Eat Pray Love

Book Jacket Summary:
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.

Keren’s Review – 6 out of 10 Stars:
This book wasn’t a part of our Book Club, but was recommended to me by a friend. It was sold to me as an easy read, which it was, that was extremely inspiring and uplifting.

I need to say up front that personally, I had a huge issue with the fact that the author was unfulfilled in her life and decided to walk away from it all. This comes from my belief that when you say “I Do,” you’re making a promise to God – “Till death do us part.” Just because you’re unsatisfied (and I’m referring to just a not being happy, not situations involving abuse or infidelity), you don’t have a right to just walk out. I realize that this is my personal belief, and is not shared by everyone, but I believe it is important to state because it provides additional perspective on my review of the book.

That being said, I have to admit that I was envious of the journey the author was able to take. The book is divided into three sections, each representing four months of her life and areas she focused on – Eating in Italy, Praying in India and Loving in Indonesia. Over this year, she was able to learn about herself, take stock of her life and find a new path – something that we often feel our daily responsibilities will not allow us to do.

First, she went to Italy. She immersed herself in the Italian life in order to learn to speak Italian, eat incredible food, and generally learn to live a slower paced life. Because it was so soon after her divorce, she dealt with depression, guilt and emotional impacts. Eventually, she learns to be at peace with her past and look forward to her future.

Second was India, where she goes to pray and discover her spiritual side. Although I love the idea of taking the time to come closer to God, whoever your God is, the pages of discussion about repeating mantras, eating vegetarian food and visiting other spiritual planes were not something I could relate to. I hope that others who read this book are able to take as much this section as the other two, but I had a tough time relating to it. The author does a good job of trying to relate the Buddhist search for enlightenment to spiritual searching of other faiths, but certain aspects of her stories were hard for me to relate to and appreciate.

Finally came the visit to Indonesia, and the island of Bali. Although this section is about Love, it wasn’t the author’s intention when she goes there. Love develops, as it often does, when it was least expected and not looked for. Because it wasn’t part of her plan, she goes through a personal struggle to decide if she is ready and deserving of love in her life.

As I mentioned, I was envious of the journey the author was able to take, but I disagreed with some of the choices that lead her to the journey. Many people would not only love to take such a trip, but would benefit from the time to think and reflect. And I was impressed at the awareness of the author to set limits on herself based on where she was in her journey – recognizing that certain behaviors would not be healthy based on where she was in her life. I think that this book is a good read for anyone who is looking to be inspired in their personal journey.

For more reviews and posts by Keren, search Keren's Korner on the blog.