Eat Pray Love Book Review
Overview: In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want – a husband, country home, successful career – but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she felt consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and of what she found in their place. Following a divorce and a crushing depression, Gilbert set out to examine three different aspects of her nature, set against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence.
Pages: 334 Pages
Writer:Elizabeth Gilbert
About the Writer: Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of a story collection, Pilgrims (a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award), a novel, Stern Men, and, most recently, The Last American Man (a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award). For five years she worked as a journalist at GQ, where her feature writing earned her three National Magazine Award nominations.
Recommendations: Becoming by Michelle Obama
This book follows author Elizabeth Gilbert as she takes a year away from her life to travel. She travels to three locations and with that the book is divided into three parts. In the first part, she ends up in Italy. Now to be honest I was very disappointed in this part as most of it came across as her trying to justify her actions. In the second part, she goes to India to spend time with her Guru and learn who to meditate. She also was introduced to several people that really seemed to help her out spiritually. The third part finds her in Bali where she was told earlier that she would return by an old medicine man. This was my favorite section, as the picture she paints of Bali is most beautiful. A place that has been added to my bucket list. Once again, she meets a congregation of people that all except her as she is and even help her though her healing process. Overall, this book brings all kinds of feeling and emotions. There are times where I chuckled out loud and others where I frowned. There are times where chapters flew by and times where I had a hard time going forward and was ready to give up. There are times where it comes across with great selfishness, and others where it is completely heart-warming. Though this is pretty fitting as Elizabeth Gilbert set out to find balance in her life she also found balance in this book.