Items related to Spanish Steps: Travels With My Donkey
Ludicrous, heart-warming and improbably inspirational, Spanish Steps is the story of what happens when a rather silly man tries to walk all the way across a very large country, with a very large animal who doesn't really want to.
Being larger than a cat, the donkey is the kind of animal Tim Moore is slightly scared of. Yet intrigued by epic accounts of a pilgrimage undertaken by one in three medieval Europeans, and committed to historical authenticity, he finds himself leading a Pyrenean ass named Shinto into Spain, headed for Santiago de Compostela.
Over 500 miles of extreme weather and agonising bestial sloth, it becomes memorably apparent that for the multinational band of eccentrics who keep the Santiagan flame alive, the pilgrimage has evolved from a purely devotional undertaking into a mobile therapist's couch.
'Hailed as the new Bill Bryson, he is in fact a writer of considerably more substance and the jokes come thick and fast' Irish Times
Being larger than a cat, the donkey is the kind of animal Tim Moore is slightly scared of. Yet intrigued by epic accounts of a pilgrimage undertaken by one in three medieval Europeans, and committed to historical authenticity, he finds himself leading a Pyrenean ass named Shinto into Spain, headed for Santiago de Compostela.
Over 500 miles of extreme weather and agonising bestial sloth, it becomes memorably apparent that for the multinational band of eccentrics who keep the Santiagan flame alive, the pilgrimage has evolved from a purely devotional undertaking into a mobile therapist's couch.
'Hailed as the new Bill Bryson, he is in fact a writer of considerably more substance and the jokes come thick and fast' Irish Times
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
If Tim Moore's Spanish Steps is a prime example of a new kind of travel writing--sardonically funny, quirkily observed and full of bizarre detail--that's good news for readers; if Bill Bryson has forged a whole new genre, who can complain if other writers plough similar fields? Particularly if they do it with as much gusto as Tim Moore. In fact, Moore is actually a rather more penetrating writer than the better-known Bryson, and this tale of a foolhardy pilgrimage with a recalcitrant donkey makes some salient points in between the healthy crop of stinging one-liners.
Review:
Moore had been fascinated by stories he'd heard of pilgrimages which many Europeans had taken through sultry and unwelcoming Spanish terrain to Santiago de Compostela. The sub-title says it all: "One Man and his Ass on the Pilgrim Way to Santiago"--and Moore's treacherous donkey is as much a character as the bizarre dramatis personae the author encounters. Everything is against him: weather that saps his resolve at every step of the way, impossible dormitories (some of the funniest sections of the book), eccentric fellow travellers, and an animal that, if it could speak, would be constantly asking "is this journey really necessary?"
Amid the acres of scary impediments that fall into Moore's path, a whole host of detail crowds in that makes Spain come to vivid life: we're given a seat-of-the-pants experience quite as memorable (and occasionally painful) as the author's. The descriptions are priceless:
Unexpected confrontation with full-frontal, Pilsner-bellied German nudity was an occupational hazard in any refugio bathroom... (the man's) wrinkled pilgrim parts now rested on the rim of the sink I was waiting to clean my teeth in...But many serious points are made--always lightly--about a million subjects (not least the lessons of history) in the delightful pages of Spanish Steps. --Barry Forshaw
"He is a rare comic talent" (The Times)
"A very funny writer, oozing with comic ideas" (Daily Mail)
"An absolutely cracking idea for a book; it's got history, eccentric characters, personal growth - and plenty of really good jokes" (Time Out)
"One of the classier writers of the humorous travel book... A very entertaining read" (Observer)
"At last, a travel book that makes you think but also makes you laugh out loud" (Guardian)
"A very funny writer, oozing with comic ideas" (Daily Mail)
"An absolutely cracking idea for a book; it's got history, eccentric characters, personal growth - and plenty of really good jokes" (Time Out)
"One of the classier writers of the humorous travel book... A very entertaining read" (Observer)
"At last, a travel book that makes you think but also makes you laugh out loud" (Guardian)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherVintage
