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Spanish Steps: One Man and his Ass on the Pilgrim Way to Santiago
Travels With My Donkey recounts Tim Moore's pilgrimage by donkey along the ancient five-hundred-mile route from St Jean Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela in Spain, housing the remains of Spain's patron saint. From the elevation of his donkey, Tim Moore derives bounteous amusement from his peculiar fellow travellers, an assortment of devout Christian pilgrims, new-age mystics and people looking for a cheap, boozy outdoor holiday. He also muses on pilgrims past, an illustrious crowd including Charlemagne, St Francis of Assisi and Chaucer's Wife of Bath. Tim Moore himself is untroubled by any religious belief, does not speak a word of Spanish and knows nothing about donkeys. But armed with the Codex Calixtinus, a twelfth-century handbook to the route and expert advice on donkey management from Robert Louis Stevenson, he sets out to master this most intransigent of beasts and to excise the cancer of cynicism from the dark heart of his sceptical soul. Hilarious and utterly original, Travels With My Donkey is an ideal balance of travel, anecdote and dry wit.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
108 people are currently reading
1488 people want to read
About the author
Tim Moore
34 books212 followersTim Moore is a British travel writer and humorist. He was educated at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith. In addition to his seven published travelogues to date, his writings have appeared in various publications including Esquire, The Sunday Times, The Independent, The Observer and the Evening Standard. He was also briefly a journalist for the Teletext computer games magazine Digitiser, under the pseudonym Mr Hairs, alongside Mr Biffo (aka comedy and sitcom writer Paul Rose.)
His book Frost On My Moustache is an account of a journey in which the author attempts to emulate Lord Dufferin's fearless spirit and enthusiastic adventuring, but comes to identify far more with Dufferin's permanently miserable butler, Wilson, as portrayed Dufferin's travel book Letters From High Latitudes.
In 2004, Moore presented an ITV programme based on his book Do Not Pass Go, a travelogue of his journey around the locations that appear on a British Monopoly board.
Moore lives in Chiswick, West London with his Icelandic wife Birna Helgadóttir and their three children, Kristján, Lilja and Valdis. He is also a brother-in-law of Agnar Helgason and Asgeir Helgason, and son-in-law of Helgi Valdimarsson.
His book Frost On My Moustache is an account of a journey in which the author attempts to emulate Lord Dufferin's fearless spirit and enthusiastic adventuring, but comes to identify far more with Dufferin's permanently miserable butler, Wilson, as portrayed Dufferin's travel book Letters From High Latitudes.
In 2004, Moore presented an ITV programme based on his book Do Not Pass Go, a travelogue of his journey around the locations that appear on a British Monopoly board.
Moore lives in Chiswick, West London with his Icelandic wife Birna Helgadóttir and their three children, Kristján, Lilja and Valdis. He is also a brother-in-law of Agnar Helgason and Asgeir Helgason, and son-in-law of Helgi Valdimarsson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
April 15, 2008
Hello traveling by ass. This book is so hilarious that while reading it (and laughing out loud until I cried), a woman came up to me in the coffee shop and demanded to know what the title was so she could get it. The writer, Tim Moore, out of mid-life crisis whatever, decides to walk el camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage in Spain, but he'll be arsed if he's going to carry his gear himself. Enter Shinto, a little burro who fears all things water, bolts at the slightest provocation, and makes a mockery of all donkey training (or mistraining, as the case may be) that comes with him. It's a travelogue by a prissy Brit, with a semi-uncontrollable animal to boot. Wonderful stuff.
June 25, 2023
Occasionally obtuse and difficult to read but entertaining all the way through, Moore's telling of his camino with Shinto the donkey is entertaining. If you are looking for a tale of spiritual transition or enlightenment in a camino book look elsewhere, but if you are looking for something that captures the camaraderie and a wee bit of its history then this is enjoyable.
May 29, 2011
A Long Hard Slog
Spanish Steps – Travels With My Donkey by Tim Moore
A Review by Robert Bovington
I found this book annoying, often tedious, occasionally interesting and very occasionally funny. So why did I find the book annoying? Well to start with, various critics have described the author as humorous – inside the book cover, ‘Image’ described Tim as “Without a doubt, the funniest travel writer in the world”; the ‘Irish Times’ even hailed him as the new Bill Bryson. What rubbish! I find Bill Bryson so interesting and amusing that I have read all his travel books two or three times and even his other, more serious, works like “Mother Tongue” and “Shakespeare” are funnier and better written than Tim Moore’s book about his long expedition with a donkey. Like his journey, I found the book a long hard slog.
