Reviews for Keats

The average rating for Keats based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-06-29 00:00:00 Zully Tapia I had this book on my shelves for one or two years. Few days ago, after finishing Walden by Thoreau, I picked it up… just because it was small ! And what an interesting reading after Walden : Two men living for a certain time in the nature. There are similar ways of living their adventures, similar thoughts about nature, food, Men, society and philosophy. But also so many differencies between Thoreau and Stevenson. And Stevenson is much more my kind! First he seems, from the first pages, totally franck: he tells us about his troubles, his mistakes, his faults, as well as his joys and the pleasure he takes for this travel as a young and enthousiastic man; a tiny twelve days travel, but after which, definitively, nothing will ever be the same for Stevenson. Why the title Travel with a Donkey in the Cevennes ? Because Modestine, the female donkey is as important as Stevenson in this travel. Stevenson, like a school teacher would have done, tells us about the Cévennes which were the site of a Protestant rebellion around 1702, severely suppressed by Catholic French king Louis XIV. The Protestant insurgents were known as the Camisards. Stevenson was Protestant by upbringing, and a non-believer by philosophy. Stevenson was well-versed in the history and evokes scenes from the rebellion as he passes through the area of the rebellion during the final days of his trek. He planned his trek, knows each day where he has to go and had calculated how many hours it should take him to reach a lake he would like to see before the night comes. But… But Modestine the donkey doesn't care about roads, time or history. Modestine is stubborn, pretty, fragile, whimsical, loving, submissive, curious about a thistle bunch, a farmyard or a small conversation with a donkey crossed on the way. Stevenson will be angry about her, sometimes very bad and finally resigned, because, thanks to Modestine, he'll understand that the important thing in his travel, like in all travels, wasn't to go somewhere, but to walk. A short book with beautiful thoughts about the Beauty of earth, about how men can live together even if some are Catholics and some others are Protestants. Stevenson, the scholar Protestant male aware of the time which passes, and Modestine, descendant from the donkey who carried the catholic Blessed Virgin Mary, a couple sometimes funny, more often sad because of the bad behaviour of Stevenson is to be read. And like in a good lovestory, Stevenson regrets his bad thoughts and facts towards Modestine and will understand he loved her once gone away.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-03-28 00:00:00 David Radest Robert Louis Stevenson's account of his 12 day hike through the Cévennes mountains in Southern France, accompanied only by his determined and sometimes stubborn donkey Modestine.