Title: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Chapters: 108
Pages: 394
Published: Penguin Books, 2006
Summary
Book One: Italy or Say It Like You Eat It or 36 Tales About The Pursuit of Pleasure
Chapter 1-36
While being in Rome, Liz Gilbert remembers how her story begun. How she one night suddenly came lying on her bathroom floor, realizing that she was not happy anymore. Realising that she did not want to be married anymore, that she did not want to have a family. How she suddenly, without really knowing it, started to pray and changed her whole life shortly after that. She broke up with her husband, but came into an affair with young David. She came into a depression in which her only support was God. After deciding that she wanted a Guru to get back her balance, she left to Indonesia for work. After a Yoga class, she met a medicine man who told her to change her way of looking at the world. After that, she knew she needed to go travelling, find herself back. Although there was not much money, she did everything to get her divorce done as quickly as possible and after giving her husband almost everything she owned, her money unexpectedly came back to her after a small book promotion trip.
And off she went – to Italy, for the pursuit of pleasure.
Liz spends her days in Rome by studying Italian, eating typical Italian dishes and feeling Italian. She becomes a student at the Leonardo Da Vinci Academy, to study the language that she and her classmates are so hopelessly in love with. She tries to avoid her depression and loneliness by keeping herself busy and telling herself she is happy here, in Italy. To really step into the Roman life, Liz makes friends with a number of people: two American authors named Elizabeth, her Swedish study mate Sofia, the Italian couple Maria and Giulio and of course the Language Exchange twins Giovanni and Dario. She becomes best friends with the very Italian Luca Spaghetti, who tries his best to show Liz the real Italian life. But Liz only wants to eat and speak Italian. She does not need to work on her cultural experience and she does not need to have sex – although she daily meets beautiful Italian men. The language and the food is all she desires. When her Italian friends take her to a soccer game, Liz doesn’t even try to understand the match – she is just listening to a male supporter who encourages his favorite players aloud. Liz is totally happy in Rome. But she starts to feel disappointed when an American girl treats her as a Roman lady. She leaves for Naples with her Swedish friend Sofia – where they eat the certainly most delicious pizza in the whole world. After this, Liz stars to think seriously about her relationship/affair with David. Back in New York, before she left for Rome, there was still something between the two of them. But Liz decides it’s time to end the relationship for good. So she writes him an e-mail and David sends her back a confirming response. Although she is sure about her decision, Liz still feels sorry about it.
In the following period, Liz continues her journey across Italy. She regularly leaves Rome and travels – together with visiting family and friends – to Florence, Venice, Sicily, Naples, Lucca and Bologna. Her friend Luca Spaghetti’s birthday is on the American Thanksgiving Day and he wants a traditional American birthday celebration, which helps Liz realise how special it is to be together with those people in those circumstances.
Sicily is Liz’ last Italian experience before she leaves for India – with many extra pounds and self-confident.
Book Two: India or Congratulations To Meet You or 36 Tales About the Pursuit of Devotion
Cahpter 37-72
Right before New Year’s Eve, Liz arrives in India on her Guru’s so-called Ashram. It’s as if there has never been a trip of pleasure to Italy, as if she has always been on this ‘University of Religion’ in a very small town – although life is not as simple as it was in Rome. Liz gets a job as a floor cleaner in the temple and meets all kinds of people who are just like her – seeking devotion on the Ashram. Although the life of devotion is what Liz seeks and desires, she is having trouble meditating and keeping control in her thoughts. Deeply inside she curses the creator of Yogi (Swamiji) who keeps haunting her in her dreams and thoughts, and thinks about excuses to stay away from meditation sessions. But the truth is, right on the moments she has a chance to stay away from class, she doesn’t and realize what it is really about. And sometimes, on very rare moments, Liz actually is able to come closer to God by meditating. She starts to think a lot about her ex-husband and David, she considers how much she actually misses them. Fortunately, Liz’ friends know just what to do or say to point her in the right direction: her friend Richard from Texas (who keeps calling her ‘Groceries ’ and has truly experienced everything), a former nun, an Irish dairy farmer, a poet from New-Zeeland and Tulsi, the young Indian girl with a huge hate against marriage and family rules. Thanks to the poet, Liz one night ends up on the roof of the Ashram, with nothing between her and God but the skies full of stars. This experience helps Liz to finally realise what really is important, how she can end her own worries about her past. Liz even decides not to go travelling around India, but to stay on the Ashram now that she has the chance.