I found his writing style extremely verbose, sometimes undecipherable and often plain irritating – okay, the word ‘click’ may be military slang for a kilometre but I found the copious use of the word irksome. I found his humour often grated – too many puns and too adolescent. I certainly didn’t ‘laugh out loud’ but, to be fair, I did chuckle to myself on a couple of occasions. I didn’t mind, either, some of his ‘toilet’ humour, though there were too many references to donkey poo for my liking.
So what were the good points? Well, Tim Moore follows the travel writer’s ‘well worn path’ by describing many of the places he visits and supplementing this with quite a bit of history. He does this quite well. He also manages to get across to the reader the sheer scale of the journey – the good bits and the bad. Blistered, sometimes sun-scorched, occasionally rain-soaked, the author does a credible job of describing his 750-kilometre trek across northern Spain accompanied by a donkey.
I can applaud Tim Moore for completing the ‘Compostela de Santiago’ even if his ulterior motive was to provide material for a book. However, in my view, it is nowhere near the best travel book I have read. He may have walked the path of St. James but he is not yet fit to be mentioned in the same company as Washington Irving, Gerald Brenan, Ernest Hemingway or Chris Stewart – nor Bill Bryson.
Spanish Steps – Travels With My Donkey by Tim Moore
A Review by Robert Bovington
I found this book annoying, often tedious, occasionally interesting and very occasionally funny. So why did I find the book annoying? Well to start with, various critics have described the author as humorous – inside the book cover, ‘Image’ described Tim as “Without a doubt, the funniest travel writer in the world”; the ‘Irish Times’ even hailed him as the new Bill Bryson. What rubbish! I find Bill Bryson so interesting and amusing that I have read all his travel books two or three times and even his other, more serious, works like “Mother Tongue” and “Shakespeare” are funnier and better written than Tim Moore’s book about his long expedition with a donkey. Like his journey, I found the book a long hard slog.
I found his writing style extremely verbose, sometimes undecipherable and often plain irritating – okay, the word ‘click’ may be military slang for a kilometre but I found the copious use of the word irksome. I found his humour often grated – too many puns and too adolescent. I certainly didn’t ‘laugh out loud’ but, to be fair, I did chuckle to myself on a couple of occasions. I didn’t mind, either, some of his ‘toilet’ humour, though there were too many references to donkey poo for my liking.
So what were the good points? Well, Tim Moore follows the travel writer’s ‘well worn path’ by describing many of the places he visits and supplementing this with quite a bit of history. He does this quite well. He also manages to get across to the reader the sheer scale of the journey – the good bits and the bad. Blistered, sometimes sun-scorched, occasionally rain-soaked, the author does a credible job of describing his 750-kilometre trek across northern Spain accompanied by a donkey.
I can applaud Tim Moore for completing the ‘Compostela de Santiago’ even if his ulterior motive was to provide material for a book. However, in my view, it is nowhere near the best travel book I have read. He may have walked the path of St. James but he is not yet fit to be mentioned in the same company as Washington Irving, Gerald Brenan, Ernest Hemingway or Chris Stewart – nor Bill Bryson.
July 15, 2008
I got so bored reading this book and it was hard to finish. His writing stuck me as scattered and his writing style extremely wordy.
And the humor...hmm...I definitely wasn't laughing out loud like everyone else. Sometimes the jokes were just...out there...somewhere.
And the donkey? As much as he jokes about animal abuse I couldn't help but think...yep...that's pretty much animal abuse. I mean, really, who just buys a donkey to take a 500 mile hike while basically refusing to learn how to care for a donkey!!!
Also, I don't feel like I got a good sense of the landscape the people of northern Spain. I read this in conjunction with "Off the Road," another guy doing the same hike and I'd recommend that instead. Better pace and better blend of history/humor/awkward encounters. Maybe because that author actually hiked the whole route without having family visit, staying in hotels, etc etc.
And the humor...hmm...I definitely wasn't laughing out loud like everyone else. Sometimes the jokes were just...out there...somewhere.
And the donkey? As much as he jokes about animal abuse I couldn't help but think...yep...that's pretty much animal abuse. I mean, really, who just buys a donkey to take a 500 mile hike while basically refusing to learn how to care for a donkey!!!
Also, I don't feel like I got a good sense of the landscape the people of northern Spain. I read this in conjunction with "Off the Road," another guy doing the same hike and I'd recommend that instead. Better pace and better blend of history/humor/awkward encounters. Maybe because that author actually hiked the whole route without having family visit, staying in hotels, etc etc.
