Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing style is relaxed, funny and very conversational, making this the sort of book you can read quite quickly.
http://and-the-plot-thickens.blogspot.com/2010/01/eat-pray-love-elizabeth-gilbert.html
Eat, Pray, Love (one woman’s search for everything) by Elizabeth Gilbert is a memoir of her travels and spiritual journey across 3 countries. Recently divorced (and a bad divorce at that), Elizabeth is feeling depressed and lost. So she decides to travel for 12 months, spending 4 months at a time in Italy, India and Indonesia, in an effort to find some balance in her life.
Elizabeth is in her thirties, settled in a large house with a husband who wants to start a family. But she doesn’t want any of it. A bitter divorce and a rebound fling later, Elizabeth emerges battered yet determined to find out what she’s been missing.
So begins her quest. In Rome, she indulges herself and gains nearly two stone. In India, she finds enlightenment through scrubbing temple floors. Finally, in Bali, a toothless medicine man reveals a new path to peace, leaving her ready to love again.
This is one of those rare gems of a book that although an enjoyable read, funny and entertaining, it really holds a very important message for us all. We live in a world where discontentment is like a disease. Most people seem to suffer from this disease at some point during their lives and need to find ways to get around it (or in some cases resign themselves to their fate) but Elizabeth wants none of that and takes drastic steps to try and find peace. Yes, she travels to some wonderful countries, makes lots of really great new friends and has some amazing experiences, but in the end she learns, peace and contentment can only be found in one place – within.
First Elizabeth travels to Italy where she indulges in pleasure. Much pizza, pasta and wine later she is much happier… and fatter! But that’s ok because she then travels to India where she spends her time living in an...