This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls "Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister") is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.Recommended by Kelly (http://pagesofthemind.weebly.com/friends.html)
I love this book. I did not want it to end.
ReplyDeleteEat:
Italy or Rome. I love Italy it’s on my top ten places to visit again. I only had about 2 weeks in Italy and that was not enough time! I was so jealous reading this section of the book as it made me long for a change of scene. She went to Italy mainly because she was in love with the language. It was her first stop because she was going to spoil herself with the Italian language and food.
Pray:
Where Gilbert goes to India. I have been raised in the Christian religion, but have been questioning it for some time. Not that this section of the book denotes Christianity in any way, it just shows you there are other ways to “find” God. The way she is open and honest about her life and who she is inspires me. She had plans to stay in an Ashram for 6 weeks of her four months in India and the rest of the trip to run around India seeing the sites, but before her six weeks were up she decided that she wasn’t done at the Ashram and stayed there for the rest of her time in India. I think she made the right choice.
Love
Indonesia or Bali. Is where she finds balance and love. On a previous trip to Bali Gilbert met a medicine man that read her palm telling her she would be back one day. So, she went back to Bali and met up with the medicine man and learned lots from him and met new people including a Brazilian lover. After 12 months she was finally happy with herself to allow love to part of her life again. (She had gotten a divorce and was in another relationship before she left on her journey). I’ve always been a strong believer that if you are content and happy with who you are you’ll never have to look for love, love will find you.
I have to think that most people have been in situations that they feel trapped, lost, and confused. I feel that this book could give anyone hope. Anyone who is willing to change what they don’t like about their lives or themselves should read this book. Of course not all of us have the money or the opportunity to go traveling around the world to find that peace and/or happiness, but at the same time traveling might not be for everyone. It’s a real story of self-discovery and that is why I think it is so powerful.
Some other reviewers said that Gilbert was selfish among many other things. This book was not a travel book that tells you what sites to see and where to eat. It was a personal experience and it should be read with that in mind.