easy to categorise. Which is probably why the publishers called it "mind, body, spirit".

As another reviewer has pointed out, it is NOT a travel book in any accepted sense of the word. There is a journey, but the author's journey is more of a spiritual one rather than a physical one. It is more a self-help book. He doesn't record where he went, what he did and what he saw, as such, he writes down how he felt and how he bonded with his donkey. When I picked it up I thought it would be a bit like Tim Moore's Spanish Steps, which I enjoyed immensely, but it isn't. For a start there is no humour. On the whole this is a bit too, well, SERIOUS. Like I said, the publishers have chosen to market it in the "mind, body, spirit" genre, which tells its own story and goes a long way to describing its new-age feel.

Another slight problem I had with this book was that I couldn't ever quite get away from the feeling that the author was anthropomorphising -- that's easy for me to say! -- "Gribouille", his asinine companion. I kept thinking: is he really thinking that or is the author just fancying that he is? Of course the author is just fancying it, but does that make it so? Also, I could never get away from the fact that this was very mid-life crisis territory. Some middle-age men buy a sports car. Merrifield bought a donkey.

But having said all of these disparaging things about the book I will now offset them by saying that there WERE many profound and insightful things about donkeys said by the author. There are lots of facts and nuggets of information about donkeys' behaviour, how to care for them etc. Reading this book did help me to relax and feel 'at one' with the world and it took me back to when I had pets to play with. There really is some amazing information. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a case in point. The only trouble is that they're very few and far between. The rest of the book is padded out with philosophy, mythology, literature, new-age mysticism and poetry. Yes, poetry. And it isn't only a bit of the aforementioned. There's A LOT of it. Most of the book, actually. Donkey-lovers will be disappointed with this book.

So to sum up, don't buy this book if you're expecting travel writing. Don't buy this book if you love donkeys. Don't buy this book if you love domesticated animals. Buy it if you love poetry, philosophy and particularly NEW-AGE MYSTICISM. Think candles, incense sticks, yoga, crystal 'therapy', astrology, traditional Chinese medicine, etc. I just can't make up my mind whether I like this book or not. The best I can say is that it grew on me. It got better.

donkey traveller
I enjoyed this book but I would have enjoyed it more if the author had followed his experiences more closely rather than remanice about other authors who have written about donkeys.
When he gave rein to his own inventivness and turn of phrase he created some wonderful gems of descriptive prose.
He captures the patience and enduring spirit of his donkey and describes his journey of spititual repair in a way that the reader can enjoy the same benficial effects of taking the world at a slow gait, so as to appreciate life and nature.
The contrasts between New York and rural France are sympahecically compared.

Go for it!
For anyone who likes, appreciates and values animals. Tranquility is certainly the keyword...Like stepping off lifes treadmill with every read; very therapeutic and helps a person to relax and unwind. Very tranquil experience. It would suit me to read 'The Wisdom of Donkeys' either at home, or on holiday. I have recommended this book to my friends.