Elizabeth Gilbert
«Eat Pray Love»
One woman’s search for everything
Every moment is worth enjoying it.
The story.
«Eat pray love» is an autobiographical story about a woman in her early thirties who has experienced a dramatic divorce. Devastated and disappointed she decides to leave the familiar atmosphere of New York and plans a journey for a year, to find herself again far away from home.
The book is written in the genre of memoirs and divided into three parts, each of which consists of 36 short stories. Three words in the title equal three chapters dedicated to the three countries in which the main character Liz is passing her year of self-studies.
The first destination of Liz is the capital of Italy – Rome. She spends here the first four months searching for her lost appetite for life. She learns Italian and the art of enjoying the life. In Italy, Liz travels a lot and shares with the reader her impressions of each city in particular.
As the book name suggests, the word of Italy is eat. Indeed, while reading this chapter, my appetite really increased several times because of all these delicacies, which Liz is eating in Rome and beyond.
The reader not only gets a basic course of Italian language, but also learns the some specifics of Italian culture. For example, the art of the «sweet doing nothing» or the art of making something out of nothing.
If you could start every day questioning yourself: «What would you really like to do today?», the answer doesn’t come to your mind immediately, is it? In real life, we submit to our obligations, tasks and the sense of duty… The moral of the story is that it is important to pay attention to our basic needs, for example, to the process of taking food. After all, it’s often exactly the good food, that brings joy and satisfaction, even if you’re eating alone.
After the tasty Italian time-out Liz goes to the modest life in an Indian ashram (monastery), where she learns to meditate and seeks for cognizance of God. From Italy to India – isn’t it an unexpected turn? The reader won’t be really surprised, because the main character is a yoga fan and actually she travels to India to spend 4 months in the ashram of her spiritual mentor.
The author proves to the reader that a prayer as a source of happiness does not always mean talking directly to God or meditate in the uncomfortable lotus position. The most important thing is being in peace with yourself, to find a higher creature that lives in your heart and to conclude a truce with it.
So what about love?
The last four months Liz spends in Bali, the paradise island with a complicated past and touristic present. Liz comes here, neither more nor less, because of the prediction of an old Balinese healer. With his (healer’s) help she finds her balance between internal and external happiness. At the same time she fills her private life with new sense, understanding that the mutual self-giving without questions, without «what if» and «but» creates the atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
IMHO.
It all started with the movie «Eat Pray Love» with Julia Roberts based on the book of Elizabeth Gilbert. The two-hour-long movie impressed me so much that I decided to definitely read the book. Luckily my friend Susi took this book in German to Madrid.
I liked the book very much. As usual, some book details are a little changed in the film for better «watchability,» but it’s hardly a disadvantage.
“Eat pray love” is, no doubt, a woman’s book, written for the female auditorium. I’m sure many men would like this book as well though.
Since the main goal of the author is to find herself and the God in her heart, the book raises many philosophical questions. Like, do you need a special talent to be happy? Should you try to keep everything under control, or better let it go and take your reality as it is.
While reading you get a basic course of Italian, especially its culinary definitions, you imagine the process of meditation, accompanied by Indian hymns, as well as learn the first four numbers in Balinese.
Immediately after the release 2006, Gilbert’s book has become a bestseller. What makes it so special? First, “Eat pray love” is really entertaining. The story of Liz drives the reader to the beautiful places everyone would love to visit (especially after reading). But most of all there are these surprisingly simple wisdoms which are waiting for the reader on the pages of the novel.
In my Russian university I learned to write down the thoughts of the authors that I especially liked. Now I’d like to show you some quotes that made me think about, take a pencil and write them into my special notebook.
The true wisdom gives every moment the only correct answer. Even if it means going to bed.
If one desire is in the opposition with another — a person is predisposed to be unhappy. It is better to concentrate on the only one thing.
You need to know exactly what you want and be able to express it in words.
If you really want to control something, work on your thoughts. You can choose them every day, just like your clothes.
The poor Italian man visits the church every day and prays in front of the statue of some important saint, calling out to it: «Dear Saint, help me, for heaven’s sake, to win the lottery!». So he prays for several months. Once the statue comes to life, looks down at the prayer and says angrily: «My son, for heaven’s sake, buy finally a lottery ticket!»
Destiny is the interaction of the divine will and your own volitional efforts… A man is not entirely a Lord’s puppet, either the master of his destiny. As the circus artists riding two horses at the same time, we ride through the life balancing between the horse named «Destiny» and the horse named «Free Will». And the question that we ask ourselves every day is: which horse should I especially take care of, and which one is possible not to worry about, because its behavior, in any case, isn’t influenced by me?
The question of religions:
Isn’t it clear yet that the infinite is really infinite? That the most holy person among us can only see fragments? And what if we could gather all these details and compare them with each other, opening a unified story of God, which is close to everyone? .. Doesn’t each of us have the right to search further, to search till he comes to the source of the miracle, as close as possible?
In hell, in fact, it’s just like in heaven. The universe is a circle – whether up or down — after all is the same thing. As above, so below. The only difference is that the way to heaven is going through the seven happiest places, to hell though the seven saddest places. So it’s better to start a happy journey.
The only difference between devils and angels is the feeling that is coming after their disappearance. Are you scared — it was a devil, relieved — all speaks for an angel.
Inspired by our own mantras, we become monuments of our words.
(there may be some difference to the original text since these quotations have been translated by me from German)
