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From:Elizabeth Gilbert , Books on Tape ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#364805 |
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1 of 1 customers found the following review helpful:
 Mostly annoyed me, 2008-07-16
At the beginning of the book I did not like this author much at all. I thought she came across as whiny, full of herself, spoiled and very self-centered. It sounded as if she got married without thinking it through and I was very annoyed with the fact that she never gave a valid reason for leaving her husband and only hinted at the fact that they didn't get along, he was a jerk, etc. and this sent her spiraling into a pool of self-pity. She said something along the lines of not wanting to bad mouth him. So, reading between the lines (because that was the only thing I could do) it read as if she simply grew bored of him, then immediately fell head over heels for someone new and the ex got angry and gave her a bad time. And this surprised her? Then she spent a huge part of her trip moaning about her love life like a girl in a chick lit novel. It grew very tiresome . . .
And don't even get me started on her thoughts on God. One moment she doesn't know what to believe or if she believes and the next she's praying like there's no tomorrow and begging God to please, please, please make her divorce final immediately. Self centered, much?
After the mess of the divorce, she goes on all expenses paid trip to Italy, eating up a storm, and yet she remains miserable. She visits India where she eventually learns to quiet her mind but it takes an excruciatingly long time. I was disappointed that she didn't go into more descriptive detail about India, since I'll never get the chance to visit, and spent too much time journaling the day to day thoughts passing through her head. Her conversations with her pal from Texas were cute but I wanted to know more about India. Things only begin to turn around for me during the end of her stay in India. When she arrives in Bali I truly began to enjoy the book. It seemed the whole tone of the book changed as she realized she didn't need to focus so much on the past, on her men (or lack thereof), on her mistakes, etc. and began instead focusing on her surroundings and the people she meets in Bali. She did a great job bringing Bali, its people and its customs and rituals to life and I do think she grew and changed as a person which I'm sure was the whole point of the book. I'm very glad I stuck with it because it did have some very beautiful descriptive passages and insights and some very funny moments but if I were to reread it I would start somewhere around disk 6.
an excellent journey, 2008-01-02
A thoroughly wonderful book. The author has a real gift of description. Parts were so funny and others were very poignant. I highly recommend sharing Elizabeth Gilbert's journey.
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 Life Changing Book, 2007-02-28
The author spins an incredible tale with vivid descriptive language and a comfortable style. The messages about faith, belief systems and the universality of religion are life changing. I found the book authentic, humerous and worth sharing with everyone I know. I am a 60 year old woman who has been in a marriage for 40 years and yet I could identify with the author as she tries to recover from her divorce and search for God, inner peace and love. There are lovely messages about tolerance for differences and embracing bits and pieces of every culture we encounter. That has always been my feeling about life and so this author hit a homerun with me.
1 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
Great writing, okay story, 2006-07-02
In this book the author relates how she was shattered and depressed during the last portion of her marriage and the divorce that followed. Finally, she decides to turn her life around by taking a year off and eating food in Italy, staying in her guru's ashram in India, and visiting a wise old medicine man in Indonesia. This is the story of her quest for enlightenment and peace.
Quote: "Look for God, suggests my Guru. Look for God like a man with his head on fire looks for water."
My feelings about this book are really mixed. I thought the writing was excellent- right amount of detail, witty, charming, funny, but still the story itself often lagged and was only saved by the good writing. I expected the book to be more focused on the travels of this woman through Italy, India, and Indonesia- I didn't realize it was so centered around her quest for enlightenment. I got very tired during the chapter about studying in her guru's compound in India, although I do admit that I might have a lingering bias against guru's after reading My Life in Orange earlier this year. I enjoyed the Indonesia chapter the most (the Italy chapter was entertaining, but so narrow! I like gelato as much as anyone, but there are other nice things in the country too).
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