March 29, 2007
I'm happy to report I've found the antidote to the poison that was reading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Tim Moore's Travels With My Donkey. He's a lot like Bryson, but without the snark, attitude, superiority, whining and misanthropy, and with an actual sense of humour. Which is to say, he's not like Bryson at all. I found myself running the laugh gamut from smiles to chortles to out and out giggles. Along the camino he experiences not only fatigue and frustration, but also good company and the kindness of many, many strangers. There is no big epiphany for Moore on his trek, but he does learn how to take things in stride - a million strides, as it were, straight across the North of Spain, with his intermittently trusty steed, Shinto, at his side. I haven't had this much fun with a book in a while.
January 25, 2013
I took this book with me when I walked the Camino in 2007. I wish I hadn't because it took up valuable space in my luggage. Although some of his anecdotes rang true, on the whole I found it lacking in any kind of detail about the experience, the country, the food, the people and it just wasn't funny - with the exception of his comment about FLAN (you'd have to read the book unfortunately).
October 24, 2019
There can’t be many authors who have dedicated their book to a donkey. But then, there aren’t many who would take one on a 500-mile trek across northern Spain. That’s what Tim Moore did, and the result is an entertaining and informative account of his journey to the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela.
Quirky one minute, cranky the next, Moore manages to gouge out the extraordinary from the everyday. The people he encounters become players in his crazy theatre of life, while he spares no ridicule for himself as he does battle against the elements, the landscape and his stubborn travelling companion.
Previous journeys have taken Moore across the London Monopoly board and the Tour de France route. So, making this pilgrimage in a conventional way just wouldn’t do. Realising the journey will require a shed-load of equipment, he certainly doesn’t want to be tainted with the label of a backpacker: “People with rucksacks don’t have fun, or if they do it’s the sort that involves a Thermos flask and brass rubbing.”
The solution, when it comes to him, is heaven-sent. A donkey carried Christ into Jerusalem, so what more appropriate beast of burden to carry the author's beastly burden on his own Via Dolorosa?
It becomes clear that Moore’s main purpose is not merely to complete the arduous journey with a moody mule but to recount how he did it. In other words, (and you’ll have been expecting this) he pins the tale on the donkey.
Shinto is indeed the star of the show, with more character in one of his animated ears than many of the two-legged pilgrims trudging along the camino. The author’s early attempts to get the reluctant creature across a wooden slatted bridge signals the beginning of a vexatious relationship between one man and his donk. Yet, as they make steady progress across the back of northern Spain, there is a bonding. Nothing untoward, of course, but eventually they reach an understanding about who’s really in charge – and it’s not the one with only two legs.
There are some genuinely sticky moments. During one especially arduous stretch when Shinto sinks to the ground, Moore is seriously concerned about his wonkey donkey. His remedy for setting Shinto back on his hooves is as surprising for the donkey as it is entertaining for the reader.
Moore has to face all of the challenges of any other pilgrim, but his difficulties in locating food and accommodation are compounded by the need to find somewhere to park his donkey. Some of the locals are helpful, some refuse them both point blank, while others provide the unlikeliest assistance. A drunken fireman, for instance, offers Shinto sanctuary in a deserted bullring.
Throughout the book, the author explains some of the background to the history of the pilgrimage. From its medieval origins to its rebirth as a purging exercise for New Age disciples, the route has attracted its fair share of eccentric travellers. Among its more famous aficionados is Shirley Maclaine, and Moore wastes no time in ripping apart the book describing her journey. “Shirl’s book is so mad it howls at the moon," he says, "a book that with any name on its cover but that of a Hollywood legend would have had orderlies with soft, placatory smiles knocking on the author’s door.”
The spiritual aspects of the pilgrim route seem lost on Moore, and he spends much of the time poking fun at his earnest fellow travellers. Two Germans who eat an inordinate amount of candy are dubbed "the German chocolate girls", and an American woman given to telling conflicting stories about her origins becomes "Baroness von Munchausen".
That said, the book isn't without its heartwarming moments. For part of the route, Moore is joined by his family. His wife is Icelandic and their children’s names – Valdis, Kristjan, Lilja - bring a fairytale quality to the story. But Moore’s treatment of his children isn't in the least sentimental, and he's not above allowing them to upstage their father. When Shinto balks at yet another small bridge, his youngest daughter takes over. A few whispered words, Shinto’s ears prick up, and he’s across the bridge in no time, leaving the author to wonder what mystical power over animals has been imparted to his daughter.
