While this book does sometimes bog down in her descriptions it offers a way of dealing with things that affect many women and their choices/decisions today...I only suggest you don't worry about understanding everything or believing everything she says...the important parts will jump out at you and stay with you....."See, now that's your problem. You're wishin' too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be."
Gotta love Richard from Texas' logic....

Great book, so rare to find a travel book that also includes the author's inner spiritual journey. Not the story intensity or level of Kira Salak's two travel books ("Cruelest Journey" and "Four Corners") or her latest fiction work loosely based on her real life experiences "The White Mary" (the ultimate book of adventure and travel that takes the main character through an amazing physical and spiritual journey) that define inner spirtual journey travel writing, but still a great read worth five stars. If you like travel books that cover the inner journey as well as the external journey, you will greatly enjoy this book.

I loved this book. What a beautiful writer she is! She makes the English language sing. Very encouraging for anyone who is "lost" and wants more out of life.

Get it on CD......her voice is just like syrup......you really feel like she is telling her story directly to you as well.

The book is excellent, and a good read that's hard to put down. Elizabeth Gilbert did and excellent job in sharing her journey to get closer with God, in this book. This book has change my views on the day to day stressors and how I handled them. My development with God has truly been changed in reading this book, I have found God to be so wonderful and exciting and my life has truly changed for the better.

This book is a road map illustrating beautifully---and at times quite humorously--- how one person made sense of this world by connecting to the Other. It's a wonderfully written guide to drawing back the curtain that hides us from our true nature, from God's presence within us. Elizabeth Gilbert has made a lasting and important contribution by sharing her deepest personal issues and efforts to resolve them. Rarely does an author convey such important lessons with such a delicious and delightful personal voice.

There are several themes to this book beyond the three segments. Supposedly it was a woman's search for love, which she seems to have found to some tolerable degree.
Personally, I did not connect to her emotional flailing,nor did I find much wisdom or solace in various types of pizza, and often felt that I could get a better description of Italy from a travel folder, and nearly put the book aside. And yet, I kept on reading and reading and finally got to India, which was Very interesting. I learned a great deal about that foreign and yet comforting religious way of life. If for nothing else, the India section of the book was worth it all.
The Indonesian segment was easy and light to read. I'm not sure whether the author came out more likable or not,but she seemed to feel that she was, so...
If the reader was supposed to learn how to get in touch with God through her examples, I hope that those who didn't know how to do so before reading this book, benefitted from it.

A memoir about Gilbert's journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia following her painful divorce. The book is divided into 3 equal sections. The first, and my favorite, details her gustatory journey through Italy. She then goes on to discover spirituality in India and, finally, love in Indonesia. I did not find the book particularly inspiring or uplifting though I wouldn't go so far as to say I disliked it. Again, I found the journey through Italy to be humorous and lighthearted. As for the rest? It didn't quite deliver.

She ends the book with a sense of gratitude that is eloquently expressed in the final section. She writes, "In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have our voices". (p. 334) A tender way to conclude.

I enjoyed reading Ms. Gilbert's account of her travels and experiences. She writes really well and is very entertaining. However, I found the extremes she went through to quell her emotional pain and find her center well outside of the "norm" (I mean how many of us can take a year off to travel the world because we've had a divorce or breakup with a significant other?) and a little ridiculous for a grown women if you ask me, but to each his/her own, I guess. If you're not looking for anything too spiritual or enlightening, this is a good read. Just hearing about all of the customs and characters is fasinating. If it were a movie, it would definitely be a "Chick Flick."

I had this book uploaded to my MP3 player. I didn't like this author from the getgo but I forced myself to give it a chance and listened to it for an hour. I thought, "If I hear her use the word I one more time I will scream!" At the end of an hour I coldn't delete the book from my MP3 player fast enough. What a relief to be rid of it. Yikes!

This is a wonderful book that is deeply profound and entertaining and witty at the same time...a must read!

I DID NOT CARE FOR THIS BOOK. THE AUTHOR WAS TOO SELF ABSORBED FOR ME TO BE "HOOKED."

This book has great humor and her description of places and her thinking is impeccable. BUT, with that being said, her trip to India took forever and could've been shortened in the book. I liked her open mindedness to other belief systems and opportunities. I wish she would've described more of the love with Felipe to balance out the lust factor. I like the colorful people she meets, esp. Richard from Texas. Overall, with the exception of India's chapters going on forever, I love this book and feel it is a great read.

