I finished reading this book today (very sadly, I must add). I love love loved it completely and would love to know what others thought about it. It's the kind of book that you read and you just want to buy a copy for all the women that you know, if you could.

I found it really entertaining and interesting as well as thought provoking. It had some really profound messages which make me want to read the book all over again. I tracked down and bought my husband a copy in Spanish (it would take him eternity to read the English version).

Did anyone not enjoy it? Have you read any other of Elizabeth Gilbert's books??

If you have not read it, perhaps drop into Borders or Big W or somewhere and just have a read of ten or so pages and see what you think. If you want to purchase it, try bookdepository.co.uk (I think that's the correct web address, or google the book depository uk). I bought my copy for $10.25 including postage, whereas Big W sells it for $17.

I bought a copy for my mum last week. I'm waiting for her to get stuck into it so we can chat about the book. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts! I would really appreciate it!!

Thanks!!

I really did not like this book. It took me several attempts to read and when I finally finished it on the third was greatly relieved. Personally I found her conceited and painful, definitely not someone I could relate to. The Italian chapter was so self pitying I just wanted to slap her.

I found the whole story quite contrived and ott, maybe I would have felt differently had she not been given a bonus 6 figure sum by her publisher to write a book about finding herself before she embarked on her tour of self realisation .

The only highlight was that she stayed with her Brazilian and Ubud. I love Ubud.

i found the book interesting but found it way too self indulgent and self centred and her not particularly likable (i can't actually find the words to explain how i really felt about it, hard to explain). i won't read it again.

I didn't like it either, or didn't like HER. I finished it but wouldn't recommend it or read it again.

You might find this interesting .
I replied here. I seemed to be in the minority. But then I see nothing wrong with self-indulgence and regularly indulge myself. I also related to her . Yes, I wanted all my friends to read it but few of my friends are interested in it .
http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/forums/ind...howtopic=701949

I enjoyed reading about her time in India.

If you enjoyed it, there is a sequel called 'Committed' which came out recently. Haven't heard the reviews of this yet.

After hearing rave reviews about this book, I was really disappointed once I finally sat down to read it myself.

I don't have a problem with her taking a year off to 'find herself' after going through a very tough time, nor do I think it is unreasonable that she should have organised a way to fund the trip through a book deal before going. There was, however, just something about her that I couldn't warm to no matter how hard I tried - and I even read it through a second time to see if I had missed something, but no...

I'm glad she eventually found happiness, but at the same time I have no desire whatsoever to read the follow-up book.

This. And a later book clled "The Last American Man" is DREADFUL (I'm pretty sure it's hers :S). Something in her writing style just yells "pompous twattery" to me.

I'm reading it now and I love it so much I'm reading it really slowly so it doesn't end too soon. I too find nothing wrong with self indulgence!!

Cheers,

Toni.

I dont understand people's need to like a character or a narrator in a novel.

I read it, enjoyed the story thoroughly and tink she is an excellent writer with a great tale to tell, but it never occurred to me whether i liked her or not.

My mum said something similar about that book "The Slap", that she didnt like any of the characters, to me it didnt matter, it was a great story and an interesting and accurate protrayal of a subset of Australian society.

I got it from a friend for my birthday last year and am just reading it now. I'm up to India. I find it thought provoking but it hasn't really grabbed me. When I love a book I'll read it in almost one sitting, but I keep putting this one down and have so far taken a month to get about half way through.

I hear her ex husband wrote a book called "Eat, Play, F*ck"

I hated her book. I had a strong suspicion that she would irritate the pants off me. I was right. Whinge, whine, moan, groan. Plus I thought the book was very tedious.

Complete sh*te. One of our book clubs worst choices...and thats saying something.

Cat

That's the part I hated. I quite enjoyed the Italy and Indonesia sections.

Ditto. I also heard she really irritated the locals of Ubud when she lived there. I also don't think there is anything special about her writing.

Someone had told me I'd hate it so for a long time i kept ignoring it in the bookstore but I figured 4 million readers can't be wrong so gave in & bought it the other week.

Just finished it on the weekend & have to say I really enjoyed it. Got me thinking about spirituality & it was definitely not the normal sort of book I'd be interested in.

Sure she is annoying and I can't imagine I'd particularly like her if I met her but i thought her journey was an interesting one to read. I'll probably read the follow up "Committed" to see how the story ends with her Brazillian man.

