Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (2007, Paperback, Reprint)

The Entertainment Critic Book Review, By James Myers
EAT, PRAY, LOVE
ONE WOMAN’S SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING ACROSS ITALY,
INDIA AND INDONESIA
By Elizabeth Gilbert
Published by Penguin Books
352 Pages
ISBN 978-0-14-303841-2(pbk)
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
#1 ON THE NYT PAPERBACK NONFICTION LIST 5/13/2007
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
AMERICAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION ACCLAIMED BEST SELLER
#1 ON THE BOOKSENSE PAPERBACK NONFICTION LIST 5/13/2007
ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S TOP 10 NONFICTION BOOKS OF
THE YEAR
THE MOVIE RIGHT TO THIS BOOK HAVE BEEN SOLD TO PARAMOUNT WITH JULIA ROBERTS ATTACHED
Four Star Rating****


“I seriously believed that David was my soul mate.”

“He probably was. Your problem is that you don’t understand what that word means. People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change you like. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you will ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. And thank God for it. Your problem is, you just can’t let this one go. It’s over, Groceries. David’s purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of that marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so a new light could get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you had to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master and beat it. …Listen, you’re a powerful woman and you’re used to getting what you want out of life, and you didn’t get what you wanted in your last few relationships, and it’s got you all jammed up. Your husband didn’t behave the way you wanted him to and David didn’t either. Life did not go your way for once. And nothing pisses off a control freak more than life not goin’ her way.”


In her 30’s, Elizabeth Gilbert, seemed to have everything the modern American woman is supposed to possess. She had a good husband, beautiful home, a successful career as a writer, and public recognition. She was supposed to be happy. But instead, she was consumed by pain, doubt, and confusion. Without warning her life began to change. Her husband divorced her. Her new boyfriend left her. Her fortune and homes were largely consumed in a very messy, prolonged divorce. Elizabeth chose to travel to Italy, India and Bali, not only in a search for culture, but also a journey of self-discovery. She recounts her journey in three parts, each told in 36 segments to match the pattern of her 108 beads on her japa mala, a traditional Indian prayer necklace.

Following her divorce and overwhelming depression, she examines three different aspects of her nature, in three different cultures: pleasure in Italy (eating enough to gain, “the happiest 23 pounds of her life”, learning Italian and practicing bel far niente, “the beauty of doing nothing”), devotion in India (here she spend 4 months in an ashram engaged in a rigorous practice of meditation, yoga, and manual labor), and a balance of both in Bali(here she meets an elderly medicine man, a female healer, and unexpectedly falls in love). "I wanted to explore one aspect of