This book was purchased as a gift for my daughter, a college student about to become a college professor in literature. She said she considers it one of her 5 best books ever (and she reads constantly!) Now she will pass it to her mother and friends... and demand it be returned! Exellent, she says.

having been to many of the places she is describing I really appreciated the humor in her descriptions (especially how she describes the Indonesian island of Bali and the people there is simply hollarious!!!). She manages to really make you like her in this book and you feel close to her after reading it....she could be a Guru herself but I reckon she already sorta is. I have friends with depressions and it really helped me to grasp what they have to go through. She is a refreshing honest and direct person, reading about her was fun and entertaining and did leave me with lots of value and ideas what all I personally should do or stop.

A very positive documentary on exploring not only the places, food or meditation but also love and peace of mind.

This is a wonderful inspirational book - I felt like I was going through the travels and the journey with her. I related to a lot of the things that she had and was experiencing in her life. Can't wait to see the movie when it comes out.

the first chapter was so, so, The second chapter a little more enlightening, the third, wellllll . Not sure what this book was suppose to inspire me about? Would return it, if possible.

While the book is well written and sometimes amusing, it has an overall air of arrogance and self-indulgence. It covers a lifestyle no one should want to copy. After a while, the whole thing becomes sickening.

I agree with many of the negative reviews. She has narcissistic and selfish tendencies. Regarding the negative commentary on her divorce: She did say that she wasn't going to delve into their marital problems, so it's unfair to complain that she didn't seem to have reasons behind the divorce. But to her credit, she did raise money (and put in her own) to buy a home for her friend and the orphan girls in Bali, so she's not completely void of a heart for others. The book is about her journey of getting over her pain and "finding herself" so yes, she's going to spend a lot of time talking about herself and her pain. Take the book for what it is: an entertaining read on a woman's travels abroad. If you are looking for a saint's inspiring words and how poverty touches the soul, then you might be disappointed.

Reading this book is like reading someone's private journal - too much self-absorbed thought. I found it hard to relate to someone who disdained both marriage and children, had the financial resources to spend a full year traveling and indulging, and who has no commitment to other human beings - or at least as we're told. Personally I'm amazed she couldn't find God in Italy - the home of the Catholic church, and I got lost in the ashram, but eventually finished it, more out of curiousity than because it held my attention.

There are some redeeming qualities towards the end that encourages us to re-evaluate our lives, sort of a stop, look and listen reminder. But all in all, I have yet to figure out the allure of Oprah and all the other outstanding reviews.

I first heard about this book after seeing the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, on the Oprah Winfrey show. I brought the book shortly thereafter and started to read it right a way. It became too painful, however, for me to continue reading it when Elizabeth Gilbert was describing her relationship with David. I stopped reading it and placed it my headboard.

The reason why, at that time, it was too painful for me to read Eat, Pray and Love was because the relationship I was in was heading south and I didn't know what, if anything, I could do to prevent it from ending. I wasn't in the proper frame of mind to read the book at that time nor was I in the proper frame of mind when the relationship *did* end, painfully so, and left me devastated and suicidal for several months.

About a month ago I picked up the book again and, this time, it was a blessing. As I read the book, I saw myself clearly mirrored in what Elizabeth Gilbert was describing and realized that was why I found it so hard to read the last time. Unlike Elizabeth Gilbert, I haven't found myself yet but continue to grow as I read and mediate.

My favorite part of the book is when she was in India. I found so much profound wisdom in that section that most of the pages are yellow instead of white. :-)

As I started to get close to the end, I found I didn't want to read it anymore. Not because it was too painful to read; not because I wasn't getting anything out of it but just the opposite. I didn't want to finish reading it because I didn't want the book to end. Elizabeth Gilbert writes from the heart. She writes with a great deal of warmth, love and with a sense of humor; most of all at herself. You feel, as you read the book, that you have found a friend.

For those who wrote reviews and didn't like the book, maybe they weren't in the right frame of mind when they read it. My advice is to read it again; you just might be surprised by what you get out of it a second time around.

It's difficult to imagine that this book is a bestseller. After about 50 pages I was bored with her ramblings and unimportant self-focus. Geez. This is what sells in the US these days? I guess it tells us something about our consciousness and level of sophistication around literature. (This book is NOT literature.)

