Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Genre:  Non-Fiction/Memoir

Premise:  One woman’s journey through three continents on a quest for sensual, spiritual and emotional happiness. 

I bought this book because everybody and their brother had read it but me.

You know how it is when a “spiritual” book starts getting lots of hype and a following, you immediately start to doubt it’s validity as anything worth your time, yet alone a good read.  This book blew that stereotype out of the water for me.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It only took the first two chapter before I knew that Elizabeth Gilbert was a woman I could relate to and cared about what she had to say. 

Her struggles for finding a spiritual comfort level in today’s world is a struggle that is close to my heart.  Growing up in a scientific age where the world is at your fingertips, it is hard to retain that sense of blind belief in everything your family and local religious community hands down to you.  At least that is how I feel.  Ms. Gilbert brings that sense of frustration and doubt home, yet also aptly portrays the basic need to hold onto something, find something, acquire a personal sense of spirituality that works and makes sense at the same time.

Not everyone has the opportunity to travel to the ends of the earth on their own spiritual quest and follow their person passions no matter where they may take them.  In this sense, it is a treat to witness a brave and open soul as she is and to follow her through such an adventure.  Her quest takes her to Italy (a city of pleasure), India (where she enters an Ashram in hopes of finding God), and finally Indonesia (where she falls in love). 

But aside from the premise, it is just a damn good read.  Her words flow so easy and carefree, it is like she is sitting right there with you, just back from vacation recounting her adventures in full detail.

When a book makes me laugh out loud to the point where members of my family start staring at me in confusion, then you know it’s good.  And that is just the laughing part.  There were just as many times I cried shamelessly because her words reached my heart and soul.  Finally, there were other times I would just put the book aside, with the echo of a sentence or image reverberating through me as I tried to fully appreciate the deep simplicity of it.

To sum it up?  I ate up every word, I prayed it never would end and I fell in love with this woman.

Time Value: $$$$ - Would Buy It Again, Would Read It Again (like tomorrow even)