Not much later, Richard leaves and Liz decides to use her last week on the Ashram for working and meditating in total silence. But fate (or is it God?) has other plans: Liz gets a new job. Instead of quietly scrubbing the temple floors, she becomes Key Hostess. Her new task Is to guide visitors that came to the Ashram for a short stay to find their very own spiritual personality. Liz does her job with pleasure, but during a meditation session she needs to keep an eye on, she comes into spiritual experience herself – although she’s not supposed to. Afterwards Liz finally knows who she is, and how to be happy with herself. In fact, the last period of her stay at the Ashram, she discovers the real secrets of divinity: to choose your own path, to create your own kind of religion. Liz spends the last few hours of her stay in India in deep, deep meditation before she goes off to Indonesia.
Book Three: Indonesia or ‘’Even In My Underpants, I Feel Different’’ or 36 Tales About The Pursuit Of Balance
Chapter 73-108
When she has finally arrived in Bali, Liz realises she has actually no idea what to do here, in Indonesia. Her intention to come here was to meet up with a medicine man, who predicted her she would come live with him for about three/four months, teaching him English and learning about his meditation and culture. But that was two years ago, back in New York when she was still depressed because of her divorce. This medicine man might just be dead, moved or not familiar to her at all.
Liz finds a little hotel and meets the Italian-Indian Mario, who introduces her to the medicine man: Ketut Liyer. This man is not just a healer, but also an artist, but doesn’t recognize her at first. When she explains her history patiently, he remembers and treats her like his lost daughter. Every day Liz visits him; she teaches him English and he teaches her the craft of his work: his healing and meditation (not Yoga, but a simple ‘sit down and smile’ meditation). The rest of Liz’ activities includes not much more than exploring the Balinese culture, bicycling through the rice fields and mountains and wandering through the city.
After a while, Liz rents a small house in the middle of the rice fields where she spends her days. Not only she seeks for balance between pleasure and devotion, she also is eager to get to know her medicine man. Liz finds out the story of his life: how he wanted to be an artist, but became a medicine man (just like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather) when he was able to treat his own infected arm with a healing mixture of saffron and sandalwood. Liz meets his second wife who doesn’t want to know her at first, but eventually makes delicious snacks and drinks. She gets to know the young Yudhi, who had a happy love story in America, but was sent back to Bali because of 9/11.
Ketut Liyer teaches Liz to respect life and its weird tricks by meditating. He introduces her to the Four Brothers Meditation in which she daily prays to her four brothers of protection and life
When Liz gets a knee infection because of an accident with a bus, Ketut sends her to the female healer Wayan. She is also hurt by love and the two women become friends. From now on, every morning Liz visits Wayan and her young daughter Tutti. Wayan is a shameless gossiper and keeps promising Liz to pray for her love life everyday. When a Brazilian friend of Wayan visits Bali and invites Liz for a cocktail party, she says yes. Although it suddenly is a very different world, Liz loves the party. She even meets two men: the Brazilian party host Felipe and the British Ian, with whom Liz has a lot in common. Although they don’t plan on catching up again after the party, Liz gets convinced about her soon finding love again from everywhere around her.
When healer Wayan, her daughter Tutti and her two orphisms daughters Big and Little Ketut come into money trouble and will have to leave their house soon, Liz feels a great desire to help them. With her upcoming birthday, Liz sends all of her family and friends an email to ask for money for Wayan instead of birthday gifts. It works: after a while, Liz has raised about eighteen thousand American dollars, enough for a piece of land and a house. At the same time, Liz starts to feel love again when she keeps meeting Felipe. Out of self respect, she keeps saying no, even though Felipe most certainly feels the same way for her and even though he treats her better than any of her exes has ever done. Liz’ sexual desires keep getting stronger and eventually, she gives in and spends the night with Felipe. After this, she goes on a one-week American road trip with Yudli, across Bali. When she returns, Liz spends another month in Felipe’s apartment. It even gets so bad that she gets infected and needs her friend Wayan for some medical herb help and advice – as it turns out, Wayan seems to be an expert about these things.
