Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes / The Amateur Emigrant

by Robert Louis Stevenson, Christopher MacLachlan (Editor)

In 1878 Robert Louis Stevenson escaped from his numerous troubles—poor health, tormented love, inadequate funds—by embarking on a journey through the Cévennes in France, accompanied by Modestine, a rather single-minded donkey. The notebook Stevenson kept during this time became Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes(1879), a highly entertaining account of the French and their country. The Amateur Emigrant(1895) describes his travels to and around America: the crowded weeks in steerage, the cross-country train journey. Filled with sharp-eyed observations, it brilliantly conveys Stevenson’s perceptions of America and the Americans. Together, these writings reveal as much about the traveler as the places he travels to.

Genres: Travel, Classics, Nonfiction, France, 19th Century, Scotland, Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

Published January 25, 2005

About the author

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.

Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson so this book was a delightful surprise for me. Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes is one of his early works and supposedly the first to feature camping as a recreational outdoor activity. The very first chapter talks about his preparations for this 12 day trip through the Cevennes region of France and the first thing he does is commission the making of a "sleeping-sack" which we know better as a sleeping bag and Stevenson is credited with being the first to use such a thing. The next thing he does is purchase and name his little donkey Modestine who is a major character in this travelogue's adventures.


For an author who is famous for his stories of kidnapped boys, pirates, buried gold, and evil alter egos this tale of mountain wanderings is surpisingly gentle and lyrical when speaking of sleeping in the open. Even the sections on the history of the Cevennes area are made interesting by Stevenson's writing. Of course it is Modestine, the tiny donkey who gives Stevenson such grief who steals the show. It's easy to see why even today people get themselves an ass and follow Robert Louis Stevenson's trail through the Cevennes.

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually most of Stevenson's travels are not in what is usually referred to as the Cévennes, a region where I have spent most of my summer holidays as a child, but in the Gévaudan. He does acknowledge this. Enjoyed the book very much, even though the English was quite challenging (dictionaries on e-readers are such a great tool!). It should be clarified that the book is not just about travelling, but also includes musings about a whole range of topics, like religion, loneliness and many more.

[Graychin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Travels with a Donkey, which is so far my favorite of Stevenson’s travel books, I remembered a visit my wife and I made a few years ago to the tony Napa Valley town of St Helena. The public library there plays host to a small museum dedicated to Robert Louis Stevenson which is run on a volunteer basis by enthusiastic retirees. Stevenson and wife Fanny enjoyed their 1880 honeymoon in nearby rustic Silverado, where the site of their cabin and the summit of nearby Mt St Helena are now embraced in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. Wherever he went, it seems, the spots where Stevenson set his foot have more often than not seen fit to commemorate the fact – which is remarkable because he’s not in what most people would consider the top-tier of English writers, and no one seems to read him anymore. After reading the present title, however, I learned that there’s a Robert Louis Stevenson Trail in France which closely follows the route trod by Stevenson and dear Modestine (the donkey) in 1878. I’ve already added it to my mental list titled Things To Do In France, which also includes a visit to the Pont du Gard and to Montaigne's scribbling tower.

[Carol Dobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed, descriptive and amusing account of Stevenson's short trek in the Cevennes with Modestine, his donkey.

[Ira Therebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This edition says that it includes both Travels with Donkey and Amateur Immigrant, but it only had Travel with a Donkey, so this is what I reviewed.

I didn't even realize that it was the same author who wrote Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde before I read the foreword. And turns out that he mainly wrote travel books as it was something he loved to do.

Well, first of all I sure felt bad for Modestine the Donkey. Those were the days when one didn't treat them even as kindly as today. But at least he felt bad about hitting her and towards the end actually was making sure to give her the food she liked and even felt sad selling her. I sure hope she got to some kind people.

It was a pretty interesting travel. Robert Louis Stevenson went through many places, slept under the stars, in inns and even a monastery and met a lot of interesting people on his way. I think his writing was really good. It was nice to read his descriptions of the landscape and he also made it pretty amusing sometimes when describing his encounters with people (like when he said he understood the wolf who was known to have eaten some kids in that area after meeting some of them, lol).

He tells a lot about the places he goes by. A lot of it is about religion, mainly about history of Protestants in the area. Not really a topic I was interested in but it didn't make the book worse for me. Seems like I prefer his travel books to his novels.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4:
By Mike Harris.

Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic travelogues, journals and personal letters.

Stevenson sets off with a donkey across the Cevennes in France and in the process keeps a journal that later becomes his popular travelogue "Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes." But does his journeying help him to forget the woman he has met and fallen in love with - Fanny Osbourne?

In pursuit of the woman he loves Stevenson first catches a steamer to New York and then undertakes a momentous train journey across America - ending in California. But will she leave her husband for him.

