Saturday, October 27, 2007

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)

This book was sent to me by friend Sufi "just because." And it is wonderful, but it is in three very distinct parts, so I am going to try to write this up after each part.

I still don't know who Elizabeth Gilbert is, but obviously she is a writer, and this is a biographical retelling of a year in her own life, where she searches for herself. I am totally envious of her opportunity to travel to different parts of the world on a spiritual quest. I have a friend leaving for Nepal in a few days for a month in a monastery, so it can be done, and I hope I have a chance for something like this too.

Needing to get away from a failed marriage and unhealthy relationship, Gilbert decides to take a year off and spend four months in Italy, four in India, and the last four in Bali - the last an opportunity that arose out of a work assignment.

Gilbert loves the sound of the Italian language and has started to learn it, and decides to continue her lessons in Italy. This first stage in Italy is the start of her healing process. She takes lessons in Italian, finds partners to talk to in Italian and finds pleasure in food - wonderful Italian food, always asking locals for the best restaurants - not the tourist places, but where real Italians eat. I found a lot of good self analysis. We may have different issues, but I liked her thought process.

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