- Publication date2005
- ISBN 10 0099471949
- ISBN 13 9780099471943
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages336
- Rating
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Seller Image
Spanish Steps (Paperback)
Published by
Vintage Publishing, London
(2005)
ISBN 10: 0099471949
ISBN 13: 9780099471943
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods meets Monty Python and the Holy Grail. With a donkey.Ludicrous, heart-warming and improbably inspirational, Spanish Steps is the story of what happens when a rather silly man tries to walk all the way across a very large country, with a very large animal who doesn't really want to.Being larger than a cat, the donkey is the kind of animal Tim Moore is slightly scared of. Yet intrigued by epic accounts of a pilgrimage undertaken by one in three medieval Europeans, and committed to historical authenticity, he finds himself leading a Pyrenean ass named Shinto into Spain, headed for Santiago de Compostela.Over 500 miles of extreme weather and agonising bestial sloth, it becomes memorably apparent that for the multinational band of eccentrics who keep the Santiagan flame alive, the pilgrimage has evolved from a purely devotional undertaking into a mobile therapist's couch.'Hailed as the new Bill Bryson, he is in fact a writer of considerably more substance and the jokes come thick and fast' Irish Times Ludicrous, heart-warming and improbably inspirational, Spanish Steps is the story of what happens when a rather silly man tries to walk all the way across a very large country, with a very large animal who doesn't really want to.Being larger than a cat, the donkey is the kind of animal Tim Moore is slightly scared of. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099471943
Buy New
£ 15.02
Convert currency
Stock Image
Spanish Steps
Published by
Random House 2005-06-02, London
(2005)
ISBN 10: 0099471949
ISBN 13: 9780099471943
New
paperback
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780099471943
Buy New
£ 12.99
Convert currency
Seller Image
Spanish Steps [Soft Cover ]
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780099471943
Buy New
£ 18.64
Convert currency
Stock Image
Spanish Steps: Travels With My Donkey
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780099471943-GDR
Buy New
£ 11.10
Convert currency
Stock Image
SPANISH STEPS
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780099471943_new
Buy New
£ 11.41
Convert currency
Stock Image
Spanish Steps
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 336 pages. 7.76x5.12x0.83 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099471949
Buy New
£ 12.42
Convert currency
Stock Image
Spanish Steps
Published by
Vintage Publishing
(2005)
ISBN 10: 0099471949
ISBN 13: 9780099471943
New
Paperback / softback
Quantity: 6
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Ludicrous, heart-warming and improbably inspirational, Spanish Steps is the story of what happens when a rather silly man tries to walk all the way across a very large country, with a very large animal who doesn't really want to. Seller Inventory # B9780099471943
Buy New
£ 13.51
Convert currency
Stock Image
Spanish Steps
Published by
Vintage Publishing
(2005)
ISBN 10: 0099471949
ISBN 13: 9780099471943
New
Softcover
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. 2005. New edition. Paperback. Presents the story of what happens when a rather silly man tries to walk all the way across a very large country, with a very large animal who doesn't really want to. Num Pages: 336 pages, Photo section. BIC Classification: WTL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 196 x 130 x 22. Weight in Grams: 264. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099471943
Buy New
£ 14.25
Convert currency
Stock Image
Spanish Steps
Published by
Vintage Publishing
(2005)
ISBN 10: 0099471949
ISBN 13: 9780099471943
New
Softcover
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. 2005. New edition. Paperback. Presents the story of what happens when a rather silly man tries to walk all the way across a very large country, with a very large animal who doesn't really want to. Num Pages: 336 pages, Photo section. BIC Classification: WTL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 196 x 130 x 22. Weight in Grams: 264. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780099471943
Buy New
£ 16.29
Convert currency
Seller Image
Buy New
£ 14.51
Convert currency