I was very happy with the service and the quick shipment of the book I ordered. I would certainly order from there again. Thanks so much.

I heard about this book being discussed on the Gail King XM radio show several months ago and was intrigued by the interview. Having been through a divorce and walking through an airport on my weekly business travels, I purchased the book on a lark. I found the book amazingly easy to read and quite enjoyable. Liz Gilbert's ability to take you through her divorce and subsequent worldwide travel to only find her true inner-self was truly uplifting and entertaining.

I hated to finish this book.

I think the reason this book is so intensely popular is because even though most of Elizabeth Gilbert's readers can't identify with the logistics of her journey (she took a year off and traveled the globe because she was depressed!), but because they enjoyed her attitude about being open to change. She's serious, yet hilarious, open, yet emotionally crippled -- all at the same time.

At times, the book felt like a travel journal. It was very interesting to me to learn so much about way different cultures live. Whether the national focus is on good food (Italians and their pasta and wine), a good relationship with their 'God' (Indians and their meditation) or, well, the people she interacted with in Indonesia are just too odd to categorize. The author was able to melt into each culture and share her experiences through good, old-fashioned American girl talk. All while searching for some kind of comfort within her own skin. She simply wanted to be happier and put herself through some pretty far out methods in order to come out on the other side of her unhappiness.

As for the religious connotations (particularly while in India), I hope readers who aren't particularly 'believers' can plow through those references and enjoy her process. What she experiences is quite funny and, at times, pretty insightful. She started the book with a general belief in 'our' God, so was willing to see how other cultures find greater comfort through their spiritual relationships with 'theirs'. However, for me, this wasn't religious reading (again, particularly the section about India because that's where her entire visit was about finding a spirituality that works for her). It was so far out from any kind of bible thumping that most of us normally avoid that it was a good read - if that makes sense? When she moves on to Indonesia, the beliefs that the people had were downright hilarious.

If you find your head reeling because you just can't 'buy' the meditation stuff, fast forward through a paragraph or two, but don't give up. You might miss a few nuggets where she comes up with some pretty wonderful insights about life, but still, it'll keep you moving through the book instead of saying "this isn't for me", ya know?

I found myself wanting to highlight a sentence here and there. An "aha!" that made me want to be able to read it again when I feel lost the next time, etc. Or something funny that I just appreciated as a writer. In any case, I've found a new author to read, she feels like a woman I could have drinks with and laugh, cry or just get a kick out of. If this book ever was turned into a movie, it would be beautiful and hilarious and raw all at once. I'm thinking...Sandra Bullock or anyone who can pull off vulnerable and funny at the same time.

Thank you Elizabeth for writing this beautiful piece of literature. Reading this book has helped me learn how to pray again. I am forever grateful.

We've all had that moment when we're so low the baseboards look like levees. If you haven't been there, then you need to be prepared. I read this book after years of healing from an awful breakup. The thread of emotion that has remained from that seven year relationship is now just a small part of the fabric of my life that I lead now. This book helped me to see that and I am very grateful to the friend that suggested I read it.

I truly can't understand what the excitement was all about with this book. This book is full of self absorbed drivel where the author carried on, and on, and on... about the demise of her marriage throughout the entire novel. I couldn't sympathise with her as the break up didn't appear to be that bad.
I felt embarassed for her in the way she carried on about herself as though it was the worst thing in the world when outside the ashram in India was total poverty. Honestly don't waste your time or money on this drivel.

If Woody Allen and Saul Bellow had a baby who inherited most of her parents' neuroses and love of self-analysis and very little of their talent, that baby would be Elizabeth Gilbert.
Gilbert's writing style is okay. She was amusing at times and I found parts of her descriptions of her stay in India interesting. But I just couldn't get past the author's jaw-dropping obsession with herself. She simply isn't interesting enough to warrant it! I was pretty sick of her after about forty pages.
Why do Oprah-ites think the way to "find yourself" is to spend 365 days thinking about yourself and nothing but yourself? Most of us in the real world know the true path to self-enlightenment comes thru "losing yourself."

I loved the concept of the book. Her adventures were memorable, her quest was admirable and it was all written with a witty tone that made it easy to devour this book. The only downfall to me is that I found the narrator/author to be quite annoying and overly self-absorbed. Unfortunately, this greatly detracted from the overall majesty of the book.

