Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

From Amazon: This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls “Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister”) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

When I came into possession of this book, I was not going to read it. I wasn't interested in the least. I'm neither religious or spiritual. I don't believe in astrology, I roll my eyes at most new agey-ness and I don't believe in god. There was nothing about this book that appealed to me.

So why did I read it? I really don't know. I probably felt like being annoyed that day. Do you do that? Read things that you know are going to make you angry, just for the sake of being angry? I do. Obviously.

I had every intention on hating it. I was going to be good and annoyed. Afterwards, I would write a review on how stupid and awful it was. I had a plan.

And then I started reading. Imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying it. Right from the beginning. Despite the talk about praying and god. The writing style was charmingly conversational. And not preachy. That's something, right there. It's hard to talk religion and spirituality without being preachy. Or at least I assume it must be, because most people can't keep the preach out of those conversations. 

On a scale from Totally Awesome to Horrifically Awful, I'd give Eat, Pray, Love a Pretty Enjoyable. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read. I didn't find it life changing. Most of the part that took place in Bali was a bit tedious. But the author was likable, it felt honest and was an interesting, easy read.