Natural Christian Parenting

Title: Eat, Pray, Love

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

Summary

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy’s buffet of delights–the world’s best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners–Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. “I came to Italy pinched and thin,” she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise “betwixt and between” realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year’s cultural and emotional tapestry–conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor–as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression.

Positive Elements

Gilbert is particularly gifted in writing her descriptive narratives. Her description of the gourmet, geography and people of Italy peaked my interest as a potential place to visit. This part of the book will have you craving Italian food. In addition to her narratives, Ms. Gilbert also provides with readers with lots of factual and historical information about the places she visits.

Sexual Content

There is a sex scene in the end of the book between Ms. Gilbert and her “friend.” Its not particularly graphic though.

Violent Content

None

Profanity

A few words but not enough that I found it too offensive.

Drug Content

None

Conclusion

I had heard so many good things about this book. It had been on my reading list of a few months based on the positive reccomendations of others. However, I have never been more disappointed with a book than I was with Eat, Pray, Love. I disliked this book for so many reasons. Ms. Gilbert’s attitude toward life is much like the atttitude of the world today. She comes across as self-absorbed, narcisstic and childish in her pursuit of so called “enlightenment.” It is worthwhile to note that she recieved an advance on this book before the trip. So I wonder how much of the experiences and drama in the book were created and contrived by Ms. Gilbert for a better read. There were many statements and stories that Christians will find offensive. In the beginning of the book Ms. Gilbert states “Let me explain why I use the word God, when I could easily use the words Jehovah, Allah, Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu or Zeus. Alternatively I could call God “that”. …………..God is the name that feels the most warm to me, so thats what I use (page 13). As Christians we know God is not any of those others. The God she references to in the rest of the book is not our Heavenly Father, although her so-called meditations and prayers would have you think otherwise.

In the second part of the book, Ms.Gilbert travels to India to study in an ashram under the teachings of a famous Indian guru. An ashram is a compound of like-minded people coming together to study and meditate. It is similar to a retreat. During one meditative session Gilbert describes it (p. 199) as ” being pulled through a wormhole of the Absolute , and in a rush I suddenly understood the working of the universe. I entered the void ……. The void was God , which means I was inside God.” Gilbert also quotes and Indian book that says ” People follow different paths, straight or crooked according to their temperment, depending on which one they consider best or most appropriate and all reach YOU (God).” This cherry picking of religion is advocated through out the book. We as Christians know that Jesus has said ” I am the way, the truth and the life. No one gets to the father but through me.” John 14:6. I have found that most of the world is always on the search for something beyond ourselves. People are willing to look everywhere but to God to fill that empty void. I am willing to bet the Ms. Gilbert’s new found happiness is temporary and that without knowledge of the on true God she will always have an empty void.