Eat, Pray, Love

About this book

Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy's buffet of delights — the world's best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners — Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. 'I came to Italy pinched and thin,' she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise 'betwixt and between' realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry — conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor — as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)--Gilberts prose is fueled by a mix of intelligence, wit and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible. ("The New York Times Book Review")--About the AuthorElizabeth Gilbert is the author of the short story collection "Pilgrims", which was a PEN/Hemingway Award finalist, a New York Times Notable Book, & one of "Glamour's" Best Books of the Year. "Pilgrims" also won best fiction awards from the "Paris Review", "GQ", &"Ploughshares". Currently a writer-at-large for "GQ", Gilbert lives in New York's Hudson Valley.Biografia, Autobiografia, Memórias / Literatura Estrangeira / Romance