EAT, PRAY, LOVE has a lot of problems. The first of which is that it is a very self-centered book. Like most memoirs, it’s all about the author. But unlike most memoirs, it takes a while for the author to reach a point where the reader’s sympathy outweighs the self-involvement. It’s hard to feel sympathy for a woman who is able to travel across three countries when she’s saddened by a divorce. I wish I had that kind of money!

But, somewhere in there, it makes the switch. Suddenly, I found myself sympathetic to Gilbert and started actually listening to her message. She’s searching for happiness and, I think, for the ability to love herself after what she sees somewhat as a failure on her part. In any case, this book is about her learning to live through a crisis.

We all have crises in our lives, and while ours may be more “real” than hers, EAT, PRAY, LOVE still gives us insight on how to survive them and come out on the other side looking at least as good as we went in.

Perhaps I was disappointed because I was expecting it to be more along the lines of ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MINERAL by Barbara Kingsolver because it was recommended to me along with that book, which I read first. In any case, once you get past the beginning, EAT, PRAY, LOVE is truly an amazing book.