--- product_id: 15049653 title: "The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World" price: "€ 28.78" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.gr/products/15049653-the-wisdom-of-donkeys-finding-tranquility-in-a-chaotic-world store_origin: GR region: Greece --- # The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World **Price:** € 28.78 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World - **How much does it cost?** € 28.78 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.gr](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/15049653-the-wisdom-of-donkeys-finding-tranquility-in-a-chaotic-world) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description 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. Review: loved it - Calming and insightful. Did not know what I was in for and I’m sure I’ll remember its teachings forever. Thanks, Andy Review: Persuaded by Patience - This is one of those rare books you hope will never end, so full is it of warmth and humanity. Paradoxically, these virtues make it difficult to write about, because they are subjective and fuzzy round the edges. But I want to try, since I was wonderfully moved more than once in my bedtime reading. A simpler plot would be hard to imagine. The author takes a rented donkey on a walking journey through the byways of the Haute Auvergne region of southern France. As the two meander along tracks and paths, Andy Merrifield, a former Geography teacher in British and American universities and author of the biographies of two 20th century French philosophers, and Gribouille, his donkey, form a kind of symbiotic relationship (though it may be that Andy needs Gribouille more than Gribouille needs Andy). Throughout the story, the author makes reference to donkeys in literature, philosophy and religion, citing Cervantes, Spinoza, Anne Sexton, Schubert, Dostoyevsky, the Old Testament, the Koran and Aesop (among others), which provides a counterpoint to the journey that man and beast make together. But it's Andy's feelings for Gribouille that make the story, for me, so touching and rewarding. He finds in his donkey the values to which he aspires--of patience, of calm, of acceptance of suffering, of forbearance, and for therapy (making the point that animals such as donkeys can be used fruitfully in homes for the aged, or sick). There is great strength in the writing, unsentimental, romantic, perhaps, but, shining through, a calm smile of resignation at the folly of the world. This is a book I shall treasure, and return to. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #90,422 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #126 in French Travel Guides #601 in Mental & Spiritual Healing #2,262 in Motivational Self-Help (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 390 Reviews | ## Images ![The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71bWbuaNzZL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ loved it *by S***N on May 21, 2026* Calming and insightful. Did not know what I was in for and I’m sure I’ll remember its teachings forever. Thanks, Andy ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Persuaded by Patience *by O***Y on May 27, 2008* This is one of those rare books you hope will never end, so full is it of warmth and humanity. Paradoxically, these virtues make it difficult to write about, because they are subjective and fuzzy round the edges. But I want to try, since I was wonderfully moved more than once in my bedtime reading. A simpler plot would be hard to imagine. The author takes a rented donkey on a walking journey through the byways of the Haute Auvergne region of southern France. As the two meander along tracks and paths, Andy Merrifield, a former Geography teacher in British and American universities and author of the biographies of two 20th century French philosophers, and Gribouille, his donkey, form a kind of symbiotic relationship (though it may be that Andy needs Gribouille more than Gribouille needs Andy). Throughout the story, the author makes reference to donkeys in literature, philosophy and religion, citing Cervantes, Spinoza, Anne Sexton, Schubert, Dostoyevsky, the Old Testament, the Koran and Aesop (among others), which provides a counterpoint to the journey that man and beast make together. But it's Andy's feelings for Gribouille that make the story, for me, so touching and rewarding. He finds in his donkey the values to which he aspires--of patience, of calm, of acceptance of suffering, of forbearance, and for therapy (making the point that animals such as donkeys can be used fruitfully in homes for the aged, or sick). There is great strength in the writing, unsentimental, romantic, perhaps, but, shining through, a calm smile of resignation at the folly of the world. This is a book I shall treasure, and return to. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Donkeys, the forgotten horses *by M***N on June 8, 2012* If you don't fall in love with Donkey's and especially Gribouille after reading this book, then you couldn't possibly have a heart! This is the most charming,challenging and beautiful story I've ever read about donkeys and would not have been drawn to it had it not been for Merrifield's clever title. He and Gribouille, the chocolate brown donkey companion whom he travels with in France have a lovely connection and conversation between souls who question life at it's deepest levels- and with a humility and resilience that is worthy of sainthood. The way he intersperses facts about donkeys using the arts, literature, real life situations and history is quite clever. I appreciated learning about donkeys through these little vignettes he put forth involving everyone from Don Quixote to U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Throughout it all, I was compelled to 'feel' for the plight of donkeys the world over and how misused, mistreated and neglected they are because of myths and ill informed notions of who these sentient beings really are. This book is a real gift and I hope it changes things for those who read it and for the donkeys whom it is about. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.gr/products/15049653-the-wisdom-of-donkeys-finding-tranquility-in-a-chaotic-world](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/15049653-the-wisdom-of-donkeys-finding-tranquility-in-a-chaotic-world) --- *Product available on Desertcart Greece* *Store origin: GR* *Last updated: 2026-09-27*