I'm not usually into new-agey mystical stuff, so I delayed reading this one (despite the rave review it received from my mother-in-law). Once I started, though, I was hooked. What kept me going was Gilbert's entertaining prose--she is an excellent writer. ( )

I wasn't entirely sure about this book when I started, given that the author's mystical, New Age spirituality was a little too much for me. However, I was soon drawn into the story and found myself thoroughly engrossed. For starters, I found myself relating a lot to the author at various points (although not on her religious views). I particularly liked the part of the book that discussed her travels in Italy, although I was also amused by her tales from Bali and the people that she befriended there. (The parts about India were more about spiritual than cultural matters, so I was less interested there). Also, the author divested so much of her personal life, that I became invested in her story. And for the audiophile, Gilbert's voice was very soothing and melodic. This was so calming that it kept me enthralled in the book even during her lengthy explanations of searching for God in an ashram in India (aka, the parts I was less interested in). If you are in to New Age spiritualism, or if like me you can agree to disagree, this book is a gem. The people are lively (and all the more interesting for being real), the prose is fanciful without being overly wrought (and thereby unreadable), and Gilbert gives almost anthropological descriptions of the places she stays in, giving the reader a glimpse at another country and its culture each time she moves. ( )

I seemed to get bogged down towards the end and found the author to be whiny ( )

Started of full of a promising adventure of self discovery, lost me by page 101... ( )

Elizabeth Gilbert says that she structured her book as a japa mala, strings of beads to assist devout Hindus and Buddhists in prayerful meditation. The book is divided into three sections--Italy (Eat), India (Pray), and Indonesia (Love)--with 36 tales per country, 108 in all, with an introduction serving as bead 109 on her japa mala.

It's a perfect structure because the book so often parallels meditative practice. Gilbert starts by clearing her life, paring down to the essentials for a year overseas. She begins her journey in Italy with physical restoration and reasserts control over her life and emotions. In India, she works on her soul and learns how to quiet her mind. After struggling so hard for control, she realizes she must let go to experience peace. Finally, in Indonesia, she transcends all the pain of past failures to find contentment and love.

While all of that sounds so serious, the book is surprisingly funny. I often found myself laughing while crying; it's that kind of book. It's also a delightful travelogue of Italy and Bali. Throughout the book, Gilbert's love of people and her desire to experience other cultures on their own terms makes her all the more interesting and likable.

I recommend this book highly for anyone who likes to travel, who's interested in other cultures, who needs restoration after the end of a relationship, who's looking for happiness, or who just wants to laugh. ( )