Warning: Please do no read if you
have zero belief in God.
I am not a middle aged and
unhappy/divorced woman. You may initially presume from this that I did not enjoy Eat,
Pray, Love. However, my belief in a God carried me through this novel and I
found that it was absolutely of interest to me.
This book documents the real life
journey of author Liz Gilbert, who once found herself crying on her bathroom
floor in the middle of the night. Unhappy in her marriage and trying for a baby
she didn’t want, Liz asked God for help. Upon receiving what she took to be a
response she ended her marriage. Consumed with loneliness and guilt, Gilbert
sets of on a three-tier journey. It began in Italy, where she ate whatever she
wanted and learnt Italian. Next she moved to India, where she devoted her time
to meditating and cleaning temple floors. Finally she moved to Bali, where she
spent time with a medicine man and made friends with an array of locals and
Expats. Eat, Pray, Love is a frank and honest account of how it feels to drag
yourself back into happiness from the very bottom of depression.
Through her new relationship with God and the distractions
provided whilst travelling, Liz transforms her life. Her story is witty and
beautifully written. I read it just as I was about to climb Ben Nevis, and
there is no doubt that her encouraging texts about perseverance and the
capability of humans crossed my mind as I climbed. Unfortunately, I did find
myself slightly frustrated at the repetiveness of her healing. There were a lot
of things that she was trying to let go of two or three times throughout the
book. I also found myself annoyed at how much I wanted to travel afterwards. It
made me feel as though this could solve all of my life problems, which of
course is not true. And, unlike Liz, I have nowhere near the amount of money
needed to embark on such an adventure.
Eat, Pray, Love is thought provoking and insightful. It is
best suited for people who are looking for something. Uplifting and exciting,
it is bursting with interesting facts about various countries and cultures. The
whole thing is knitted together with optimistic stories her friends and family
have told her to assure her she is normal. I leave you with the below example. Liz
is feeling guilty about being in a place of worship and obsessing over her ex
boyfriend. And then she remembers a story her psychologist friend Deborah told
her about some Cambodian refugees she had been asked to help. Refugees who had
witnessed torture, rape, murder and the killing of their family members.
Deborah worried that she would not be able to offer them the support they
needed, but reported the following;
It was all: “I met this guy when I was living in the
refugee camp, and we fell in love. I thought he really loved me, but then we
were separated on different boats, and he took up with my cousin. Now he’s
married to her, but he says he really loves me, and he keeps calling me, and I
know I should tell him to go away, but I still love him and I cant stop
thinking about him. And I don’t know what to do…”
Liz Gilbert’s story makes you realise that most shameful feelings you have are normal of women wherever you go in the world.
A recommended read (if you believe in God and/or are a middle-aged and unhappy/newly divorced woman).
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