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The Wisdom of Donkeys
- Author
- Andy Merrifield
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 5 November 2026
- Run Time
- 7 hours
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
"The demon of speed is often associated with forgetting, with avoidance . . . and slowness with memory and confronting," observes Milan Kundera in his novel Slowness. With that purpose in mind-a search for slowness and tranquility, Andy Merrifield sets out on a journey of the soul with a friend's donkey, Gribouille, to walk amid the ruins and spectacular vistas of southern France's Haute-Auvergne.
As Merrifield contemplates literature, science, truth, and beauty amid the French countryside, Gribouille surprises him with his subtle wisdom, reminding him time and again that enlightenment is all around us if we but seek it.
Critics Review
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Merrifield makes us feel the heat and dust of the road as well as the gentle breath of Gribouille on his shoulder as they walk. Whatever the ills of this world, it somehow begins to seem credible that a donkey can wash them away.
Christian Science Monitor
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Unless you read Andy Merrifield, you might never appreciate how interested you could be in donkeys...I cannot imagine a more charming, informative or restful book.
Jim Crace
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Searching for silence after a life of noise, he hears rain, birds, insects, church bells, wind and owls -- some of these for the first time. 'I can't help thinking,' he notes at the end of his trip, 'that daydreams make us, that our little life is rounded with reverie rather than sleep.'
Los Angeles Times
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An absolutely charming, lovely, and loving book.
Jeffrey Masson
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It is too seldom that the Spiritual Living section of LJ has an opportunity to read and review a real love story, but this is such a book...Highly recommended.
Library Journal
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Andy Merrifield
- Duration
- 7 hours
- Release Date
- 5 November 2026
- ISBN
- 9798260200933
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Philosophy, Assertiveness, motivation, self-esteem and positive mental attitude
Synopsis
A literary ode to peace, presence, and fulfillment inspired by a walk taken with a most surprising creature."The demon of speed is often associated with forgetting, with avoidance . . . and slowness with memory and confronting," observes Milan Kundera in his novel Slowness. With that purpose in mind-a search for slowness and tranquility, Andy Merrifield sets out on a journey of the soul with a friend's donkey, Gribouille, to walk amid the ruins and spectacular vistas of southern France's Haute-Auvergne. As Merrifield contemplates literature, science, truth, and beauty amid the French countryside, Gribouille surprises him with his subtle wisdom, reminding him time and again that enlightenment is all around us if we but seek it.
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