19 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
Eat Pray Love might change your life...
Date of Review: Feb 9, 2009
The Bottom Line: I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, especially people struggling with inner-demons or depression or who just are plain unsatisfied with their life...no matter what age!
For anyone struggling with internal issues of any kind, I highly recommend reading this masterpiece by Elizabeth Gilbert! I am a 20 year old female who recently just got out of an extremely abusive relationship, and this book changed my life. It made me realize that I am not alone no matter how much I felt it. There are people out there who can't find themselves and are being eaten alive by their own depression and unhappiness...Elizabeth Gilbert was one of them who was brave enough to share her story with us, with me.
Although Gilbert's story is not exactly the same as mine, or yours, her words connect with such a mainstream emotion that millions of us feel every day. She is struggling to survive a marriage that is not making her happy. Depressed and unsatisfied with her life, she decides to pack her bags and travel to three places for four months each to do nothing but focus on finding herself. Because, as we all know, you can't love anyone else until you love yourself. And that's a concept much easier said than done.
First trip: ITALYGilbert first travels to Italy and starts to realize that she doesn't need to worry about weight...the food is so incredible! She finds happiness through the quality of food she discovers throughout Italy...no matter how quirky it may seem! (Wait until you read about her favorite pizza). She also starts uncovering a love for the Italian language and its beauty leads her to more personal growth and happiness. Food + Language = Beauty and a satisfyingly full belly!!
Second Trip: INDIAHere she gets in touch with her spiritual side and resides in an Ashram. Don't worry, you don't need to share her beliefs to connect with her opinions. It is not about swaying the beliefs of her readers for Gilbert, but more about explaining how she found God for those quiet seconds of bliss. This personally was my favorite section of the book. Her descriptive writing and detailed adventures made me feel like I was experiencing every second right next to her!
Third Trip: INDONESIAGilbert finally sinks into pleasure and lets herself fall in love again. She does nothing but what she wants every day within an extraordinarily beautiful country. You can almost hear the birds from the way she describes them! She also builds an incredible friendship with an elderly medicine man who is curious about American way of life, and vice versa.
Throughout the entire journey, Gilbert meets such incredible personalities who do nothing but aid the book in it's beauty and honesty. Once I finished the book (and dried my eyes), I had this burning desire to do just as she...pack my things and just go! She truly took the risk in finding her own source of happiness no matter how painfully it was to get there. I admire the courage she had and hope that some day I'll be able to achieve the level of happiness that she has uncovered within herself. This is an excellent, happy, spiritual, and lifting book that I would suggest to anyone!
