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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.4
EAN: 9780143038412
ISBN: 0143038419
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: January 30, 2007
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Sales Rank: 30
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Intelligent, skillfully written & delightfully humorous
Attraversiamo, Elizabeth Gilbert's favorite Italian word, means "let's cross over" - and I really felt like I did - for the three days it took me to read the three sections of this charming work, I felt like I had crossed over into the parallel universe of this book and was walking beside the author as she set out on the most heroic voyage of all - the voyage of self-discovery.
I have to admit that the hype and negative reviews had nearly put me off - then I happened to read the online excerpt and it really helped me decide that this book was for me. Shimmering with wit, enthusiasm and wisdom, Gilbert has created a unique travelogue that charts both her physical and emotional quest for happiness.
I had expected some lame, whiny self-help type book, but instead I find a refreshing work that is equal parts profound, brutally honest and laugh-out-loud funny. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, (I'm not American, not divorced, not going through an existential crisis, and more of a skeptic than the protagonist is), if you have an open mind (esp about spiritual matters) and are able to put yourself in other people's shoes without getting all judgmental, you will definitely enjoy this journey as much as I did, and maybe even learn a few things about finding peace within yourself. And of course, about eating, praying and loving like you really mean it.
Rating:  - Personal Journey not Book Review: Read with an Open Heart
I, too, agree that the previous reviews of this book have been about just that: the book instead of the journey of Ms. Gilbert through the lenses of an open mind and open heart.
Elizabeth takes a risk and puts herself out there by exposing to us all her struggles with food, spirituality and love. This book has created a love / hate relationship - there is really no in between...each you love it or you hate it. I loved it. She spoke to me. I divorced my husband for reasons people didn't understand, I battled with food for reasons people didn't understand and I have traveled the world for reasons people didn't understand. Each experience has opened my heart for which I am grateful.
To get out of your head and in to your heart is a journey in and of itself. From what I can understand and read in her book, Elizabeth has similar struggles and manages to love from her heart and be true to herself. Judging her struggles, for me, is not accepting of where she was, her journey and where she is now. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors - nor is it anyone else's business. Again, the fact that Elizabeth opens up her world to us is a gift in itself.
I read this book from the advice of my therapist who said this is one of the best books about loving from the heart that is not written by a therapist. I underlined and re-read so many sections in the book. One that stands out for me is something along the lines of "some people are as passionate about ... Read More
Rating: - A Triune Triumph... and Clever too!
You've got to love reading to read this through and enjoy it. You have to appreciate her search for the right word to describe her positioning, the right word to describe a city, and her feelings. And, it helps to love geography, spiritual-seeking and psychological understanding.
I liked it plenty kiver-to-kiver. Clever travelogue-seeker concept. Lots of good writing and research. Interesting topics. Just plain charming and quite intimate and feminine in tone. I thought that the author's nailing-down-of-her-feelings and love of words was exceptional. She was trying to work out and convey a lot with her story and it hit the mark. This is the kind of book that could have bogged down plenty of times in 330 pages but it never did. The engine of personal purpose and constant events and changing geographies pulled it forward. If 100 people took the same trip, there would be 100 very different books. She wrote her book and I'm the wiser for reading it. For me, this book was well worth it, a provocative and charming read over a couple of evenings.
Rating: - If you didn't like it, you didn't get it.
Several people I know have shared with me that they saw Gilbert as self-centered when they read this book. To them and others who feel this way, I must make the following points. First of all, you are reading a book specifically about a woman finding herself - do you expect it to not be about her? Second, the circumstances leading up to her year-long trip around the world were very telling of why her focus in this particular book is so narrow: she was trying to discover who she was as she was trying to pull herself out of a debilitating depression. Now, for those of you who haven't experienced this kind of self-doubt and helplessness, I am very glad for you. It is awful and not to be wished on anyone. The fact that she even had the desire to climb out of the dark hole that is depression and try to be proactive about her life again is entirely commendable and thrilling for me to see. So, when she goes on this trip, she is hoping to learn something about herself in each of these countries. She isn't claiming to have solved the world's problems or to have completely understood each culture, but she is taking the really good things from each place and incorporating them into her life, and in doing so is learning who she is and what she wants for herself. That is something that we all are and should be constantly engaged in. She has no illusions that everything about each country is all roses, that there is no poverty, corruption, prejudice, but that is not the topic of this book. It's really ... Read More
Rating:  - Some slow spots
Overall I enjoyed this book (esp. the Eat and Love parts), but the Pray third can drag on.
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