Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

I truly enjoyed this book. Is it sappy?..yes, a little. Narcissitic?...maybe, a little. Offensive?...not to me, not even a little.

When I read this book I was going through a very difficult time in my own life. While I didn't have the money to take a year off from life, I read this book and allowed myself to be carried off through the authors enlightening journey. I had so many of the same questions, the same thoughts, and too many same experiences sobbing on the bathroom floor.

I found the ironic, sarcastic humor funny and perfectly timed and the authors experiences and frustrations with the healing process genuine.

This may not be a book all women can enjoy, but if you are in a hard place, struggling to find yourself, exploring spirtuality, or if you just enjoy reading a book about travels to interesting places; keep on open mind and give it a try.

How could anyone claim that the book lacked substance!
Read it and then judge it! I personally loved it especially the "Pray" part!

When I'm reading a book and find myself wanting to become the main character's best friend, I know this is a great book. That's what happened to me with this book, I was constantly thinking how much I liked this person (in this case the book's author) and how much I would enjoy going out for coffee and having a conversation with her.

I wasn't sure about reading this book after the reviews I read here. In fact, I had it on my wish list and took it off after reading some of the reviews. However, one of my closest friends read it recently and as soon as she finished she said "you have to read this book, you are going to love it!!". This is a person who doesn't read much and who hasn't enjoyed many books. This is also a person who knows me extremely wel. As soon as she said that to me I went out and bought it. Actually, my friend was going to lend it to me but her mother was reading it and I really needed a new book so I went out and bought it instead. I'm so glad I did! I ended up putting post its all over it, pointing out passages that I liked or related with, and I'm glad to own a book that I'm sure I will return to many times.

I liked how Gilbert wanted to find inner peace without giving up on some of life's most superficial and guilty pleasures. This is something I have constantly thought about as well, and it has actually prevented me from going deeper into my own spiritual journey for the fear of not being "spiritual" enough, of not being able to unattach myself from the more superficial things in life, that I must admit I thoroughly enjoy. I also liked that I was able to relate to the anxiety she feels at realizing she doesn't want many of the things society thinks a woman should want, such as children. I felt I was listening to a close friend talk about herself, the way us girls do, sometimes being very deep and transendental and at other times completely superficial and silly.

I understand that this book (as it happens with any book, really) is not for everyone. For those who enjoy deeper, more spiritual memoirs Gilbert will seem completely shallow and self-indulgent. For those who always wonder whether a spiritual life can go alongside the simpler pleasures of life, you will find in this book many of the questions you have already once asked yourself. In my experience, this was a wonderful and inspiratonal book. I have not liked a book so much in a long time.

I am surprised by some of the negative comments about this book. It is about a woman's search for herself ... so of course this would be about HER! Through her self discovery she has made a difference in women who are on a similar journey. I being one of them. Gilbert's writing is making a lighthearted read of a very dark time in her life. I did not suffer from the same kind of depression as Gilbert did, but due to a difficult marriage and divorce I am on my own self discovery and search for spirituality during a very hard time. I appreciated Gilbert's candid honesty, her willingness to admit her own shortcomings and her humor.

I laughed and loved my way through this wonderful book. Elizabeth Gilbert has written a charming book in three parts: Eat, Pray, Love. You may have heard already but it's a great book. It's fun, easy and inspiring. I found that while I was reading, I was more enthused about my life. It was warm and lovely to experience the lustiness of Italy, the serenity of India and finally the sweetness of loving in Indonesia with this wonderful author. I love books that lift my spirit. I was on the very brink of buying a ticket to some exotic locale on the heels of this treasure. But even better, this is one of those books that invited me to find those joys in my everyday life. I recently read another book that does that lifting the spirit thing, too. It's called Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment [ASIN:1888043180 Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment)] by Ariel and Shya Kane. Enliven yourself, your day and your life by reading both of these books.