A Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" reads like a novel at times and other times reads like a spoiled rich woman's journal. You may identify with her struggles and listen ardently to her tale with the hope of finding answers of your own but you never do. Unless you have the means Ms. Gilbert does to soul search for a year you will come up short.

While her writing is wonderfully descriptive throughout her tale, I could never properly relate to her. For a person who desperately wanted to have a lasting relationship with God, she comes across as to self absorbed to achieve this. We get a glimpse into Liz's world as it is unraveling. She is facing a financially and emotionally draining divorce and yearns for something of substance. Some readers may share a common thread in Liz's story.

During a business trip to Bali, Liz meets a Balinese medicine man who invites her to spend time with him in Indonesia. Liz is presented with a dilemma. She wants to learn to speak Italian and go to an Ashram in India and now she wants to go to Indonesia as well and take the medicine man up on his offer.

Liz does some soul searching and decides that she does not want to and does not have to make a choice. She decides to take a year out of her life and spend four months each in Italy, India and Indonesia.

Her writing does transport you to the beautiful lands of her travel. You are able to appreciate love of food and "Il bel far niente" (the beauty of doing nothing) in Italy. She describes life in the ashram of India well and documents her struggles with meditation and chanting. Her crying persists as she tries to let go of her boyfriend and when she reaches this point you are happy for her. Her journey continues in Indonesia where she finds love and enlightenment. She is able to truly connect with her Balinese medicine man and learn wondrous things. She makes life long friends here, meets her future husband and undertakes a very noble and charitable venture to help her friend and her daughter.

Liz's ability to make lemonade from lemons is very evident in the book. Everything seems to flow along and things fall into place for Liz. As I finished the book, I found myself happy for Liz. I had to remind myself that it was her tale to tell and she told it well and honestly whatever anyone else may think of her.