Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love

Assalamualaikum...

For about 5 months, this book was sitting in my book rack. Occasionally, i moved it around. On the table, on my bed, in my bag, on the floor and even in my car... before once again, in my book rack. Each time, i told myself, i have to start reading the book, i have to finish it!

But for some reason unknown to me, i found it very hard to read (i mean, to start reading) the book - which was so not me! Maybe, because of its unique title (what kind of book with that title!), or maybe because the genre is unclear to me (at the time), i wasn't really sure.

The only sure thing at the time was constant reminders from Mullah (whom i have to thank here for lending this book to me), urging me to read the book.
"You have to read the book, abang Zahar!" said Mullah to me repeatedly. Sometimes he added, "The author made appearance in Oprah!"

So, three weeks ago, i opened the book (for the umpteenth time) and started to read it. And a week later, i finished it. Since then, i knew i have to do reviews for this book. i just have to!

In general, i would say Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is an excellent, informative, refreshing, hilarious book, and i must add, very thorough and meticulously done.

It is a true story, a travelogue, told by the author herself. Following her painful and long due divorce involving large sum of settlement, the author, Ms Gilbert, spent a year traveling... and thus, came this story. It is built on the notion of a woman trying to heal herself from a severe emotional and spiritual crisis.

The journey took place in 3 countries, which represents each of the verbs.

Eat - Italy,
Pray - India,
Love - Indonesia.

To quote her in the book, Ms Gilbert writes "I wanted to explore the art of pleasure in Italy, The art of devotion in India, and in Indonesia, the art of balancing the two."

In her sly and witty style of writings, she shared about her story in each country and the effects the journey had on her.
We learned about the Italians and their love for foods, about an ashram in India, where people from all over the world came to meditate, and lastly in Bali, where the beauty of natures healed the wound to start anew.

Each story, told smartly and meticulously, we felt like we are on board with her, together making the journey, and from her eyes, seeing the world in a different perspective.
The task made easy as she used "I" in her narration, coerced us to feel what she feels, and to experience what she experienced.

I particularly loved the first (eat) and third (love) part of the book. Partly because she shared a lot of new things about Italy and Bali that i never knew before. Oh, and i want to give you example here:

In one chapter, she was in Italy, and that night she went out with her friend, an Italian guy named Luca Spaghetti (delicious name isn't it?) and a bunch of Luca's friend. The destination? To a stadium, where a football match between Lazio and Parma were held. Luca and his friends are Lazio fans (Luca said they can't help being Lazio fans. They were born into families where loyalty was already established; meaning they will follow their ancestors into becoming a Lazio fan! They can changed their wives and even nationalities, but they will still become Lazio fan until they died!).
So, that night, Lazio lost to Roma. Thinking that those guys are just like the Americans or Englishmen to go and sit in the bar and maybe gotten into some fight to channel their frustration, she was shocked when Luca said they were going somewhere else.
Guess where?
To a bakery! Huh!
That night, they were talking about the game, while eating cream puffs!!!

Now, about the second part (pray), i didn't really like the part because somehow it made me pity her. She was in India for about 4 months, in an ashram, meditating her way to finding 'God' but with little success.
While she elaborated lengthly about yoga and meditation (which i have no problem with..) the part where she thought she found 'God' was a ridiculous notion to me. I didn't know how to explain it here, you have to read it yourself.
But, one thing i can assure you, it made me feel really grateful that i'm a Muslim. i already have my God, Allah; with Whom i can reached in my prayer, with Whom i can asked for forgiveness every time i have sinned, with Whom i can depend and asked for help when difficulties befallen me...
Just one word... Alhamdulillah...!

So, except for the second part, i really enjoy the book, especially when it ends beautifully (Oh, i always up for anything with a happy ending!).
In my heart, i knew, in more than one way, Eat, pray, love taught me about living the life that i want! Perhaps more importantly, i realized that i also want to do the same thing.
That is to go travel around the world some day, learning about a whole lot of new things out there, and share all about it in my writings...




Type rest of the post here