Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I wish I had read it at the start of the summer because it is so sad (at the beginning, at least) that it makes me feel much better about my own life!

Gilbert is a journalist and fiction writer who goes through a messy enough divorce to necessitate her taking a year off--which isn't really a year off, since it's a year to also be writing this book with a cash advance to do so--starting in Italy (the "Eat" section), then to her guru's ashram in India ("Pray"), and finally Indonesia ("Love"). While admittedly my favorite section was the first, it was encouraging to see this poor woman in a rather sad and pathetic state of loss and despair slowly pluck herself out. Of course, the rest of us have to go through crappy life stuff without the liesure of a year of reflection and focus... but Gilbert is actually, honestly funny, so there are lots of fun and interesting insights along the way. So far this is my favorite book of the summer (well, except maybe for Harry Potter).

I like the Italy part best, probably because it's the only one of the three that I have been to (plus I'm Italian so of course I think all things Italian are delicous in general). And also this section is about Italy's amazing food, and wine, and gelato, and other tasty treats available at all hours--in fact, my favorite memory of Rome is the huge, sweet dollar slices of watermelon (it was 50,000 lira pre-euro) available on the street stands all day and night (she doesn't mention them, which makes me wonder if they're still around). So Gilbert first left her problems mostly behind and wallowed in Rome, learning Italian and eating a lot, and then went on to her guru's ashram in India, which seems near an impossibility to folks like me, who would like to visit India but don't have a guru and have a hard time sitting still let alone meditating for more than about seven minutes. Gilbert chronicles her own struggles with this, and she has many epiphanies on her journey--she did in the Italy section as well, but she grows more serious and focused in India. The final section, Indonesia, is mostly about people, particulary Wayan and Felipe, and I think symbolizes Gilbert's return to a full life and connection with others--an integral part of her Italian and Indian stints was her self-isolation for the sake of preservation, and only after she has recovered from her past is she ready for what awaits her in her Indosian journey with a medicine man (and a medicine woman and an older diamond-dealer dude).

All in all, this is a sad but redemptive book that is, somewhat refreshingly, about a woman's search for God. Interestingly, Gilbert's focus on God lessens as her confidence in her faith and her connections to others strengthen, perhaps indicating our increased need for spirituality when we feel most disconnected? But it was refreshing to read an account of someone who wants to believe in a supreme deity, who goes through difficult times but ends in happier ones, and who conquers a few personal demons along the way.

Sort of a Huck-Finn-meets-Siddhartha, chick version. I really, really loved this book!