Oddly but aptly titled, Eat, Pray, Love is an experience to be savored: This spiritual memoir brims with humor, grace, and scorching honesty. After a messy divorce and other personal missteps, Elizabeth Gilbert confronts the "twin goons" of depression and loneliness by traveling to three countries that she intuited had something she was seeking. First, in Italy, she seeks to master the art of pleasure by indulging her senses. Then, in an Indian ashram, she learns the rigors and liberation of mind-exalting hours of meditation. Her final destination is Bali, where she achieves a precarious, yet precious equilibrium. Gilbert's original voice and unforced wit lend an unpretentious air to her expansive spiritual journey.
When I began this book, and probably after I read 80% or more, I could not put it down and loved it. Ms. Gilbert emphasized over and over in the beginning how she was much too dependent on a man's opinion of her, she was nothing without a man's approval. She then goes on to describe how she frees her soul, her mind and her body in Italy (eating) India (praying) and finally Bali (love). She wound up in Bali seeking the truth and had promised to adhere to the lessons of an ancient guru. This began well, but then she reverted to a man she met and spent most of her last part of the journey having a raging, hot affair! She lost all of her authenticity with me at that point. She talked the talk very well, but in the end, she could not walk the walk. I would rate this book 2/5.
1 comment:
Hello! I followed your link from Favorite Fiction, and landed in the right spot. I enjoyed your reactions to the books you've read, and I wish there were more of that on AOL. There used to be. I've been thinking about adding Eat, Pray, Love to my "want to read" list. Based on what you've written here, I think I will. Enjoy your retirement! I read lots more t his year than last year, even with more travel and time spent painting.
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