In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want--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. (via Goodreads)
I hadn't heard of Eat Pray Love before the film publicity started up. Then me and my cousin both bought copies of the book, but neither of us got around to finishing it. So, after leaving it lying on the shelf for the past year, it was definitely time to stop staring at it and pick it up!
The book is split into three different sections, each based in a different location and each serving essentially a different purpose on Elizabeth's path to happiness and acceptance. Hence the title Eat Pray Love -- eat in Italy, pray in India, and love in Indonesia.
Eat was definitely my favourite part of the book, as it resembles myself the most. I absolutely love to travel and indulge while I'm doing so, and this entertaining account of her time in Italy eating everything in sight, studying the language and experiencing the culture very much appealed to me. Now I am desperate to visit Italy myself and get caught up in it all!
Pray and Love are interesting and uplifting, and provide great insight into Elizabeth's mind and her journey, but they didn't appeal to me as much as Eat. These two parts are largely based on spirituality, and so if you're unsure or aren't 'into' that type of thing, then you might not enjoy this all that much. They aren't oriented towards any specific religion and nor do they preach to you in any way, but Elizabeth does talk a lot about meditation, yoga, and other different types of spiritual practice. But, with this aside you do also find out a lot about Indian and Balinese culture and the people she meets along the way, as she does go into fun detail about these.
I would recommend this book to you if you're interested in world culture, spirituality or are perhaps are seeking a little comfort, insight and inspiration. Though I could've done without some of the lengthy explanations and descriptions, I definitely got something out of Eat Pray Love (I've taken down numerous page numbers and quotes incase I need them later!)
RATING: 4 / 5
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