Eat, Pray, Love
October 23rd 2009 04:04
Eat, Pray, Love, written by American journalist Elizabeth Gilbert was given to me by a co-worker, with the disclaimer “it's such a brilliant life changing book, you're going to love it so much.”
Having read the book I can't help but wonder, how can a friend of mine not know me at all?
The premise behind Eat, Pray, Love is the true story of Elizabeth Gilbert, a successful 30-something journalist and author, who after a horrific divorce, dramatic on/off relationship with a young actor and spiraling depression decides to give herself a year off to travel. To fully experience pleasure, devotion and balance.
To fully immerse herself in each of those states, Elizabeth heads to Italy for pleasure, India and her Guru's Ashram for devotion and Bali and the medicine man Ketut to learn, experience and understand how to live a balanced life.
Considering the flowery praise of critics and fans alike – the first two pages of the book are devoted to critical praise for Eat, Pray, Love - I found myself hesitant to write this review. I feel like I'm standing in Pompeii waiting for Vesuvius to erup.
I found the book to be a total exercise in self-indulgence - I realise that I appear to be the only person in the world who didn't fall automatically in love with this tale – and while I understand it's autobiographical, and therefore is inherently self-indulgent,I have to say for me the only saving grace of this book is Elizabeth's talent with the written word. Funny, poignant, envy-inducing, this is at it's heart a story about a woman finding herself and her true centre in a year of travel.
I most enjoyed the third section of Elizabeth's journey, her experiences with being balanced. The period set in Bali is an easy, enjoyable read and I found myself reading about “American style road trips, palm reading medicine men, rice fields, nutty cats, white sandy beaches and hard candies that taste like ass” with a much lightened heart and amusement in my soul. I also found myself walking home from the train station after a long busy day and dreaming of throwing it all in and renting a small compound in Ubud for $200 a week and running away from home to Bali for a lifetime or two.
I'm fairly ambivalent to the first two sections, although there were distinct periods – especially during India – where I wanted to put the book down and never look at it again. What surprised me the most was the total lack of connection to Italy in the first section of the book. Elizabeth talks of her love of the language, her adoration of the food - and if I ever get to Italy I'm going in search of the Gelato shop in Rome she describes so lovingly - , but the Italian section in the book lacks the essence of truth that is found in the final section. That was personally disappointing for me, a self-confessed lover of Italy and all who dwell within her. I wanted more from that section, I fully expected to write a flowery, praise riddled review all about the Italy section alone. Instead, I found myself wondering when we were going to get to India and when would the action start.
Eat, Pray, Love is a bit too hit and miss for me. When it works, it flies and the reader loses track of time: their mind and imagination walking the streets of Naples, sitting silently in a meditation cave in India or reveling in the beauty and splendor of Bali. However, when it falls flat, it falls flat, and moving through the words is akin to waltzing through quicksand.
There is a sequel/follow up book coming out at in 2009 called Weddings and Evictions, which detail Elizabeth's life and subsequent travels after Eat, Pray, Love concludes.
Eat, Pray, Love is published by Penguin and available now through all good bookstores.
Click here for further information on Elizabeth Gilbert and her work
Elizabeth Gilberts Website
PS: On a side note for those who have been living under a rock, this multi-million selling book is currently being filmed as a movie staring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert. I can't imagine how they'll manage to take a book such as this and turn it into a movie. A book that deals more with the author's mind and it's twisting journey away from isolation and depression towards enlightenment is either going to be a total train wreck or win Roberts her second Oscar.
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