As a keen traveller myself, when I heard about Eat Pray Love and how it depicted one woman’s journey through Italy, India and Bali I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. My step-sister first told me about it in the summer of 2010 and it was one of those books that all of a sudden EVERYONE was reading; on the tube, in the park, in Starbucks; it seemed I couldn’t leave the house without seeing a copy.
Written by Elizabeth Gilbert, an American writer who, aged 32 suffers something of a mid-life crises, the memoir follows her post-divorce search for food, spirituality and balance that spans two continents.
Thus she travels to Italy to indulge in the pleasure of eating, India to explore the power of prayer and Bali, where searching for a balance of pleasure and spirituality, she found love.
Eat Pray Love is an easy and intimate read; one which illustrates the hedonistic highs and the overwhelming lows one is susceptible to when traveling. Gilbert perfectly depicts what life can be like as a traveller – the good, the bad and the ugly – from experiencing harrowing homesickness to encountering people who will remain life-long friends long after the final flight has flown.
Gilbert’s writing style is both humourous and evocative; having been to India myself, I was impressed by her portrayal of a country I found so hard to put into words. Her tales of Italy were romantic and had my mouth watering for the country’s famous foodie scene, while the tranquility and magic of Bali was tangible and inspired many-a-reader in search of a spiritual awakening to venture to Ubud, where much of the novel takes place.
Eat Pray Love is one of the best kind of books – it is both entertaining and informative and it whets your appetite for faraway lands and adventures yet to come.
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One of my all time faves! She puts into words so much that we feel, but lack the clarity to voice and it gives me such a positive feeling at the end of every read. Have you read Big Magic as well? Another incredible book by Liz Gilbert that makes you see the world differently.
Yes I adore Big Magic – the woman can do no wrong can she? A literary genius xo