It takes a long time for Wayan to purchase a piece of land, because she keeps feeling ‘wrong spirituality.’ Eventually Liz has to tell a lie to make sure Wayan really buys some land to build a house. Liz spends her final period in Bali with Ketut (with whom she visits a baby ceremony) and Felipe, whom she has fallen hopelessly in love with. Before she returns to New York, Liz and Felipe travel to the Indonesian island Gili Mano, where Liz came to meditate a long time ago. While being there on a romantic trip, they decide to stay together and travel in between Australia, America, Bali and Brazil.
Characters
* Liz Gilbert: Liz tells her own story: she is a thirty-five year old New York woman who leaves her whole perfect life after a messy divorce and a wild affair, to go on a trip and find back her own true personality. She’s very stubborn and thinks she knows what she wants and needs, but during her journey, she finds out she clearly doesn’t. Liz is afraid of big changes and afraid to love something or someone, but she does want to find true love and happiness.
* Luca Spaghetti: Luca is a real Italian guy and Liz’ best friend in Rome, who introduces her to the real Italian culture and the real Italian happiness. He guides her on her pursuit of pleasure.
* Richard from Texas: Richard is Liz’ best friend on the Ashram. He’s kind of strange because he has experienced many things, but because of his weirdness ne knows life better than most people. Richard is the one who keeps supporting Liz when she is feeling like she wants to give up on her journey for devotion. He’s also the one who teaches her to respect life.
* Ketut Liyer: Ketut is the Balinese medicine man who teaches Liz everything about the Indonesian meditation and who kind of guides her to her future. He’s some kind of mystery because of his puzzling age and changing personality behaviour, but he’s also very wise and seems to know exactly what Liz needs.
* Wayan: Wayan is the female Balinese healer and Liz’ best friend in Bali. She doesn’t have much money or processions, but she does have great love to share and wants to know everything about Liz’ love life. Her daughters see some kind of icon in Liz, especially when she helps this little family of strong women to build a better future.
* Felipe: Liz and Felipe meet at a Brazilian cocktail party and fall in love. Although Felipe is much older than Liz and has more life experience, it’s true love. Felipe is most certainly eager to love Liz and experience everything she experiences in her life with her.
Genre
A biography novel.
Place and time
The story takes place in Rome, at an Ashram and in Bali. It includes about one year of Liz’ life, although there are many flashbacks from earlier years as well.
Story perspective
I-perspective.
My opinion
I find this a very beautiful and special book. The main character/author’s journey was very inspiring, as were her opinions on certain concepts and factors of happiness and devotion, for example. Although it’s a biography and not fiction, Liz Gilbert definitely has a writing talent: everything in the book is very convincing and not forced into certain shapes at all. It’s easy for readers to live into the story. I did think it was sometimes difficult to get through, because there were many unnecessary and extensive parts or chapters, which made me skip some bits. These parts kind of made the story difficult to follow: this was especially the case with the Ashram part of the book. This subject didn’t bother me very much and the usage was more difficult here. I especially enjoyed the first book in Rome, because this appealed to me the most and I could step into this world the best. But I also liked Bali, with the extra interesting characters of Felipe, Wayan and Ketut Liyer.
I most certainly respect this book and the author: I find it very special that she could find the strength to find her own happiness and personality back, in her own way. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Chapters: 108
Pages: 394
Published: Penguin Books, 2006
Summary
Book One: Italy or Say It Like You Eat It or 36 Tales About The Pursuit of Pleasure
Chapter 1-36
While being in Rome, Liz Gilbert remembers how her story begun. How she one night suddenly came lying on her bathroom floor, realizing that she was not happy anymore. Realising that she did not want to be married anymore, that she did not want to have a family. How she suddenly, without really knowing it, started to pray and changed her whole life shortly after that. She broke up with her husband, but came into an affair with young David. She came into a depression in which her only support was God. After deciding that she wanted a Guru to get back her balance, she left to Indonesia for work. After a Yoga class, she met a medicine man who told her to change her way of looking at the world. After that, she knew she needed to go travelling, find herself back. Although there was not much money, she did everything to get her divorce done as quickly as possible and after giving her husband almost everything she owned, her money unexpectedly came back to her after a small book promotion trip.
And off she went – to Italy, for the pursuit of pleasure.
