This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls "Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister") is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.
Title: Eat Pray Love
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Format: paperback, 334 pages
Genre: non-fiction, memoir
Source: personal shelf
Published: January 2007 by Penguin
Buy the book: The Book Depository | Amazon
Find the author online: website
Why I Read this Book: I have seen this book around since it came out years ago (when it was all the rage) but I’ve never paid attention to it. First of all, it’s non-fiction – not my usual cup of tea. Second, it’s a memoir. Very rarely will I read a memoir. It has to be someone who really captures my attention. But then I found out that a film adaption was being made and Julia Roberts was staring in it as the main character so I decided to give this book a try. This is a time when I should have listened to my instincts but didn’t.
What I Liked: The cover. It’s a pretty cover.
What I Didn’t Like: I only read 1/3 of the book. The part that I did read felt like the author was doing the whole “woe is me” pity party dance. She never explains why she’s unhappy, just that she is and it really bothers me that she never justifies her unhappiness. Marriage, at least to me, is a huge decision and responsibility; marriage is not something to be taken lightly. And then to decide after 10 years that this is not what she wanted…? Isn’t this what she signed herself up for? Maybe she should have stuck with dating; you can get in and out of dating much easier (and much cheaper) than you can with divorce, as our author discovers.
I didn’t like the book but I thought the movie version would be bearable. Wrong. First, let me tell you why I wanted to see the movie. Like I mentioned before, one of the main reasons I read this book was because of Julia Roberts. I saw Julia Roberts on Oprah. The way she spoke about this book and how it affected her – wow! Julia Roberts was gushing about how this book made her feel; she was very passionate about it. So passionate that she only got 30 pages into the book to put it down to go on Amazon and buy a copy for her best friend. She waited until her BFF got the book in the mail and they read it together. Awww, how nice. I really like how Julia Roberts was so passionate about a book that she wanted to share the experience with her BFF.
When it comes to Julia Roberts, I am a sucker! I’ll watch any and every movie that this woman is in. She’s a great actress who really has mastered the art of bringing a character to life. I figured that since I wasn’t able to finish reading the book, I’d give the movie a shot. To quote Ms. Roberts from a different movie: Big mistake. Huge! It’s not often that I get to watch a movie at the movie theater. I should have watched Vampires Suck (there I was, going against my instincts again!). The only reason I didn’t walked out of the movie theater was because of Julia Roberts. That is the only thing this movie had going for itself. Well, that and James Franco.
Overall Impression: I got to page 119 before abandoning ship. I got through the Eat part and after that, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I felt no connection with the author. I didn’t sympathize with her one bit. Never once does she explain why she got divorced. She tells the reader in the intro that she will not go into details about why her marriage fell apart. She just says that she was unhappy in her marriage but doesn’t explain to the reader why she was unhappy. I don’t get this; if you’re going to write a memoir about your road to self-discovery, wouldn’t you tell your readers how and why you ended up on that road to begin with?
DNF
WOW, I agree 100% with everything you said about the book (haven't seen the movie) and the reasons you disliked it are very similar to my own. The part I hated most, though, you didn't even get to!! I wish you had, it would have been fun to rip into it with you!
ReplyDeleteDang, I had wanted to read this book but kept holding back. Based on your review, I'm thinking I might not waste my time and trust my instincts lol
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteHmmm maybe I will pass on this one then. I've been thinking down the road I would pick up a used copy, but maybe I will pass for someting I know I will love.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such an honest opinion. :)
LisaMM - I emailed you to find out what I missed out on. I just have to know! :)
ReplyDeleteRuby - Definitely trust your instincts. I don't normally read non-fiction unless it's about a person who I find really interesting (like Diablo Cody, which I've read or like Nicholas Sparks, which I haven't yet read but will because I love the man) or contains elements I find interesting (like Sinner Takes All by Tera Patrick the porn star). Other than that, I shy away from the genre.
Chrystal - its seems to be a hit or miss kind of book; either people love it or they hate it. If you're hesitant about reading EPL, try to get it from the library or a swapping site.
lololololol... I feel like I just read one of Kelli's 1 star reviews which ='S "NATALIE WILL NEVER PICK UP AND READ AND SHE MIGHT WATCH THE MOVIE ON DVD",,,
ReplyDeleteI would have been pissed if I finally got a babysitter and the movie sucked! I feel your pain :(
PS the kindle is awesome! I don't think I will hold out until Christmas before I give it to my mom :)
I read it. I liked it. Though I must admit... I skimmed through the Praying" part and identified with the eat and the love. It was "ok" but I didn't love it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that I'm not the only one who felt that way. I actually only made it to page 20. My girlfriends and I were reading it and then going to see the movie. Sitting through the movie was torture.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure it's an entirely fair review if you didn't finish the book. The India and Bali parts were the best of the book, imo. Gilbert really began to shine at her ashram in India, and you missed reading one of the funniest--and funnest--"characters," her American guru who dropped sardonic pearls of wisdom just when she needed them. And finding love again, a deeper, truer love than she had experienced before, in Bali was a transcendent read in itself.