I understand Julia Roberts is playing her in the movie. Can't quite imagine Julia playing her. I pictured her as someone less "Hollywood". Julia's too beautiful for that role I think.

I didn't like it either....and the reviews I've read of Committed sound even more "self indulgent".

Hi Ladies,

Yep the above two quotes summed up my feelings as well. I just found her story (which is the whole point of the book) so self centered. I kept reading it hoping the whole time that it was going to be deeply spiritual and a real eye opener. Something to really put life into perspective. Yet all I got in the end was this lady who could never seem to be happy about anything. I thought there are far worse people suffering in the world and sorry I read this story.

Much better than I expected! She was supposed to come out with a follow up, but I have yet to see it.

She was married and thought that she was "supposed" to do the marriage and baby thing, but had a breakdown in her bathroom on the floor and started to talk to God about what she should do. That's when she decided to take this journey, she would spend, I believe it was a year, travelling. Spending time in Italy eating, then it was to pray in an asylum and then she talks about how in the next country, she finds love.

She takes you on this journey with her, you hear about how she made ends meet, the people she met, the things she did, what she learned, the places she went to, etc. It really is an awesome book and I can't wait to see if she does come out with a follow up and to see what she's doing now. I don't want to spoil the ending, but what she was going to update was what had happened at the end of the book, and where she is now in her life.

It's just a really good book of one woman's journey to find herself and what's important in life, you know, she finally does the things she normally wouldn't do.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it when I was suffering from depression so a lot of it struck a chord.

I actually loaned it to a woman in my PND support group and unfortunately, never got it back. It's a book I need to have in my book case so will be buying another copy and re reading it.

I hated this book too. Too pretentious and self absorbed by far.

It was okay but I found myself wanting to skim over parts as it was a bit tedious. It was good but not something I'd reread.

I loved the story and this article about it (a Gilbert-basher talks about all the Gilbert-bashing).

I didn't love it, no. I thin I mainly kept reading as I had heard so much hype that I felt it must be around the next page...that page never did come.

I thought it was a somewhat narcissistic book, about a not very interesting person, who did not have any of the limitations that many women face.

I clicked on that link and thought how naive it was that the writer was surprised that detractors were dissing Elisabeth Gilbert personally, rather than the book. Well, when you write a story about yourself, and not about someone else, and you think the book is a load of pretentious self-absorbed crap about a selfcentered woman, well of course you are going to diss the author personally because she IS the book.

LOVED this book! Resonated with me completely.

I'm halfway through it right now. I'm enjoying it, and think its an interesting story. I neither like nor dislike her as the main character in the story, I don't feel I need to like/dislike her. I can relate to her experiences somewhat.

I'm not sure I love her writing style, but the book is easy enough to read, and I think it has some positive messages that we can all learn from.

I was given this book for christmas by an Aunty-In-Law and found it immensly difficult to get into and i LOVE reading. I havent even finished it, I didnt even get past Italy.

Like pp i had read the reviews and began reading with anticipation, but it never hooked me, i never found myself really waiting or wanting to find out more about her or what happens next.

I do need to feel a connection to the story, character or SOMETHING to read a book, otherwise it isnt attractive to me.

I dont think ill pick it up and try again.

Twice I have tried to read it and both times given up in frustration and boredom. I won't bother trying again, it is very rare that I don't finish a book, even one that I don't enjoy!

I was loaned this book by my MIL who was given it as a mothers day present from my SIL who loves the book.

I am finding it hard to get into, but thought it was just because I am so tired. However after reading others reviews maybe it is the book afterall.

I will finish it eventually but doubt I will be raving about it like my SIL did.

We are planning to see the movie, so hopefully that is better.

I must be in the minority then. I really enjoyed it.

It's been a while now, so can't remember all the intricate details. I guess I too am someone who loves travelling, eating, spirituality so probably not a surprise that it resonated.

I can't recall thinking she was all the things described here. I also had no expectations as I hadn't read any reviews. Overall it was a feel good novel for me.

I think it is a lot to do with personality types. It sung my song, but probably because of my life and experiences.

To each their own

Haven't read eat pray love, but...



I felt the same as your mum about 'The Slap'. I had heard such good things about it, and tried hard to enjoy it, but I got about 1/3 of the way through and gave up. I really didn't like any of the characters, and really didn't care what happened to them. So I stopped reading.