At times, one wonders if they will ever make it to journey's end, especially since Moore comes across as being unprepared and pretty incompetent. But his pain is our gain. Every sun-scorched, rain-soaked, donkey-driven, blister-bursting moment gives the author cause to amuse and enlighten his readers.
The worrying thing is what crazy scheme might he come up with next? Across the Atlantic in a wheelbarrow? The Trans-Siberian Express pulled by huskies? I can only hope he never reads this; it'll only give him ideas.
Quirky one minute, cranky the next, Moore manages to gouge out the extraordinary from the everyday. The people he encounters become players in his crazy theatre of life, while he spares no ridicule for himself as he does battle against the elements, the landscape and his stubborn travelling companion.
Previous journeys have taken Moore across the London Monopoly board and the Tour de France route. So, making this pilgrimage in a conventional way just wouldn’t do. Realising the journey will require a shed-load of equipment, he certainly doesn’t want to be tainted with the label of a backpacker: “People with rucksacks don’t have fun, or if they do it’s the sort that involves a Thermos flask and brass rubbing.”
The solution, when it comes to him, is heaven-sent. A donkey carried Christ into Jerusalem, so what more appropriate beast of burden to carry the author's beastly burden on his own Via Dolorosa?
It becomes clear that Moore’s main purpose is not merely to complete the arduous journey with a moody mule but to recount how he did it. In other words, (and you’ll have been expecting this) he pins the tale on the donkey.
Shinto is indeed the star of the show, with more character in one of his animated ears than many of the two-legged pilgrims trudging along the camino. The author’s early attempts to get the reluctant creature across a wooden slatted bridge signals the beginning of a vexatious relationship between one man and his donk. Yet, as they make steady progress across the back of northern Spain, there is a bonding. Nothing untoward, of course, but eventually they reach an understanding about who’s really in charge – and it’s not the one with only two legs.
There are some genuinely sticky moments. During one especially arduous stretch when Shinto sinks to the ground, Moore is seriously concerned about his wonkey donkey. His remedy for setting Shinto back on his hooves is as surprising for the donkey as it is entertaining for the reader.
Moore has to face all of the challenges of any other pilgrim, but his difficulties in locating food and accommodation are compounded by the need to find somewhere to park his donkey. Some of the locals are helpful, some refuse them both point blank, while others provide the unlikeliest assistance. A drunken fireman, for instance, offers Shinto sanctuary in a deserted bullring.
Throughout the book, the author explains some of the background to the history of the pilgrimage. From its medieval origins to its rebirth as a purging exercise for New Age disciples, the route has attracted its fair share of eccentric travellers. Among its more famous aficionados is Shirley Maclaine, and Moore wastes no time in ripping apart the book describing her journey. “Shirl’s book is so mad it howls at the moon," he says, "a book that with any name on its cover but that of a Hollywood legend would have had orderlies with soft, placatory smiles knocking on the author’s door.”
The spiritual aspects of the pilgrim route seem lost on Moore, and he spends much of the time poking fun at his earnest fellow travellers. Two Germans who eat an inordinate amount of candy are dubbed "the German chocolate girls", and an American woman given to telling conflicting stories about her origins becomes "Baroness von Munchausen".
That said, the book isn't without its heartwarming moments. For part of the route, Moore is joined by his family. His wife is Icelandic and their children’s names – Valdis, Kristjan, Lilja - bring a fairytale quality to the story. But Moore’s treatment of his children isn't in the least sentimental, and he's not above allowing them to upstage their father. When Shinto balks at yet another small bridge, his youngest daughter takes over. A few whispered words, Shinto’s ears prick up, and he’s across the bridge in no time, leaving the author to wonder what mystical power over animals has been imparted to his daughter.
At times, one wonders if they will ever make it to journey's end, especially since Moore comes across as being unprepared and pretty incompetent. But his pain is our gain. Every sun-scorched, rain-soaked, donkey-driven, blister-bursting moment gives the author cause to amuse and enlighten his readers.
The worrying thing is what crazy scheme might he come up with next? Across the Atlantic in a wheelbarrow? The Trans-Siberian Express pulled by huskies? I can only hope he never reads this; it'll only give him ideas.
January 25, 2017
I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading this! The author's British self-deprecating wit and clever language were just my cup of tea. Beyond his fine writing though, Moore is a keen observer of people and his surroundings and I appreciated the fascinating historical tidbits he included about the Camino which has been one of the world's great pilgrimages since the Middle Ages.