ReplyDeleteThe movie adaptation was unfortunate. I usually like Julia Roberts' acting, but even that couldn't save the film, which was simply mis-directed and mis-written. It's a pity, because this book struck a chord with so, so many women, myself included.
I have never been married myself, but I try not to presume facts about people's marriages. The institute of marriage has many inherent flaws anyway, so judging its participants on whether or not they stay in one particular marriage is unfair. Most people do (and should) experience various emotional etc. changes in their lives as they age. Forever only lasts as long as it does, and sometimes that doesn't mean until death. If Gilbert has found a newer and truer forever in her current marriage, I say that's great for her. Maybe her first marriage was just not compatible and flexible enough for the changes each partner experienced over time. Who knows? I must add that giving a marriage ten years is a pretty significant effort. After only six months, say--now, that might be more questionable.
Anyway, I loved the book, although I should read it again and see if my perception of it has changed in the several years since I finished it. After all, our tastes do change, and I give myself allowance that mine might do just that.
BV ~ Thanks for being honest about your experience with the book. DNF's suck, but they do happen, and I appreciate those who are up front about what didn't work for them.
ReplyDeleteI've never been interested in reading this (I think I told you that when you did the group read), but I know of two people who have read it and one loves it, the other hated it. :) Opinions are always so subjective.
Natalie - give the Kindle to your mom now! :)
ReplyDeleteylime1981 - seems like people either love this book or they hate it. I really thought the movie would be better but unfortunately it wasn't. It's a good think the studio booked Julia Roberts for the leading role, otherwise I don't know may people would have watched it.
Jesi - I'm only going to speak for myself here. I married someone with the notion that I'm going to stay married until death do us part. I didn't go into marriage with the idea that I'm in it for only "as long it lasts". That to me feels like I would be looking for a way out. If that was the case, then I wouldn't have gotten married in the first place. Marriage isn't for everyone. Now, if the author's ex-husband cheated on her or abused her or something like that, then I can definitely understand her getting a divorce. But she doesn't give the reader any explanation at all. In order for me to completely be able to understand one's journey, I need to know what brought them to that point - the beginning of their journey - in the first place.
ReplyDeleteA review is an opinion and that's what I gave you here. Whether I finished the book or not doesn't matter. I clearly stated that I did not finish and I also said how far into the book I got. I paid for this book (and I paid to watch the movie adaptation) and I'm going to share my opinion of what I thought. Now if I were to have given the book a 1-5 rating, then that would be unjust since I did not read the book in its entirety.
TBV, I agree with you completely. I would not have cared about her journey if I didn't know WHY she undertook. Why did she leave her husband? Why did she need to find herself? That's what I thought the book would be about.
ReplyDeleteBut, you know, I was going to read this book then I saw the author on Oprah and she was so vague about her divorce that I decided not to read it. She described her decision to end her marriage coming to her when she was laying on her bathroom floor crying at 3 am, not knowing why she didn't want to be married, didn't want to work, didn't want to have a baby, etc. I found it ironic that she ended up doing all those things, just with a different man...
Jesi, I think you can say anything in the world about marriage, but until you are actually married, your comments do not have much weight. It's a whole different can of worms once you say those vows. "Forever only lasts as long as it does" that's the kind of thinking that has our country's divorce rate so high. Also, please note that TBV did not give this book a star rating, she simply told us why she did not finish it (in very appropriate, I might add. She did not bash the book like so many others would have done).
Hats off to Elizabeth Gilbert for finding happiness (for now) but that doesn't mean I'm running to read about it.
I appreicate your honesty TBV!
I meant to say very appropriate terms!
ReplyDeleteKelli - The WHY is an important aspect of the story and it's missing. Maybe I would have felt differently about the book if the author would have explained the Why, maybe not. The author is not giving us the whole story. The foundation is missing.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could see the episode of Oprah where the author appeared. I wonder if it's on YouTube...
Did she have a child with her second husband?
I have to say, I was really surprised that Roberts was playing this role. I haven't heard positive things about this book. At least you gave it a try! :)
ReplyDeleteI so agree with your review. I also really wanted to close the book after the eat part as this for me was perhaps the most interesting part of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI also wrote a short review that you can check out if you are interested
http://bookscount.webs.com/apps/blog/show/5527180-eat-pray-love-elizabeth-gilbert