Sunday, August 17, 2025

Coffee time with Pavlova & Mr B

Pawlowa
or how to smuggle a donkey halfway around the world
*
Certainly neither the original title (‘The White Umbrella’)
nor the writer (Brian Sewell) would have piqued my interest.
Being sometimes a donkey myself, though,
I could not resist the German title. ;-)
For an enjoyable read ...

Mr B, a fifty-year-old Briton, is travelling with a television crew in Peshawar, Pakistan, to make a film about the country's history. When he sees a heavily laden donkey foal covered in wounds by the side of the road during a car journey, he decides not to take the flight back to London scheduled for the following day. Instead, he wants to walk to London with the young donkey mare, whom he names after the Russian ballet dancer Pavlova because of her long legs. With only the bare essentials, including a white umbrella from the London umbrella shop James Smith & Sons, the two set off.
Translated from the German Wikipedia entry.

12 comments:

  1. Crec que el Sr. B. en tenia molt de ruc, mira que posar el nom de la ballarina Pàvlova a l'euga!
    També el teu interés podria ser per la rica tarta del mateix nom.
    Tot i que he de dir, que el teu ruc s'ha posat a primera fila. S'ha quedat enamorat d'ella. ;-)
    Bona lectura, Sean.
    Aferradetes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just lent the book to my bookseller because I think it's one of those books that you can't go wrong with when giving it as a gift. ;-)
      Aferradetes, Paula!

      Delete
  2. Tota una aventura ha de ser aquesta història !....hehehe
    Bona lectura, amic i bona setmana ; )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I often smiled, dear Artur.
      Have a good start to the new week.

      Delete
  3. I would read that - despite my current brain fog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is easy to digest, Sue. A slim volume – amusing, entertaining and informative.

      Delete
  4. I want to read this.

    While I do not believe in totem animals, I know if I did, the donkey would be mine. They are very special to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You will very probably enjoy a lot, Mimi (says the man whose mother-in-law now and then used to call him "Alter Esel”. ;-)
      ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1567926248

      Delete
  5. Hi Sean - my SIL loves donkeys ... so I think I'll get this for her for Christmas, though she has two other four legged taller animals ... which she always wanted - took my brother by surprise! Interesting to read more about the book and author - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I think you can't go wrong with this book, Hilary.
      A donkey and a (wo)man know more than a (wo)man. ;-)

      Delete
  6. Sempre em quedo admirada de les persones que són capaces de fer coses que jo no faria mai. Crec que seria incapaç d'adoptar un ase i això que em cauen ben simpàtics, tampoc de canviar els plans del viatge de tornada per un ase... hi ha persones que són molt més divertides, flexibles i simpàtiques que jo... 😂😂😂

    Abraçades, Sean!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, it's ‘just’ fiction, Carme. A late attempt at redemption.
      Because many years before, Sewell had encountered a similarly tormented little donkey in Pakistan, and... had walked on.
      Abraçades!

      Delete