A wonderfully written entertaining ,insightful and frank exploration of one person's exciting and stressful, but ultimately joyful life. Her descriptions of places, persons and emotions bring the reader into her world and we are all the richer for it. It's great reading for everyone but especially women..there is something in there that absolutely everyone can identify with. It made me decide to reread it once a year just to put life in perspective again. You'll laugh out loud and cry and enjoy every moment.

I had first heard about this book and the author while watching an Oprah show. There were women on there who were so inspired by the book that they actually went on similar journeys to India and Indonesia. So, I thought to myself "Wow, this must be a very inspirational book with a profound message". The next day I ordered it in order to experience the journey for myself.

After reading maybe three or four pages I knew that the writing style of this author was not my taste. Her writing is chatty, for lack of a better word, conversational to a point of sheer boredom with metaphors that were simply bizzare. The writing was all over the place. You would be reading something about her time in Italy and in a moment you'd be ready about something that happened to her in New York. It was the same throughout the book. It did not have a natural ebb and flow to it.

Spending months in Italy as she states, I would think and hoped that there would be more creative expressions on Italy as a destination. It seems as if all she experienced there was eating pasta, pizza, desserts and having conversations with anyone and everyone which to be fair if that is your idea of pleasure then great, but I found it not very believable. She even mentions she did not visit any museums while there which I find a little strange. Ms. Gilbert also mentions that she changed the names of absolutely everyone in the book. I had to laugh when I read about Luca Spaghetti in Italy. I really wondered about it when she stated in the book that it was his real name. It just didn't add up as did much of the book.

India was a little more tolerable in that through this uninspired verbiage the author employed you learned something about ashrams, yoga and meditation. What I learned about India through this period in her life was almost like reading from a reference book. No feelings emanating from the author at all in my opinion.

Indonesia I will have to say I enjoyed much more. Her writing at this point was a very factual and detailed account of the Balinese people, their customs and traditions however it was again like reading a guidebook. I have to admit though that the "four brothers" is something that struck me and will stay with me.

The job of a writer is to capture the reader so that your own feelings and experience flow through the reader. I never felt anything while reading this book. I was hoping to find something profound or insiprational. All I received from this book was a better understanding of meditation and the Balinese people.

The book is based on the premise of self discovery yet I never felt this throughout the book. Her descriptions and insights to different characters throughout the book were sometimes shallow and bordering on just plain rude. I don't think her intent was to be rude or shallow but rather witty. The problem is it just didn't work. Her wit is more sarcasm than anything else.

Another point I'd like to make is that after her bathroom floor meltdown when everything was slipping away and she had hit bottom so to speak she was given the money by her publisher to write this book. That being said I feel as if the lack of feeling and inspiration throughout this book comes from the fact that she was on a writing assignment to explore self discovery rather than experiencing this journey as a result of a devastating time in her life.

All in all, I was extremely disappointed with this book. I liked the fact that I learned a bit about another culture but other than that it was a wasted read.

I loved this book. I'd recommend it for women of all ages, especially if they are searching for balance in life...well really, who isn't?

This book is for many people but especially for someone who has battled depression or for a friend/family member of someone working through depression -it really enlightened me to the plight of a person who is dealing with this disease...

Straight away Ms. Gilbert let's the reader know in the introduction that she won't discuss the details surrounding the breakdown of her marriage, and I respect that. A main point of contention for many disappointed readers appears to be connected with that lack of disclosure.

It is my humble opinion that Ms. Gilbert's intent is to demonstrate that depression is about self absorption and this is her story of internal and external self discovery! No one can truly love another person or help another until they wholly love and accept their imperfect self. Getting to this level of understanding requires alot of self contemplation.

I found the book engaging, enlightening and uplifting. The characters were rich (I loved Richard from Texas!) and so vivid. I feel as if I spent time with some really wonderful people in three wonderful locations.

Ms. Gilbert's growth was immense and I am anxious to read the next book.

This book was recommended by my granddaughter who works for CNN. She is an avid reader and I always listen to her. She was right. Great book, take the time and read it.

I bought the book only to fulfill the quota of a book club I had joined. I had heard a radio interview with the author and liked her, so I picked this out of the huge catalog of possible purchases.