My only reservation about the book was his conceit to travel with a donkey when he knew so very little about the care of them. His frustration with his donkey ultimately resolved and it could be that he embellished his description of their relationship for humor, but there were many times while reading this when I felt that poor animal deserved better.
My only reservation about the book was his conceit to travel with a donkey when he knew so very little about the care of them. His frustration with his donkey ultimately resolved and it could be that he embellished his description of their relationship for humor, but there were many times while reading this when I felt that poor animal deserved better.
August 20, 2007
I've decided Tim knows just when to keep from going over-the-top. That doesn't mean he doesn't actually do it every so often, but he's talented enough to get away with it when he does.
Unlike his previous escapades, he is forced to socialize a great deal (more) on this trip. And -- with a companion! He and Shinto are perfect together; the dread of separation is palpable in the final pages.
Readers of previous books (yours truly included) have commented that his references have been highly Brit-specific; Our Author seems to have taken heed as this time they are far more balanced.
Unlike his previous escapades, he is forced to socialize a great deal (more) on this trip. And -- with a companion! He and Shinto are perfect together; the dread of separation is palpable in the final pages.
Readers of previous books (yours truly included) have commented that his references have been highly Brit-specific; Our Author seems to have taken heed as this time they are far more balanced.
October 13, 2008
Just started this book but it seems to combine midieval history, humor, and adventure.
Ended up not finishing the book. It didn't hold my interest and there are so many more books to read...
Ended up not finishing the book. It didn't hold my interest and there are so many more books to read...
July 4, 2013
Bored me to bits. Can't believe this is from the same author as French Revolutions.
November 30, 2017
While I enjoyed the book, and found Tim Moore to be a somewhat engaging author, I cannot say I saw the laugh out loud humour that some people have expierenced. However, it did raise a smile and a muted laugh at times It is a great read though. The very act of walking nearly eight hundred kilometers with nothing but a donkey is intriguing. Overall, most people with get something from the book.
May 30, 2019
An interesting story that kept teetering (for me) between super-funny British humor and more somewhat daily slogs as Moore and Shinto encountered some rather dreadful accommodations and daily travails through seemingly endless towns and hamlets. This was not a super-fast down-the-page quick read, and Moore's writing style required me to re-read some paragraphs several times to finally grok his meaning. I liked the little mini-maps that headed each chapter, and certainly learned both more about this section of Spain in addition to the unique pilgrims who take on this challenge. The technique of using a "donk" as the conveyance method for Moore's "stuff" was effective, however one wonders who in the world but an English writer would be so courageous/foolhardy to take it on.
His writing was really funny and descriptive at times, which made the story both interesting and brilliantly described at his high points. Moore's vocabulary is really extensive! The relatively large number of different traveling companions was hard to keep clear. For me, the effort to read the book was a slog at times as well, like his journey. All in all, a worthwhile read, but one where I was glad to see him reach Santiago, the cathedral, and the end of an unusual story.
His writing was really funny and descriptive at times, which made the story both interesting and brilliantly described at his high points. Moore's vocabulary is really extensive! The relatively large number of different traveling companions was hard to keep clear. For me, the effort to read the book was a slog at times as well, like his journey. All in all, a worthwhile read, but one where I was glad to see him reach Santiago, the cathedral, and the end of an unusual story.
January 20, 2020
I'd like to now take a walk on the camino.
This is a very funny account of his walk from France to Santiago. The best part are all things dealing with the donkey, which seems both romantic, and a very strong case for the invention of cars.
Honest and funny and a lot of vocabulary words I had to look up that turned out to be used in their archaic meaning and good google fodder.
There has to be a very long bible story about Jesus with his donkey that was cut because it was too frustrating. Or that it made Jesus look either too good or too bad. You never think of all of the epic urinations and defecations that must have happened while a donkey is around, but this book includes them all.
This is a very funny account of his walk from France to Santiago. The best part are all things dealing with the donkey, which seems both romantic, and a very strong case for the invention of cars.
Honest and funny and a lot of vocabulary words I had to look up that turned out to be used in their archaic meaning and good google fodder.
There has to be a very long bible story about Jesus with his donkey that was cut because it was too frustrating. Or that it made Jesus look either too good or too bad. You never think of all of the epic urinations and defecations that must have happened while a donkey is around, but this book includes them all.
