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

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/564632.Eat_Pray_Love_One_Woman_s_Search_for_Everything_Across_Italy_India_and_Indonesia?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175831126m/564632.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/564632.Eat_Pray_Love_One_Woman_s_Search_for_Everything_Across_Italy_India_and_Indonesia?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11679.Elizabeth_Gilbert">Elizabeth Gilbert</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3539658?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars I do enjoy reading this book, it’s a fun reading, a compelling story of one spiritual journey in 3 different places and with my own curiosity (regarding the first two places) the book has occupied me, taking me along with the journey, feels like I’m with the author on tandem bike, nicely flow. Again, this is the kind of book which I don’t need to squeeze my brain to bleed, instead beautiful pictures played in my mind, and I’m floating, enjoying the ride... I've never been to Italy or India, (one day i will, it's on my "a-must-to-visit" list beside Greece and Turkey) but I know very well about Bali... (definitely still in love with the island) 
 
 ***Spoiler Alerts***
 
 As the author's quote on the first page, which said by her best friend; "Tell the truth, tell the truth, and tell the truth..." I'm fully believe, the book is telling all the truths... start with;
 
 Italy, it was fun! Despite the gelatos which obvious enough; a sinfully fun, the pizzas and pastas as well (only Italian the masters for these delicacies, but funny thing; in South East Asia, only Chinese the masters of curries), I like the author’s journey in this city, I always adoring the country, wishing to learn the language, learning more their interesting cultures, and of course all those eye candy sights, the feast for the eyes (including the beautiful people). At first, I thought Italy should be the city of romance (what’s the one word describing Italy? For me it’d be “romance”), the idea of walking in stony pedestrian street in Venice, riding Vespa around the city, or sitting in gondola along the river, passing under the bridge with someone you love, that’s breathtakingly romantic... but, seems the author has another objective, I believe gelatos with thousand flavors are the best talisman to get rid the 2 demons of her own; depression and loneliness, and yet, Italy for “eat”, a good choice to start the journey for someone like Ms. Gilbert. 
 
 India, a bit slow... it was dragging with all the well-being attempts... in yogic way for sure, but, it’s quite a mind opener... of course... thanks to Richard from Texas, without him, India’s for “pray” would be as boring as meditation for hours and no words to tell, or just simply running around under the night sky barefoot, stepping on the grass and hugging trees, which is beautiful to imagine but hardly to feel it for real. Many inspirational quotes and thoughts came from this Texan guy, which I believe quite helpful to Ms. Gilbert to fulfill whatever her quests in India, even though I don’t even know what actually his purpose in Ashram is. Perhaps, he’s the real Swamiji for Ms. Gilbert, her visible “guardian angel” if it’s ever exists, I wonder if she has this thought before. 
 
 Indonesia, Bali Island for “love”... I’d say this is my favorite part and the best, I’m not saying this because I’m from where the island is. Firstly, because the Bali part is well researched; make me believe that the whole book is telling the truth. The Bali part is very “as it is”, very “what you read is what you get”... of course, experiencing the island would be the best way to believe. (Am I sounding like a travel agent here? lol...) The Island itself is very mystical; in every corner you can smell and sense it for free, mystical and exotic at the same time. The Wayan Saga, is quite representing the face of Balinese, since the two times bombing happened in Bali, the tourism there has declining, and everyone in Bali are desperate and thirsty for work and earning money. They would do anything (whatever it takes) as long as it could make “their kitchen smoky” (it’s Indonesian phrase; does not mean to burn the kitchen down, but, literally as; “if there’s smoke out of the kitchen, means there are foods to eat”) and “white lies” happened many times. One little error from the book, which bother me, when Ketut Liyer (Balinese Medicine man) told Ms. Gilbert, the simple Balinese meditation is “to sit and smile”, simply smiling inside-out and the good energy would do good things to you, I assumed, what he mean was “smile from your heart” not “smile in your liver”, there’s a confusion or mixed-up in Indonesian language (or terminology) between the word “heart” as the form of love, with “heart” as human internal organ, the actual translation of “heart” in bahasa is “jantung” (heart in human organ context), but for the form of love, the common “heart-shape” on valentines day in bahasa we called it “hati” (liver). This is just a little mis usage of the word, but the essence still there, and “smile in your liver” sounds exotic and very spiritual for the western world (including Oprah...), that makes the “telling the truth” is very true...
 
