Book 47 of 50: Eat, Pray, Love
Book 47 of 50
Title: Eat, Pray, Love
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir
Summary (from Amazon.com): Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy's buffet of delights--the world's best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners--Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. "I came to Italy pinched and thin," she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise "betwixt and between" realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry--conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor--as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression.
Comments: Well, it unfortunately took me about a month to finally finish reading this one. This has not been one of my favorite books. The book is a true story, based on a year from the author's life, and is told in short snippet chapters. This meant that it was quick to read a chapter, but the chapters didn't seem to be strongly connected, which meant there was little motivation to continue to read another one. The book was an easy read, but I found that I didn't really identify with the author at all. By the end of the book, I had an overwhelming sense of someone who was egocentric and very privileged (although it was nice of her to raise money for her friend in Bali). Her story is not one that I think is relevant to many women. It is interesting to think about traveling in the way that she did, but by the end, I didn't really seem to like the author enough to care about what she wanted to do. In her defense, I generally like books that are plot driven. Her quest for spirituality is interesting, but I don't think that I would want to search out my spirituality by traveling to India to meditate for 14 hours a day. At any rate, to each her own. I think that some people would really like this book, but it was not a winner for me.
x-posted to 50bookchallenge
Title: Eat, Pray, Love
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir
Summary (from Amazon.com): Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy's buffet of delights--the world's best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners--Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. "I came to Italy pinched and thin," she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise "betwixt and between" realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry--conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor--as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression.
Comments: Well, it unfortunately took me about a month to finally finish reading this one. This has not been one of my favorite books. The book is a true story, based on a year from the author's life, and is told in short snippet chapters. This meant that it was quick to read a chapter, but the chapters didn't seem to be strongly connected, which meant there was little motivation to continue to read another one. The book was an easy read, but I found that I didn't really identify with the author at all. By the end of the book, I had an overwhelming sense of someone who was egocentric and very privileged (although it was nice of her to raise money for her friend in Bali). Her story is not one that I think is relevant to many women. It is interesting to think about traveling in the way that she did, but by the end, I didn't really seem to like the author enough to care about what she wanted to do. In her defense, I generally like books that are plot driven. Her quest for spirituality is interesting, but I don't think that I would want to search out my spirituality by traveling to India to meditate for 14 hours a day. At any rate, to each her own. I think that some people would really like this book, but it was not a winner for me.
x-posted to 50bookchallenge