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 is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.
We’ll be discussing Eat, Pray, Love on February 10th. We meet in the Main Library in Conference Room 3 at noon. Feel free to bring a lunch.
The publisher has some good discussion questions here: us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/eat_pray_love.html – especially 1, 2, 4, 9,
Other questions:
How much does the publisher’s advance affect the credibility of the personal triumphs? Did the author feel a certain obligation to perform/transform because of the premise of the book’s pitch?
Does the author really change as a result of this year of travel? What exercise illuminated her break from the past the most – indulging in Italy, sitting in India, or riding the bike around Bali?
Is this memoir a personal indulgence or a universal narrative?