In the following period, Liz continues her journey across Italy. She regularly leaves Rome and travels – together with visiting family and friends – to Florence, Venice, Sicily, Naples, Lucca and Bologna. Her friend Luca Spaghetti’s birthday is on the American Thanksgiving Day and he wants a traditional American birthday celebration, which helps Liz realise how special it is to be together with those people in those circumstances.
Sicily is Liz’ last Italian experience before she leaves for India – with many extra pounds and self-confident.
Book Two: India or Congratulations To Meet You or 36 Tales About the Pursuit of Devotion
Cahpter 37-72
Right before New Year’s Eve, Liz arrives in India on her Guru’s so-called Ashram. It’s as if there has never been a trip of pleasure to Italy, as if she has always been on this ‘University of Religion’ in a very small town – although life is not as simple as it was in Rome. Liz gets a job as a floor cleaner in the temple and meets all kinds of people who are just like her – seeking devotion on the Ashram. Although the life of devotion is what Liz seeks and desires, she is having trouble meditating and keeping control in her thoughts. Deeply inside she curses the creator of Yogi (Swamiji) who keeps haunting her in her dreams and thoughts, and thinks about excuses to stay away from meditation sessions. But the truth is, right on the moments she has a chance to stay away from class, she doesn’t and realize what it is really about. And sometimes, on very rare moments, Liz actually is able to come closer to God by meditating. She starts to think a lot about her ex-husband and David, she considers how much she actually misses them. Fortunately, Liz’ friends know just what to do or say to point her in the right direction: her friend Richard from Texas (who keeps calling her ‘Groceries ’ and has truly experienced everything), a former nun, an Irish dairy farmer, a poet from New-Zeeland and Tulsi, the young Indian girl with a huge hate against marriage and family rules. Thanks to the poet, Liz one night ends up on the roof of the Ashram, with nothing between her and God but the skies full of stars. This experience helps Liz to finally realise what really is important, how she can end her own worries about her past. Liz even decides not to go travelling around India, but to stay on the Ashram now that she has the chance.
Not much later, Richard leaves and Liz decides to use her last week on the Ashram for working and meditating in total silence. But fate (or is it God?) has other plans: Liz gets a new job. Instead of quietly scrubbing the temple floors, she becomes Key Hostess. Her new task Is to guide visitors that came to the Ashram for a short stay to find their very own spiritual personality. Liz does her job with pleasure, but during a meditation session she needs to keep an eye on, she comes into spiritual experience herself – although she’s not supposed to. Afterwards Liz finally knows who she is, and how to be happy with herself. In fact, the last period of her stay at the Ashram, she discovers the real secrets of divinity: to choose your own path, to create your own kind of religion. Liz spends the last few hours of her stay in India in deep, deep meditation before she goes off to Indonesia.
Book Three: Indonesia or ‘’Even In My Underpants, I Feel Different’’ or 36 Tales About The Pursuit Of Balance
Chapter 73-108
When she has finally arrived in Bali, Liz realises she has actually no idea what to do here, in Indonesia. Her intention to come here was to meet up with a medicine man, who predicted her she would come live with him for about three/four months, teaching him English and learning about his meditation and culture. But that was two years ago, back in New York when she was still depressed because of her divorce. This medicine man might just be dead, moved or not familiar to her at all.
Liz finds a little hotel and meets the Italian-Indian Mario, who introduces her to the medicine man: Ketut Liyer. This man is not just a healer, but also an artist, but doesn’t recognize her at first. When she explains her history patiently, he remembers and treats her like his lost daughter. Every day Liz visits him; she teaches him English and he teaches her the craft of his work: his healing and meditation (not Yoga, but a simple ‘sit down and smile’ meditation). The rest of Liz’ activities includes not much more than exploring the Balinese culture, bicycling through the rice fields and mountains and wandering through the city.
Ketut Liyer teaches Liz to respect life and its weird tricks by meditating. He introduces her to the Four Brothers Meditation in which she daily prays to her four brothers of protection and life
When Liz gets a knee infection because of an accident with a bus, Ketut sends her to the female healer Wayan. She is also hurt by love and the two women become friends. From now on, every morning Liz visits Wayan and her young daughter Tutti. Wayan is a shameless gossiper and keeps promising Liz to pray for her love life everyday. When a Brazilian friend of Wayan visits Bali and invites Liz for a cocktail party, she says yes. Although it suddenly is a very different world, Liz loves the party. She even meets two men: the Brazilian party host Felipe and the British Ian, with whom Liz has a lot in common. Although they don’t plan on catching up again after the party, Liz gets convinced about her soon finding love again from everywhere around her.