I found it so much better than I had expected. I had a really hard time putting it down and have been telling my friends about it ever since reading it. First of all, the author is a very talented writer. I laughed out loud many times, and I'm not naturally an out-loud laugher. She manages to be wise and funny and instructive all at once. I normally only read "spiritual" books but I found this one to be much more inspiring and insightful than a bunch of the more serious kind. Don't be fooled by the light hearted tone--there is a lot of wisdom here.

I've read a few of the reviews, both negative and positive. Some of the negative comments amaze me, but it's a fact that people can only see what their minds can let them see. I am really glad that so many folks have seen the value in it. I found myself discussing it with my doctor (who quickly wrote down the name) and pondered what I could take from this woman's story for my own life. It's that kind of book. She speaks from a deep level and if you are open to its message, you can mine some gold for your own life.

To those who fear buying the book because some reviewers found it superficial and self-obsessed, I say that it could just be a mirror for the reader.

If you are interested in visiting any of the three countries Elizabeth wrote about, Italy, India and Indonesia, then read this book. She does a great job of describing the day-to-day live of the individuals in these countries. In some cases you will laugh out loud. Elizabeth's writing style is very conversational like she is talking to a friend. She is also very funny

I was somewhat leary of buying a "used" book, but I need not have worried. The book was in near perfect condition. I am very pleased.

This is definitely a good read for those of us who haven't been through a mid-life crisis but would like to consider it. What would it be like to divorce, quit your job, take a break from the hectic world we all know, travel and consider God? Not only an enjoyable read but thought-provoking as well. I'm definitely going to visit Italy now.

I read this book on the recommendation of my mother...and have rediscovered why I never listen to her advice. I kept waiting for this idiotic author to discover that if she wasn't so into herself, perhaps her life would be better, but it never happened. I did enjoy the Italy section (as the food sounds great), but honestly if I met this woman while she was traveling I would have smacked her upside the head. Her time and money would have been better spent on charity work then this driveling 'look how much i've improved myself' egocentric excuse of a book. Don't waste your money.

What self-absorbed drivel. I had to force myself to finish this book and just kept hoping it would get better and less infuriating. It didn't.

I just finished my second reading and loved it equally as much, if not more, than the first time. Elizabeth Gilbert has a beautiful gift. I'm more envious of her ability to write so eloquently than of her year living abroad...

My sister gave me the book after she read it because she said she was "touched by it." Well, having suffered from a 3-year episode of depression myself, I can certainly sympathize with the author -- depression is indeed horrible. However, I didn't have the luxury of dropping everything in my life, to go and travel and write about my experience. I had to just "buck up" and accept that I was no exception; EVERYONE has issues and must learn to deal with them as part of life. Now, I have to admit that I didn't hate the book, in fact I enjoyed most of it, but mostly because of the other (much more interesting) people that Liz meets in her travels -- like Richard from Texas -- I LOVED this character. I only hope he comes out with his own book soon!

Although at times a little "woohoo", this author lays it all on the line to find life's perfect balance. Too bad most of us don't have a bottomless checkbook where we can also go "find ourselves" in India, Italy, etc. Where's my passport??????

This book was recommeded to me.....it is a must read. I could identify with Liz...and feel inspired to search for my inner peace after reading this book.

Although at times a little "woohoo", this author lays it all on the line to find life's perfect balance. Too bad most of us don't have a bottomless checkbook where we can also go "find ourselves" in India, Italy, etc. Where's my passport??????

This book was recommeded to me.....it is a must read. I could identify with Liz...and feel inspired to search for my inner peace after reading this book.

I can not understand the rave reviews this book get - maybe because it's an Oprah selection and her followers would buy whatever she recommends....what a pity. This book has taught me nothing. The writer is self indulgent and I could not connect with her at all. I read another non-fiction travel story recently titled Crying with Cockroaches and what a joy! Get it and spot the difference.

I loved this book. It made me laugh, it made me cry. I thought it was wonderfully written and engaging. I related to the book and Elizabeth Gilbert so well.

Boring-don't waste your time and money. I couldn't get past the first 20 pages. The final straw was when she said that God talked to her and told her to "go back to bed." Does she really think that we readers are so stupid as to think that God would speak to her! Was that supposed to make us more sympathetic to her horrible plight. So you had a failed marriage and a great apartment- big deal and now you need to take a trip around the world to feel better. Good thing I didn't pay any money for this book.