Eat, Pray, Love Review

I happened to have a little bit of time before I have to go tutor, so I decided that I should write my review of "Eat, Pray, Love" that everyone has just been DYING to read ;)

"Eat, Pray, Love" is Elizabeth Gilbert's autobiographical account of a year she spent traveling around the world, and the inner transformations she experienced while on the road. The book is split up into three different sections (hence the eat, pray, love part), with each focusing on a different aspect of the author's life through the year. The book begins with the backstory of Gilbert's painful divorce, which really sets up the entire book. The explanation is lengthy, but necessary, in order to fully understand the depth of it, and why it impels the author to commence her travels as she does. As you may (or may not) know, the "Eat" portion of the book is largely set in Italy, and focuses on the marvelous things she eats while she is there.

The second portion, "Pray", is set in an ashram in India (she doesn't say where for reason she explains in the book. This portion focuses on the spiritual transformation Gilbert makes during her travels. In the book, she is studying about Yoga, and some parts of Hinduism, that were largely foreign to me, and were, at times, difficult to understand. I didn't necessarily agree with everything she said, but it was interesting to read about, for nothing more than to broaden my horizons.

The final portion, "Love", is set on the Indonesian island of Bali. It continues many of the practices mentioned in the preceding portion, but adds the element of pleasure. This portion may very well have been my favorite of the three. She encounters Indonesian medicine men, a colorful, yet tragic Balinese healer, and a few other people who shake up her life for the better.

To speak generally of the book itself, Gilbert does an awesome job of describing everything. From the scenery, to the food, to the people themselves, I felt like I lived vicariously through her book. I will admit, however, that in the beginning, she is slightly vulgar, and the book does include quite a bit of coarse language, at first. She is also brutally honest about some things that she encounters. As the book progresses, however, it becomes clear that she has succeeded in changing her life for the better. It is apparent that the mood of the book changes as she experiences new things, and has new epiphanies.

I will say that this book may not be for everyone, if you are unyielding in religious matters, or really just not open to hearing about religious matters. (No, she doesn't necessarily turn into a holy roller in the course of the book.) It might not also be for you if you aren't the kind of person who could ever consider just uprooting for a while and traveling the world; rather, if you think that that kind of thing is frivolous and selfish, then I might not read the book.

Overall, I really liked this book. If you have seen the movie, it fits the plotline fairly well, although there were a few minor differences, as could be expected. It took me longer to read it than I thought it might, but it was definitely worthwhile, in my opinion. I would also enjoy reading some of her other accounts. However, I would definitely recommend it!