When healer Wayan, her daughter Tutti and her two orphisms daughters Big and Little Ketut come into money trouble and will have to leave their house soon, Liz feels a great desire to help them. With her upcoming birthday, Liz sends all of her family and friends an email to ask for money for Wayan instead of birthday gifts. It works: after a while, Liz has raised about eighteen thousand American dollars, enough for a piece of land and a house. At the same time, Liz starts to feel love again when she keeps meeting Felipe. Out of self respect, she keeps saying no, even though Felipe most certainly feels the same way for her and even though he treats her better than any of her exes has ever done. Liz’ sexual desires keep getting stronger and eventually, she gives in and spends the night with Felipe. After this, she goes on a one-week American road trip with Yudli, across Bali. When she returns, Liz spends another month in Felipe’s apartment. It even gets so bad that she gets infected and needs her friend Wayan for some medical herb help and advice – as it turns out, Wayan seems to be an expert about these things.
It takes a long time for Wayan to purchase a piece of land, because she keeps feeling ‘wrong spirituality.’ Eventually Liz has to tell a lie to make sure Wayan really buys some land to build a house. Liz spends her final period in Bali with Ketut (with whom she visits a baby ceremony) and Felipe, whom she has fallen hopelessly in love with. Before she returns to New York, Liz and Felipe travel to the Indonesian island Gili Mano, where Liz came to meditate a long time ago. While being there on a romantic trip, they decide to stay together and travel in between Australia, America, Bali and Brazil.
Characters
* Liz Gilbert: Liz tells her own story: she is a thirty-five year old New York woman who leaves her whole perfect life after a messy divorce and a wild affair, to go on a trip and find back her own true personality. She’s very stubborn and thinks she knows what she wants and needs, but during her journey, she finds out she clearly doesn’t. Liz is afraid of big changes and afraid to love something or someone, but she does want to find true love and happiness.
* Luca Spaghetti: Luca is a real Italian guy and Liz’ best friend in Rome, who introduces her to the real Italian culture and the real Italian happiness. He guides her on her pursuit of pleasure.
* Ketut Liyer: Ketut is the Balinese medicine man who teaches Liz everything about the Indonesian meditation and who kind of guides her to her future. He’s some kind of mystery because of his puzzling age and changing personality behaviour, but he’s also very wise and seems to know exactly what Liz needs.
* Wayan: Wayan is the female Balinese healer and Liz’ best friend in Bali. She doesn’t have much money or processions, but she does have great love to share and wants to know everything about Liz’ love life. Her daughters see some kind of icon in Liz, especially when she helps this little family of strong women to build a better future.
* Felipe: Liz and Felipe meet at a Brazilian cocktail party and fall in love. Although Felipe is much older than Liz and has more life experience, it’s true love. Felipe is most certainly eager to love Liz and experience everything she experiences in her life with her.
Genre
A biography novel.
Place and time
The story takes place in Rome, at an Ashram and in Bali. It includes about one year of Liz’ life, although there are many flashbacks from earlier years as well.
Story perspective
I-perspective.
I find this a very beautiful and special book. The main character/author’s journey was very inspiring, as were her opinions on certain concepts and factors of happiness and devotion, for example. Although it’s a biography and not fiction, Liz Gilbert definitely has a writing talent: everything in the book is very convincing and not forced into certain shapes at all. It’s easy for readers to live into the story. I did think it was sometimes difficult to get through, because there were many unnecessary and extensive parts or chapters, which made me skip some bits. These parts kind of made the story difficult to follow: this was especially the case with the Ashram part of the book. This subject didn’t bother me very much and the usage was more difficult here. I especially enjoyed the first book in Rome, because this appealed to me the most and I could step into this world the best. But I also liked Bali, with the extra interesting characters of Felipe, Wayan and Ketut Liyer.
I most certainly respect this book and the author: I find it very special that she could find the strength to find her own happiness and personality back, in her own way. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!
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