[Tack · Rating 1 out of 5]

I attempted to read this “book” (more accurately described as an amalgamation of loosely connected journal entries centered around the same geographical location) three times - only succeeding on the final read through sheer force of will. The writing is lackadaisical, with staccato prose and uninspiring imagery failing to engage even the most focused of readers. Beyond any technical qualms I may have with the writer, the story is simply not interesting. It isn’t serious, whimsical, fantastical, or philosophical - the author simply strings together words in the hopes that maybe he too can find purpose in his prose (and perhaps more broadly, in his journey). Much as the author finds Modestine to be a burden during his travels - the entries he makes at locations in the cevennes feel like they weigh down much of the “experience” of traveling with him (perhaps this is the point in and of itself). Don’t feel guilty when you want to stop reading a work that is so short. There is no payoff to the slog. “Farewell, and if for ever—“

[Kallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Stevenson's writing, but for me this was a slog. I don't favor judging a book according to values so much, but the character displayed in a memoir/travelogue . . . Though I had to admire RLS's perseverance I didn't end up liking his annoyed arrogance, his comments about women, his treatment of Modestine (his last remark: "Her faults were those of her race and sex; her virtues were her own.") The excuse of his being a man of his times does not wash, with me. Conrad was also of these times, and much less sexist (In "Victory" for example). Ditto James. And expressing mainly annoyance upon observing that the creature serving you is suffering . . . welp, that just colored my RLS appreciation throughout. I will however also read The Amateur Emigrant because RLS is an insightful observer and will have interesting comments about U.S. of this time.

[Sylvie Vanhoozer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints. Alas, as we get up in life, and are more preoccupied with our affairs, even a holiday is a thing that must be worked for." 46

"It's not only a great flight of confidence for a man to change his creed and go out of his family for heaven's sake; but the odds are – nay, and the hope is – that, with all this great transition in the eyes of man, he has not changed himself a hairbreadth to the eyes of God." 117

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by the brilliant Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson will give you wanderlust! It was fascinating to read about Stevenson's travel experiences in France with his donkey Modestine, and his adventure from Scotland to different parts of the United States.

Stevenson reflects on themes of exile and homecoming, writes brilliantly about different landscapes, cultures, historical events, worldview perspectives, and the motely crew of people he encounters on his travels. I found this book at an Oxfam charity shop in Scotland and deeply cherish it. I look forward to bringing it back with me to Scotland in August!

[Donald Puttock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see mixed reviews of these 2 books. In my view, the great value in these pieces of literature shouldn't be diminished by thought, not in context.
In particular, Stevenson presents a very poignant treatise on racial discrimination and some fascinating examples of the development of religious beliefs
Books that will change how we see the world and society.

[Shari Craddock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a set of two travel books. I enjoyed parts, but much of it was long winded. I was surprised by the large content about culture, politics and religion of the late 1870's. It was interesting, but overly long.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots to like, although the treatment of the donkey is a bit... dodgy in 2020 (but I don’t have a huge problem with that considering it was written so long ago). The sleeping out under the stars was wonderful, and the religious stuff was interesting (and surprising to me, as I thought Stevenson was an aetheist or agnostic). It was funny in parts, especially the frequent confessions of incompetence (not just the donkey but also dealing with the camping out, and getting lost).

I went camping in the Cevennes about 10 years ago but at the time I was barely aware of this book. I’d like to go back again now that I’ve read it.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

In which RLS, for no discernible reason than the pure adventure of it (which is to say, for the absolute best of reasons), buys a donkey, crosses a swathe of France on foot, sleeps under the stars, romanticises and/or objectifies a series of village girls, and sounds off frequently about religion. For a short travelogue (less than 100 pages), it has its fair share of digressions, and RLS’s theological disquisitions read more like a man arguing with himself than a chronicler reporting back lived experience to his readership. Nonetheless, it’s an engaging little volume and Modestine, the eponymous mule, is a terrific companion.

[Abigail G · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were enjoyable stories that kept me fully engaged the whole way through. The way the author describes each person and each location he comes across makes the reader feel like you are right there. I also enjoyed the level of the author's vocabulary as it caused me to revert to a dictionary a few times.

[Abhijeeth Reddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the two travelogues, I liked the Amateur Emigrant more. It is a fascinating insight into how travel and the world in general, was about 150 years ago, while still being similar to the current state in many ways. Travels with a Donkey didnt keep me interested, and I even gave up on the book. Almost. Thankfully I read on and was not disappointed at the end.

[Ben Morgan]

I only read "Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes." This was a tale that I'd long wanted to read, but it was only so good as to finish without being interested in taking up its companion tale, "The Amateur Emigrant."

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Stevenson's best works - while there are some delightful moments (how to pack for a camping trip circa 1870), these are rather sad stories that feel like they're trying too hard to fill the page.

[Ellen H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a bookclub, and was unexpectedly charmed. Parts were very funny.