Read
December 21, 2024Honestly, I DNF after getting 3/4 of the way. Tim Moore is an engaging writer and I definitely want to do the Camino after reading. The book is sadly tooo long and he writes more obtusely/superfluously than necessary.
Definitely a good shout for travel readers or those who have experienced the Camino previously
Definitely a good shout for travel readers or those who have experienced the Camino previously
January 3, 2019
Nettes Buch für zwischendurch.
June 19, 2022
One of the better humorous travel books, combining an account of the history of the Camino de Santiago with good jokes about donkeys and the physical challenges, and with a genuinely touching end.
Read
January 30, 2024DNFed at around p. 100 for my own book club 😂
August 16, 2017
If you are familiar with the author and his work--this is the third book of his I have read [1], you know where this is going. This is the sort of book that is advertised with comparisons to such classics of the man against nature travel book as 'A Walk In The Woods [2].' And for the most part these comparisons are just. This is a comedy book about the author's travels in Europe, where his being a clueless and monolingual English tourist is part of the larger metajoke that is poking fun of the cluelessness and linguistic ineptitude of his target audience. This is the sort of book where when you are tempted to laugh at the novel for being totally unable to take care of a fairly lovable donkey along the trip across northern Spain along the Camino Real you need to remind yourself that to laugh at the author is to laugh at oneself. Would one do a better job taking care of a donkey? Probably not. Ultimately, the donkey himself, nicknamed Shinto, becomes a particularly sympathetic figure with his sufferings from ergot poisoning and his need for Sabbath rest that the author casually and cruelly disregards.
If you have read a book by this author, you know the drill by now. The book begins with a discussion of what inspired the author's crazy idea to travel along the Camino Real to Santiago with a donkey because he doesn't want to carry the weight himself. Most of the book consists of the author's discussion of the various stages of the trip. We read the author's mock complaining about the cheating that people do along the journey to serve as faux pilgrims, the infrastructure of housing and feeding people on such extended trips, the history of the route going back to pagan times, the care and maintenance of donkeys, a task at which the author is sadly ill-equipped, and so on. The author talks about the visit of his family and how his young daughter apparently was able to get along well with her donkey, far more so than the author, probably because she realized how easy it is to like donkeys [3]. The author also spends a lot of time talking about the desolation and remoteness of northern Spain and its essential economic hopelessness apart from religious tourism. Although a book of humor, there is a poignant note about human suffering and the burdens of history to be found here for those readers who are attuned to the melancholy.
So, what does one ultimately get from a book like this? Much depends on what you expect. Those who come looking for more zany fun from the author, who presents himself with a level of clueless English ineptitude that calls to mind Mr. Bean, will find much to laugh about here. Those who are looking for some thoughtful commentary on the social and economic history of rural northern Spain and the long-term repercussions of Spanish isolation under Franco as well as centuries of economic malaise will find much here of interest as well. Those who are looking for a future film adaptation of travels if they can remove the animal abuse parts to get the PETA recommendation will find much to appreciate here as well. There is one thing, though, that one will not find, and that is the author seriously reflecting on the issue of faith. The author's lack of faith, and his gleeful focus on the fraudulent nature of many holy relics, is in clear relief here. On the trip, though, the author does not seem to find many people of faith and he seems to have the same opinion of those he does meet as M. Scott Peck did in his pilgrimage trip [4], which is to say a bad one. This book therefore is a missed opportunity for the author to add more layers to his commentary, such as one that can address matters of supreme and serious importance without a reflexive reliance on humor and irony.
[1] See, for example:
http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/...
http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/...
[2] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
[3] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
[4] https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
If you have read a book by this author, you know the drill by now. The book begins with a discussion of what inspired the author's crazy idea to travel along the Camino Real to Santiago with a donkey because he doesn't want to carry the weight himself. Most of the book consists of the author's discussion of the various stages of the trip. We read the author's mock complaining about the cheating that people do along the journey to serve as faux pilgrims, the infrastructure of housing and feeding people on such extended trips, the history of the route going back to pagan times, the care and maintenance of donkeys, a task at which the author is sadly ill-equipped, and so on. The author talks about the visit of his family and how his young daughter apparently was able to get along well with her donkey, far more so than the author, probably because she realized how easy it is to like donkeys [3]. The author also spends a lot of time talking about the desolation and remoteness of northern Spain and its essential economic hopelessness apart from religious tourism. Although a book of humor, there is a poignant note about human suffering and the burdens of history to be found here for those readers who are attuned to the melancholy.