 I wish to read her next book if any... hopefully, her Brazilian life...
 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/168474?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Emanuel's review
rating:

bookshelves: goodread, nonfiction
status: Read in March, 2008

** spoiler alert ** I do enjoy reading this book, it’s a fun reading, a compelling story of one spiritual journey in 3 different places and with my own curiosity (regarding the first two places) the book has occupied me, taking me along with the journey, feels like I’m with the author on tandem bike, nicely flow. Again, this is the kind of book which I don’t need to squeeze my brain to bleed, instead beautiful pictures played in my mind, and I’m floating, enjoying the ride... I've never been to Italy or India, (one day i will, it's on my "a-must-to-visit" list beside Greece and Turkey) but I know very well about Bali... (definitely still in love with the island)

***Spoiler Alerts***

As the author's quote on the first page, which said by her best friend; "Tell the truth, tell the truth, and tell the truth..." I'm fully believe, the book is telling all the truths... start with;

Italy, it was fun! Despite the gelatos which obvious enough; a sinfully fun, th...more I do enjoy reading this book, it’s a fun reading, a compelling story of one spiritual journey in 3 different places and with my own curiosity (regarding the first two places) the book has occupied me, taking me along with the journey, feels like I’m with the author on tandem bike, nicely flow. Again, this is the kind of book which I don’t need to squeeze my brain to bleed, instead beautiful pictures played in my mind, and I’m floating, enjoying the ride... I've never been to Italy or India, (one day i will, it's on my "a-must-to-visit" list beside Greece and Turkey) but I know very well about Bali... (definitely still in love with the island)

***Spoiler Alerts***

As the author's quote on the first page, which said by her best friend; "Tell the truth, tell the truth, and tell the truth..." I'm fully believe, the book is telling all the truths... start with;

Italy, it was fun! Despite the gelatos which obvious enough; a sinfully fun, the pizzas and pastas as well (only Italian the masters for these delicacies, but funny thing; in South East Asia, only Chinese the masters of curries), I like the author’s journey in this city, I always adoring the country, wishing to learn the language, learning more their interesting cultures, and of course all those eye candy sights, the feast for the eyes (including the beautiful people). At first, I thought Italy should be the city of romance (what’s the one word describing Italy? For me it’d be “romance”), the idea of walking in stony pedestrian street in Venice, riding Vespa around the city, or sitting in gondola along the river, passing under the bridge with someone you love, that’s breathtakingly romantic... but, seems the author has another objective, I believe gelatos with thousand flavors are the best talisman to get rid the 2 demons of her own; depression and loneliness, and yet, Italy for “eat”, a good choice to start the journey for someone like Ms. Gilbert.

India, a bit slow... it was dragging with all the well-being attempts... in yogic way for sure, but, it’s quite a mind opener... of course... thanks to Richard from Texas, without him, India’s for “pray” would be as boring as meditation for hours and no words to tell, or just simply running around under the night sky barefoot, stepping on the grass and hugging trees, which is beautiful to imagine but hardly to feel it for real. Many inspirational quotes and thoughts came from this Texan guy, which I believe quite helpful to Ms. Gilbert to fulfill whatever her quests in India, even though I don’t even know what actually his purpose in Ashram is. Perhaps, he’s the real Swamiji for Ms. Gilbert, her visible “guardian angel” if it’s ever exists, I wonder if she has this thought before.

Indonesia, Bali Island for “love”... I’d say this is my favorite part and the best, I’m not saying this because I’m from where the island is. Firstly, because the Bali part is well researched; make me believe that the whole book is telling the truth. The Bali part is very “as it is”, very “what you read is what you get”... of course, experiencing the island would be the best way to believe. (Am I sounding like a travel agent here? lol...) The Island itself is very mystical; in every corner you can smell and sense it for free, mystical and exotic at the same time. The Wayan Saga, is quite representing the face of Balinese, since the two times bombing happened in Bali, the tourism there has declining, and everyone in Bali are desperate and thirsty for work and earning money. They would do anything (whatever it takes) as long as it could make “their kitchen smoky” (it’s Indonesian phrase; does not mean to burn the kitchen down, but, literally as; “if there’s smoke out of the kitchen, means there are foods to eat”) and “white lies” happened many times. One little error from the book, which bother me, when Ketut Liyer (Balinese Medicine man) told Ms. Gilbert, the simple Balinese meditation is “to sit and smile”, simply smiling inside-out and the good energy would do good things to you, I assumed, what he mean was “smile from your heart” not “smile in your liver”, there’s a confusion or mixed-up in Indonesian language (or terminology) between the word “heart” as the form of love, with “heart” as human internal organ, the actual translation of “heart” in bahasa is “jantung” (heart in human organ context), but for the form of love, the common “heart-shape” on valentines day in bahasa we called it “hati” (liver). This is just a little mis usage of the word, but the essence still there, and “smile in your liver” sounds exotic and very spiritual for the western world (including Oprah...), that makes the “telling the truth” is very true...

I wish to read her next book if any... hopefully, her Brazilian life...
...less

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