Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is one of those books everyone has already read. I'm a little late to the party, but such is life. Ms. Gilbert's memoir of her travels and exploration of life is half memoir half self-help book. She chronicles her time in Italy, India, and Indonesia.
Her year of traveling was spurred on by a desire to find herself after a rather nasty divorce.
The writing is one of humor and intelligence as she talks about her journey and the characters and friends she encounters along the way.
In Italy, she goes on a pleasure hunt with her "no carb left behind" initiative and experiences all Italy had to offer in simple pleasures like gelato ice cream.
In India, she lives in an Ashram learning about her own spirituality, learning much from people that stereotypically would not come to mind when someone says Ashram, meditation, or yoga, i.e. the big Texan with a more open outlook on life than most people could ever hope to have.
In Indonesia, she spends her time with a happy medicine man of unknown age, and a healer best friend in need of a new home. She also meets her future second husband there.
As a memoir, it's entertaining and clever, as a self-help book, it's filled with insight and learned knowledge. Also, like any self-help book, parts will resonate, parts will not. It depends on the person which parts will do which. Overall it's a good read, and as always Ms. Gilbert's writing style makes you like her.
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