Product Description

It's 3 a.m. and Elizabeth Gilbert is sobbing on the bathroom floor. She's in her thirties, she has a husband, a house, they're trying for a baby - and she doesn't want any of it. A bitter divorce and a turbulent love affair later, she emerges battered and bewildered and realises it is time to pursue her own journey in search of three things she has been missing: pleasure, devotion and balance. So she travels to Rome, where she learns Italian from handsome, brown-eyed identical twins and gains twenty-five pounds, an ashram in India, where she finds that enlightenment entails getting up in the middle of the night to scrub the temple floor, and Bali where a toothless medicine man of indeterminate age offers her a new path to peace: simply sit still and smile. And slowly happiness begins to creep up on her.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #341 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
'It's what I'm giving all my girl friends' Julia Roberts 'Every woman should read it' Elle Macpherson 'I adore it' Sophie Dahl 'I loved it ... I could understand her wanting to write the book and her desire to heal' Meg Ryan

New York Times
`If a more likable writer than Gilbert is currently in print, I
haven't found him or her ... irresistible'

Easy Living
`A witty, honest account of loss and new beginnings, this will be
enjoyed by anyone who's realised "having it all" isn't all it's cracked up
to be'

Customer Reviews

Amazing book...some people may be missing the point
I just finished this book and have to say it has had a profound effect on me, it was a fantastic account of one woman's journey to find herself. Admittedly its a great 'story' in itself, but its more than a story about a woman who got her heart broken, ate some food and then *skip the Ashram bit* found love in Bali. Anyone who treats this book like that is somewhat missing the point. I'm not a religious person at all, I have no religion, and I agree the Ashram section wasn't an easy read and I found some resistance to it, but that's exactly the point, her time in the Ashram wasn't comfortable, and we are made to feel that too. You can't gain anything from this book by skipping the middle section, it's only through her experiences in India that she learned to accept herself, find inner peace and strength and have the self knowledge and love to be ABLE to move on in Bali. That's the whole problem with this society, and that's exactly why she has laid herself out here as a guinea pig, an example. Rushing in life for the 'happy ending' will get you nowhere. Or it will get you divorced and suicidal at 34 looking for answers. The whole point of this book - and many others like it - is a forewarning that you will have to go through the struggles she did (albeit in not necessarily in India) if you're going to be truly happy. EAT PRAY LOVE the book is called. not EAT and LOVE. As a society we need to open our minds a little I think.

Funny, clever, facinating and a must for travellers
The title says it all - Liz Gilbert has the wonderful talent of making you feel like you are walking in her shoes. Her descriptions of the food in Italy made my mouth water. Unlike some other readers it was the early part about the divorce I could have skipped - I found all the rest of the book wonderful including India. I had no idea what a (genuine) Indian Ashram might be like before reading this and though I'm not particularly religious myself, I found it facinating. I also found it very refreshing that someone can write honestly and passionately about religious experiences without losing her common sense and sense of humour, or in any way try to tell the reader what they should believe.

Light Read, Deep Message
I felt like I was traveling along side Elizabeth Gilbert on her literal and spiritual journey through Italy, India and Indonesia. I was inspired by her search for pleasure, God, and love in these richly colorful places. Her stories are touching, amusing and brazenly personal. Her life is enriched by teachers she encounters along the way who show her how to stop "brooding over the past" or "worrying about the future". One of the gifts she receives is being present in her life. Another is knowing that being of service to others is the greatest gift of all.

Another book of wisdom and personal adventure is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel and Shya Kane. This book of delightful stories illustrates an effortless and joyful way to a life of well being without traveling from your sofa. Both books are filled with compassion for ones self as well as for others. Whether I travel throughout the world for knowledge, or to my kitchen for a cup of coffee, it's the magic of being there for it that makes the difference.