Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

With the recent release of the movie "Eat, Pray, Love," based on the book of the same name, I felt the need to revisit the 2006 bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert to see if I had a different opinion a second time around. Sadly, I did not. If anything I found the book more irritating this time around.

I really love the idea of this book - solitary woman picks herself up after a difficult divorce, travels the world over to find herself, and, whoops, falls in love along the way - what's not to like? Well, for one thing, I was hoping for more of a travelogue - how the places and people she visits transform her life and vice versa. Instead it was more of, "look at me in Italy, in India, in Bali." The author seems unable, or unwilling, to look outside of her own narrow view of things long enough to grasp that there are people around her with far greater problems than hers.

Gilbert's journey also lacks credibility, as she is paid a healthy advance to write the story of her travels before she even embarks. Maybe I am a little jealous, but the fact that she's getting paid for all of this self-discovery prior to it even happening sort of sullies the integrity of her story.

I mostly dislike the book because it seems like such a wasted opportunity - Gilbert had a chance to be a heroine and an inspiration to not only women everywhere but anyone who has hit a point in their life where they do not know what direction to go. Rather than using this time to grow as a person and enrich her life and the lives of those around her, she instead chooses to focus more and more on herself and how those around her might assist her in achieving even greater levels of self-involvement.

Overall, despite my negative experience with this particular book, I would still recommend people give it a try - readers I have spoken with have either loved it or hated it, you might be the one who loves it.

Interesting Perspective...

from two of my favorite authors. See what Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner have to say on the role sexism plays in contemporary author recognition. What do you think?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-pinter/jodi-picoult-jennifer-weiner-franzen_b_693143.html

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Setterfield introduces us to Margaret Lea, a biographer and daughter of a London rare bookstore owner. Asked to compose the biography of the dying famous author, Vida Winters, Margaret travels to the novelist’s Yorkshire home to decide if Miss Winters will give her the truth, having fabricated the facts of her life on many occasions. Margaret is not only swept up in the unraveling story of the author, but must also face her own demons as the account brings up painful memories from her own past.

As Miss Winters tells her story, we learn of the Angelfield family, focusing on the attractive Isabelle and her brother Charlie. As Charlie forms an unnatural obsession with his sister, Isabelle goes away and marries, only to return shortly after the death of her husband with twin babies on the way. Adeline and Emmeline are born, and are strongly bonded by wickedness and their secret twin language. As Isabelle is put away in a mental institution and Charlie shuts himself off from the world, a governess is brought in to run the house and control the twins, especially the willful Emmeline. Margaret is drawn deeper into the tale of these girls as she learns about the experimental separation of the twins, a ghost, more than one attempt at murder, a baby and abandonment, and a tragic fire. In Margaret’s determination to verify Miss Winters’ story, she meet Aurelius, who has a story of his own to tell, which connects him with the Angelfield family. The twist in the end of Miss Winters’ story will make readers gasp, as they find out her place in the devastating tale.

Setterfield's book, a Jane Eyre apparent, is written in Gothic Style, complete with mysterious secrets, ghosts and shocking revelations. Even with the slow beginning, the book soon picks up and becomes a hard to put down story. Readers will want to know the answers to the many mysteries Margaret herself is trying to figure out and understand about Miss Winters' past. As she investigates the facts of Miss Winters' story, Margaret and the readers slowly begin to figure out the missing pieces of the intricate and marvelous story of Vida Winters. Setterfield's tale is richly detailed, enjoyable and suspenseful, as she mesmerized me with her dual story of the Angelfield family and Margaret Lea. I was drawn in by the mystery and rich storytelling of this unique tale. A great read!

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World.

When three friends who are up-and-coming young professionals in New York City wonder if the corporate fast lane is all it's cracked up to be, they decide there is only one way to find out. Leaving their jobs, their boyfriends and their lives behind, Holly, Amanda and Jen embark on a year-long adventure around the world.

After carefully researching and budgeting, the women begin their quest in South America. From there, they head to various locations in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Some aspects of the trip have been pre-arranged, such as relief work in Africa or studying at an ashram in India, but in between, the women leave themselves open to itinerary changes in an effort to broaden their experiences as much as possible.

As an armchair traveler, I loved reading about the different locations and cultures that the friends visited. Each of the women have a background in journalism, so they each took turns writing their experiences - although I did not really relate personally with any of the authors, the different perspectives were really interesting. This book is both a fascinating travelogue and a study in friendship.