BOOK REVIEW: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

When her horrendous divorce is followed by a devastating break-up, Elizabeth Gilbert decides to take a year out just for herself. She comes up with a plan to spend the year pursuing three very different things in three very different countries: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India and balance in Indonesia. The fact that the countries all being with "I" is coincidental, but, Gilbert thinks, a good sign. Can she recover from her past and find herself and her future all in the space of a year? Read on and see.

In Italy Elizabeth learns the language, makes friends, eats tons of pasta, and gains 23 pounds, but her depression and loneliness have followed her there and she's afraid she'll never be able to leave them behind. The Indian part of the book, i.e. the "Pray" of the title, was the part I was a bit worried about - I'm not religious and I thought reading about someone's experiences on an Ashram would be a bit much, but Gilbert never loses her sense of humour and that, combined with the vivid descriptions of the characters she meets there make this section completely different from, but just as enchanting as, the first third of the book. But it's in Indonesia that Elizabeth really starts to recover and find what she was looking for all along.

I loved this book. Gilbert writes beautifully and the book is threaded through with gorgeous description (I need to go to Italy - the food!) and self-deprecating humour. Like this (about the devastating post-divorce break-up):

His withdrawal only made me more needy, and my neediness only advanced his withdrawals, until soon he was retreating under fire of my weeping pleas of, "Where are you going? What happened to us?" (Dating tip: Men LOVE this.)

If you've ever wanted to take a year off, if you've ever wondered if there's more to life than this, if you've ever had to recover from a bad break-up - surely that covers everyone? - you'll enjoy this book.

Like this? Try The Year of Yes by Maria Headley

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