So, what does one ultimately get from a book like this? Much depends on what you expect. Those who come looking for more zany fun from the author, who presents himself with a level of clueless English ineptitude that calls to mind Mr. Bean, will find much to laugh about here. Those who are looking for some thoughtful commentary on the social and economic history of rural northern Spain and the long-term repercussions of Spanish isolation under Franco as well as centuries of economic malaise will find much here of interest as well. Those who are looking for a future film adaptation of travels if they can remove the animal abuse parts to get the PETA recommendation will find much to appreciate here as well. There is one thing, though, that one will not find, and that is the author seriously reflecting on the issue of faith. The author's lack of faith, and his gleeful focus on the fraudulent nature of many holy relics, is in clear relief here. On the trip, though, the author does not seem to find many people of faith and he seems to have the same opinion of those he does meet as M. Scott Peck did in his pilgrimage trip [4], which is to say a bad one. This book therefore is a missed opportunity for the author to add more layers to his commentary, such as one that can address matters of supreme and serious importance without a reflexive reliance on humor and irony.
[1] See, for example:
http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/...
http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/...
[2] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
[3] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
[4] https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
March 13, 2018
Entertaining, though not a lot happens. it's a long journey that's pretty much the same all the way: he meets various cohorts on the pilgrimage, he describes the variety of his sleeping quarters, he has the same problems with balky donkey, he questions why he's doing it. He has a breezy style that's often funny—depending on your taste—but the humor sometimes relies a bit too much on metaphorical references to current entertainers, etc., and that's lost on me. Quick laughs, quickly dated. He stays firmly in the camp of "comic travel writing," and I really don't see clearly what his pilgrimage achieves except to write another travel book. His self-deprecating style is engaging up to a point, but eventually, for me, it wears thin. I do recommend it as light, entertaining reading.
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November 17, 2025I picked this up looking for a story about the Camino de Santiago and was disappointed to realize that it was really a book about a donkey. For me, this was a case of the tail wagging the dog. Or wagging the burro.
Moore wanted to walk to Santiago for reasons that weren't entirely established. He quickly decided that the number one obstacle to success would be carrying his own luggage, which led to the decision to get a donkey (easier said than done). That decision turns the incidental (get a donkey so you can go on a pilgrimage) into the central (spend hundreds of kilometers in which your every thought revolves around the problems created by traveling with a donkey). The pilgrimage itself becomes utterly insignificant. It is the setting for a drama that involves coaxing a donkey into going places it doesn't want to go, realizing that that cannot reliably be done, figuring out where a donkey can sleep, what it needs to eat, and how to keep it safe. All of this narrative tension could play out while walking across the Rockies, or the Badlands, or from one side of Scotland to the other, or along the Vistula River.
I suppose if what you want is a book about donkeys and living with donkeys, you might love this book.
Other reviewers have noted that this Moore is very funny (he is) and that the book is unnecessarily laborious to read (it is). There were moments when I chuckled aloud while reading this book. But there were also times when I had to reread a sentence more than once only to realize, in the end, that it really wasn't worth the trouble. One example would be a long meandering sentence involving EKG readings and 20th century musicians that ultimately meant: the road was flat. At some point, I just got really really tired of having to work so hard to be "entertained" and I started to hate the book. There were a lot of 2 star moments. But in the end, when I got to the final page and the final sentence, I found myself almost teary (not quite). I suppose there is something deeply moving about unrequited affection -- in this case, not only unrequited, but involuntary and resentful, and yet genuine for all that.
Moore wanted to walk to Santiago for reasons that weren't entirely established. He quickly decided that the number one obstacle to success would be carrying his own luggage, which led to the decision to get a donkey (easier said than done). That decision turns the incidental (get a donkey so you can go on a pilgrimage) into the central (spend hundreds of kilometers in which your every thought revolves around the problems created by traveling with a donkey). The pilgrimage itself becomes utterly insignificant. It is the setting for a drama that involves coaxing a donkey into going places it doesn't want to go, realizing that that cannot reliably be done, figuring out where a donkey can sleep, what it needs to eat, and how to keep it safe. All of this narrative tension could play out while walking across the Rockies, or the Badlands, or from one side of Scotland to the other, or along the Vistula River.
I suppose if what you want is a book about donkeys and living with donkeys, you might love this book.
