A Book for All Seasons
Imagine healing a broken heart by living three months each in three exotic locales! That’s what Elizabeth Gilbert writes about in Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.
Having undergone a protracted divorce followed by a love affair that ended badly, the thirty-something author takes off on her travels. With Rome as her first stop, she takes Italian lessons and indulges in gastronomic pleasures. I wish she had explored a greater variety of Italian foods but she’s no gourmet, just a young American with a taste for pizza and a need for comfort food.
Her next stop is an ashram in India, where she arises before dawn to meditate, becomes friends with other acolytes and gains some serenity. Living in an ashram isn’t for everybody, to be sure, but the spiritual part of Gilbert’s journey is highly accessible. Finally she lands in Bali where she finds joy, generosity and even love, though not right away. I found myself thinking, well, she could have just gone to Brazil in the first place.... Nevertheless, the section on Bali is where she shows the greatest sensitivity to the local culture.
I wish I had written about this book before Christmas or at least before Valentine’s Day because it would make a good gift for either of those occasions. It’s still not too late to buy a copy and share it or give it to some one special. I’d advise ignoring the negative reviews on Amazon but you can find out more about Elizabeth Gilbert at www.elizabethgilbert.com/ At her site, you’ll also learn what happened to her after the book ended, but please, don’t look until you’ve read the book. For those with a special interest in Indonesia, see Cool Maps of Indonesia: An Unauthorized View of the Land of EAT, PRAY, LOVE.