Eat Pray Love

I saw the author Elizabeth Gilbert on Oprah one day and wanted to see what all of the fuss was about regarding her new book, "Eat Pray Love". I've never read or been into Oprah's book club, but it seemed that women around the nation thought this book to be "the answer". With caution from my husband about New York Bestsellers, I opened the first page and began my journey or I should say Elizabeth Gilbert's journey, through Italy, India, and Indonesia.
The beginning of the book was a preface to how and why she began this year long journey through three countries. At first I felt quite distanced from her. She talked of hating her marriage, keeping her dream career going and wanting everything but children. She was a New Yorker so wound up in success and prestige that it was backfiring on her and the confusion and depression was setting in. She needed to get away.
The book was more enjoyable for me when she started to travel. I would love to be able to lose myself in Italy and it's cuisine. The desire to learn another language is always enticing. And to live in and see world history down every street is a dream of mine.
The most interesting part of the book for me was her stay in a Yogi meditation university or an "Ashram". She writes about getting in tune with her inner self and her healing process. She gives beautiful accounts of her being swept up in the hand of God and how she combats her overpowering mind. It inspired me to continue with my Yoga classes and find ways to meditate and ground myself, so that life doesn't seem so overbearing. She shares teachings of her Guru to the reader about peace and joy are found inside onself, but that the key to finding God's peace and love, you must fight to keep them everyday.
She continues her journey to Indonesia, where service and love conclude her travels.
There were many things in the book that I could not relate to, but there were also many things that I could relate to. It was fun to read a Best Seller and see where a woman might find answers to her troubled life and say "Yeah, I feel like that too." She's a fun witty author, however, she does like to add in a few choice words and thoughts here and there. There's talk of sexual intimacy, but nothing explicit.
Overall I feel that even though we come from what seems like two separate worlds, Elizabeth does a marvelous job in encompassing the true and fundamental needs of every man, woman, and child in the book title...Eat Pray Love.

(Melissa C.B.)