This blog is a companion to the book
Following Robert Louis Stevenson with a Donkey: Zigging and Zagging through the Cevennes
by Betty Gladstone
published by the Gettier Group in December 2017 with illustrations and cover design by Studio Kayama.
The story begins in September 1878 when a young Scotsman named Robert Louis Stevenson spent twelve days hiking between two remote towns in the Cevennes Mountains with a donkey carrying his effects. He wrote a book (his second) about his experiences the following year: Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes. He published Treasure Island in 1883, his first big success. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came out in 1886 and many other stories, essays, and verses before his death in 1894.
In the 1930s the teenage Betty Gladstone read Travels with a Donkey, which fired her imagination. She longed to go to France and see the Cevennes for herself. That dream had to go on the back burner as she went through the ups and downs of education, marriage, and motherhood. Then in 1962 she had the opportunity to take an extended trip in Europe with her two daughters. Betty’s book tells the story of how she and her daughters were able to buy their very own donkey and follow Stevenson’s path in May 1963.
It wasn’t always a smooth road. The Gladstones (and their donkey) had to deal with many difficulties stemming from their lack of experience hiking and trouble speaking French. Did they manage to complete the trip? Did they ever return to France? Read the book and find out! The paperback book is available for $12.99 and as an ebook for $4.49 on Amazon.
I’m Betty’s younger daughter, Carla X. Gladstone, who edited her book for publication. I’ve built this blog as a place to answer questions from readers and show photos that didn’t make it into the book.
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