Other reviewers have noted that this Moore is very funny (he is) and that the book is unnecessarily laborious to read (it is). There were moments when I chuckled aloud while reading this book. But there were also times when I had to reread a sentence more than once only to realize, in the end, that it really wasn't worth the trouble. One example would be a long meandering sentence involving EKG readings and 20th century musicians that ultimately meant: the road was flat. At some point, I just got really really tired of having to work so hard to be "entertained" and I started to hate the book. There were a lot of 2 star moments. But in the end, when I got to the final page and the final sentence, I found myself almost teary (not quite). I suppose there is something deeply moving about unrequited affection -- in this case, not only unrequited, but involuntary and resentful, and yet genuine for all that.
August 8, 2018
This is one of those rare books that actually lives up to the reviews on the front of it. It is laugh-out-loud in many parts, utterly endearing and enjoyable from beginning to end. It really did make me want to do the Santiago de Compostela...with a donkey!
February 7, 2017
I should have taken heed of the notes in the book jacket that compare Tim Moore to Bill Bryson. Because I really can't stand Bill Bryson. And as it turns out, Tim Moore is even more unreadable. The writing style is a big part of my review, but travel writing should do a couple of things-- it should make you want to visit a place, and it should give you funny, endearing stories about the writer that makes you wish you could travel there with that person. By the end of this book I really just couldn't stand Tim Moore. The book is based on his decision to travel the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a pilgrimage across the country that people have been making since biblical times. However, Tim doesn't want to walk all that way. So he decides to take a donkey. He knows nothing about donkeys or how to care for them. He makes a half-assed (no pun intended) attempt to learn some of that, but throughout the book his donkey Shinto has to go without food, gets pushed far beyond his limits, and is basically lucky he made it to the end of this trip alive. So there's that. There's also Moore's clumsy, wandering, adjective-filled writing style to help lose your interest. There were times my eyes would glaze over on the page as he rambled on in clunky, over-descriptive prose. There are also plenty of obscure references. If your eyes light up with recognition at the phrase "Cesare was the Blofeld's Blofeld" than maybe you would find this book more captivating than I did.
June 7, 2013
What a wonderful experience. A million people hike the 800km El Camino de Santiago Jacobean Route each year, so why not do it differently! Taking a donkey sure adds a twist to it. Hard to put this book down as Tim describes the most comical situations with his recalcitrant stable mate Pinto. Although Tim could've chosen a simpler vocabulary this book is a fun and satisfying read. Good story, plenty of events to keep you glued to the pages. I will soon be walking this route, but I won't be taking a donkey, especially after reading this book. And why would I not take a donkey? It would be too sad to leave it behind!
September 28, 2013
Boy and went back and forth between 3 or 4 stars on this one. It is well written and very funny. In that respect i enjoyed the book. I sure know what to look for when we walk the Camino in 2015. i.e. where it is hilly, where it is flat and hot, where the Pilgrim's Wine Fountain is.... However, Mr. Moore's motives were well hidden. Perhaps he was looking for some sort of transformation, but all i saw was that in the end he loved his donkey, Shinto (nicknamed Shitto early on in a fit of frustration), and had the material for a new best seller. But maybe, like a REALLY good pilgrim, he kept his interior motives to himself. He certainly did not share them.
March 27, 2018
Did not like the writing style at all. While others have described the book as hilarious, I found the humor to be forced - as if the author was trying to convince us how funny he is. Even when he wasn’t trying to be funny, his writing was often hard to follow. On several occasions I reread a paragraph to try and understand what he was trying to say or describe, only to just give up and move on.
I’m still unclear as to the purpose of the author’s trek, and don’t feel like I learned much about traversing the trail.
I’m still unclear as to the purpose of the author’s trek, and don’t feel like I learned much about traversing the trail.
April 5, 2020
Tim Moore likes big words and arcane references, but he's funny enough to make it worth the effort. I would also say that the book works at a larger level, too. It's not just a travelogue; it's something of a spiritual journey as well. There's a symmetry to the relationship between the author and his donkey that somehow frames the pilgrimage in terms that both a skeptic and a believer will understand.
April 7, 2009
Moore's writing reminds me of Bill Bryson. He had to go to donkey school before he can take a donkey on the pilgrimage trail across Spain to Santiago. The donkey is for that authentic feel. Quite a funny and interesting book/
May 8, 2016
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13001424
I like pretty much any book which features travel with a donkey, horse or mule. I also find Tim Moore very funny. Win win for me.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13001424
I like pretty much any book which features travel with a donkey, horse or mule. I also find Tim Moore very funny. Win win for me.
February 25, 2015
Funny and incite full, well worth a go.
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