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.

A friend of mine recommended this book to me after she went though a difficult patch. I love this book because it gives you soo much more than you can view in print. The fact that is book opens your mind up to the possibilities of what you could achieve. I thought of it as a self help book. I find myself rereading it quite often whenever I feel as though nothing is going my way or there is some issue in my life. It's about what you can read in between the lines. I love the candid tone of this book as if we were talking to just a friend. I love the fact that this author would give me more after the first novel that I read from her.

Please read this novel.

I would like to give this book a good review- I really would. After all, so many people have been drawn to it, have found meaning and maybe even purpose in it. But despite all this, I can’t in good conscience give anything more than two stars. Billed as a spiritual journey of sorts, the author takes up on a trip from America to Italy to India and beyond in the wake of a failed marriage. One can forgive the self-absorbed tone in the beginning of the book- after all, one doesn’t start at enlightenment- it’s a process. However, the author never seems to grow through her journey, so that same voice that could be forgiven at the start of the book grows tiresome and irritating by the end. She doesn’t seem to learn anything real about herself, and doesn’t seem interested in learning anything about the people she encounters as she travels. When, at the end of the book, she finds herself embarking on another relationship (during what was supposed to be her chance to learn how to be alone, no less!) one fears it too will be doomed to failure, since despite all the cash spent traveling and all the time spent ‘looking inward’ the author has yet to address what truly caused her discontent in the first place. And what’s uplifting about that?

I picked up this book on a whim and am really thankful I did! This is an easy read, but it is very powerful and moving. Everyone has suffered from a crisis in their life. You don't know what you want, but you feel dissatisfied. This book allows you to connect with someone else who is experiencing the same thing. As Elisabeth works her way through her problems, you can also see progress in your own life. Each chapter is artfully divided to allow for busy lifestyles. You don’t have to sit down and read this all the way through (although you will probably want to). This book clearly shows that life is a journey. The destination isn’t always as important as the road you take to get there. This isn’t your typical spiritual book, but it is very helpful and a very fun read. This book transcends age, but it is clearly aimed at women. Sorry guys! I would and have recommended it to any number of friends, who have all enjoyed it just as much as I did.

I bought this book at a time when I was questioning my own direction in life. I was a planner always and had a perfect picture of how my life should look ten years from now. The unexpected death of my mom, who was like my second self put my life on a tailspin.
This book, which essentially follows the travels of Elizabeth and her own journey of finding herself through these explorations, somehow set me on my own journey.
For the first time, I was okay with not planning and just going with the flow. This book made me ask myself, what I really wanted to do in my life, which had nothing to do with what people expected me to do.
I can't say I have resolved my own purpose in life....but seeing Elizabeth having the courage to walk away from her "perfect" life and finding her own true joy, has given me the courage to take my own baby steps.
I think my mom would be proud of my baby steps today and I have the faith that in the end everything will work out just fine, just like it did for Elizabeth. A must read for anyone.

If you're interested in true spiritual adventures, then Elizabeth Gilbert's book is a good one to enjoy. Her stories made me laugh, cry, and ponder. She went through hell (an awful divorce) and emerged victoriously out the other side. I don't want to spoil the ending. It's a captivating, easy to read tale of her romp through Italy, India, and Bali. She shares a lot about the spiritual life (I loved the India section the most about life in an ashram)and she's a very insightful woman. I highly recommend this book.

This book is making the rounds with my friends at this writing. It was suggested to me by a friend, I got it and just had to pass it on. The first part of it was a little hard to read because I immediately liked the main character and she was going through some really tough life style changes stuff. I'm not going to spoil it for you by saying more, but most of us have been in her shoes at one time or another. Maybe that is why this book is so good, most of us have been there, and although most of us can't travel the world in search of an answer, we can read along as this woman does and participate in her learning. If you love food, love travel, are interested in learning more about a meditative lifestyle or you just want a really good read, this book is the answer. The author's style makes it very readable, with short articles making up each chapter so you can put it down and pick it up anytime and not loose the story. It flows, it's engaging and interesting.