Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
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Book Reviews of Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Book Review: Liking it so far, but tiring of haters.
Summary: 5 Stars
I would only like to offer a short comment here, as I am only partway through the India section of this book. I like it. So far, Gilbert's truthfulness about her life - including divorce, depression, and disconnection - has been refreshing. Of course, I could change my mind, but so far so good.
For those of you that criticize her choice to not be a wife anymore or a mother, citing her life "was not so bad", recall where she intentionally chose to not divulge details out of respect. I think in any relationship there are far too many nuances internal to the partnership most are not privy to. You don't know what was really going on, so stop judging. Her decision was obviously difficult. How many of you are just unconsciously jealous, wishing that you could stop living the life you are expected to live?
For those of you that are whining about the "self-absorbed" and "selfish" focus of the book, did you not actually understand what this trip was about? IT WAS ALL ABOUT HER. If you want a book that is written as a bland travel narrative, or for you, write it yourself.
Book Review: Fun, Funny, Inspiring
Summary: 4 Stars
There are three sections of this book and I loved two of them and liked one. Everyone I discuss this book with also loved two sections and liked one--but each person has loved different sections!
She is funny, so real, humane, and as flawed as each of us.
Book Review: Meltdown in Society-A silhouette
Summary: 5 Stars
Conquer My Heart Eat Pray Love meltdown for the wealthy
I admit this is an interesting book. A wealthy woman who was the main support in a marriage decided she no longer wanted to be married. Caught in between the lines were two primary reasons for the divorce decision. She really did not want to be a mother. She was tired of being the primary income. As my own daughter put it, tired of being the cheerleader.
I feel empathy for the woman. In this the current global society a woman choosing not to be a mother is nothing short of a death sentence. Only one of a million doctors will agree to a tubal ligation for a married woman choosing not to have a child. The only recourse is divorce and using divorce as an excuse for celibacy. One could choose to be a nun, but I'm not so certain that celibacy is a real part of convents and or parishes.
The second reason, tired of being a cheerleader is another reason for society to rear its ugly head. A punishment was swift and it was. All of her wealth was taken away by the ex husband (male) and attorney, and judicial system.
I like this book because it actually shows the common belief that only men are raped and pillaged by the courts, but women are more brutalized by the court system. Here is another sore spot with me that this book brought to the fore. I read an article that men do not want to marry because they do not want children and they do not want the wife to take their income and wealth. Here is the rub; this was acceptable reasoning for men not to marry. Personally I believe that the man or woman that did not want children should be allowed to have medical procedures that would take care of the problem. As for the woman taking wealth or in this case a man taking wealth, when are people going to understand that marriage is not about wealth? Marriage is not even about selfish happiness. Elizabeth Gilbert touched on this when finally; it does generally occur in most women eventually, that this love and lust courtship is the poorest foundation for a marital state. When families were involved in the marital state of children the results were usually better. I am not talking about a simple business agreement. I am discussing an intricate study of finances, future finances, checks and balances with necessary requirements of both man and woman brought into the union, and study of astrological charts and tendencies.
I loved the ending. Gilbert choose a man that had determined he no longer wanted children and wanted a woman that did not want children. The lust between them was currently enough to unite in a relationship but not the legal binding of union. Way to go and hearty hip hip hoorays! I truly desire such a happy relationship and to hell with the scowls of society.
I did not get the eating in Italy part. I lived in India some thirty years ago and it was near an ashram. I understood the India and prayer part. I understood the Bali love part. She discovered that although society frowns on the no children and no cheerleader relationship she found and accepted it with a person in Bali. I find it funny that in Bali where society is more rigid and frowning she realized the happiness she had set out to find.
Here is one glitch the reader should be aware of. Although 99.9% of the world population suffers from meltdowns, only .1% can take off a year of their life and conduct a pilgrimage. Gilbert's pilgrimage is only for the wealthy. Gilbert's pilgrimage method is not for any of us.
The need for the pilgrimage is a part of 99.9% of us. What we can learn from this book is that it does touch a lot of us. I feel strongly that this book is a call for help in society.
We need to readdress marriage as a concept today. Our society needs to accept that all of us do not need to be married. We need to accept that some men and women do not want children and should be allowed to medically take care of reproduction without problem or condemnation. These couples should be allowed to engage in relationships without constrictions of legality called marriage and without condemnation. If a man or woman wants reproduction, let them seek out same minded people. If an agreement of reproduction exists then further investigate the acceptability of finances, future, and wealth.
In conclusion, this is an interesting book. It is a recommend read. The book opens recognition when it touches the reader intimately. The book definitely opens discussions on takes from the content in book clubs.
Book Review: READ THIS BOOK!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book. After a friend loaned it to me, I purchased one for myself, both of my sisters, and another friend.I have reread it twice,
It is funny, insightful and inspiring.
Book Review: A Narcissist Travels the World and Sees Only Herself
Summary: 1 Stars
If this book were fiction and entitled "A Narcissist Travels the World but Sees Only Herself" it might be interesting as irony. As is, however, the combination of self-absorption and spiritual pretensions is intolerable.
Just about any religion has at least two components, an ethical component emphasizing how one should treat others and a spiritual component concerning one's relation to the deity. Take the ethical component alone and you get secular humanism which some of us are actually quite fond of. Take the yearning for spiritual solace alone and you get New Age.
When her sister tells her about a family struck with a double tragedy of cancer her Gilbertism is "Dear God, that family needs grace." Her sister replies, "That family needs casseroles," and organizes the neighborhood to bring dinner to the family. Gilbert - I do not know if my sister fully recognizes that this is grace. But one has to wonder about Gilbert's idea of a spiritual grace that doesn't seem to involve empathetic awareness of others -- I don't think we are about to see Gilbert making any casseroles.
Having recently read Mark Salzman's "Iron and Silk" Iron and Silkabout his year teaching in China and his long-time love of Chinese martial arts I couldn't help but contrast his self-deprecating tone and his awareness of another culture and of other people. Salzman sees other's generosity where Gilbert only sees her own magnetic personality. Salzman portrays both how attractive and how alien another culture can be. He sees other people where Gilbert sees only herself. Salzman remains aware and responsive to how taxing to themselves and their family the generousity of people living in poverty can be - Gilbert remains oblivious.
In one vignette, Salzman describes how he draws a picture of a fishing boat and gives the picture to the owners of the boat. The fisherman then wants to give the boat to Salzman. Salzman recognizes that he must accept something and says that in his country the proper gift for something artistic is something else artistic and asks for and gets each member of the family to sing him a folk song. It is not just that Gilbert lacks empathetic skill, but seems to be uninterested in feelings other than her own.