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 enlarge | Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $2.80
You Save: $12.20 (81%)
New (151) Collectible (7) from $3.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  1616 reviews
Sales Rank: 30
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0143038419
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.4
EAN: 9780143038412
ASIN: 0143038419
Publication Date: January 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Standard used condition.
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| Customer Reviews:
 self absorbed... August 17, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
a self-absorbed portrayal of one year in the life of a woman recovering from a divorce. i could not get past the whining and one person pity party.
 Book Review ??? August 16, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
After reading some of the reviews here I can't help but wonder: are we reviewing the book or the character? Who cares why she got divorced? What does that have to do with anything? Some people just can't separate their personal opinions with the characters in a book. I wasn't concerned with this woman's morality when I picked up the book. I just heard it was a good read and was interested in reading about this woman's journey. Would I have done everything exactly as she did? Nope. Would I have experienced the same exact emotions? Nope. But that's why I read books, to get out of my own head. To experience other points of view. Her views are valid and her story is pretty good. I felt the book was entertaining and worth reading. But if you're one of those judgmental, holier than thou types, you better stand clear. There's way too much about this character for you to pick apart (one of the things I liked best about this story was that it had a ring of honesty through it).
A Relaxing Read August 14, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had put off reading this book for a long time because the title turned me off. One day I decided to read it since it was summer and I had some extra time. From the first page, I was hooked. I was so surprised to find the book a delightfully humorous memoir of Gilbert's year finding herself. There is no preaching and I found lots of depth amidst the humor. She is one lucky woman to have had the opportunity to spend a year traveling as she did. There is so much that I could identify with and am very glad that I bought the book and read it. I know it will be a book I read again and again. That is quite something since I was initially reluctant to read it.
 Complete disappointment August 14, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I very much wanted to love this book, but it just didn't happen for me. Perhaps it was all the hype that originally raised my expectations. I had a difficult time remaining interested in the book and I found that toward the end, I was skipping sections just to be done with it, which defeats the purpose of a good read. The writing was not captivating, it was merely average. Elizabeth Gilbert's writing style is very matter of fact, with tongue in cheek humor and joking style comments. It's a style effective for some stories, but I don't think it was effective for a book about a woman in search of happiness, love & balance; in essence, spiritual insights. I found her attempt at humor to be distracting. The book starts off good, as the author realizes her life is not working. But as we venture into her travels in Italy, the writing goes flat. I expected more robust and beautiful writing about a place as sensual and beautiful as Italy. The chapters about India were better than those on Italy and Indonesia. I appreciated the author's honesty about her struggles with meditation & trust. It's difficult to imagine that most women going through ugly, painful divorces (I have known several), suffering from depression and self-esteem issues would have had the liberty and means to run off on an all expenses paid, one year sabbatical spanning 3 countries. It was a difficult story line to relate to. The story line that I found very annoying was the fact that the author is so admittedly intoxicated by men, never having gone very long without having one. While she strived for independence, I never felt that she really got there, especially when you consider that by page 294 she was once again, "involved." I was touched by the story line in which the author demonstrated wonderful generosity to help her friend Wayan. Still, generosity doesn't equate to good writing. I'f I hadn't gotten bored with the story line I would have at least given it 3 stars, but rushing through the end of a book just to have it be over and done with is a 2 star book in my opinion. Overall, I did not feel that this was a beautifully written, spiritual quest for a woman seeking independence.
I'm Jealous August 13, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This has been one of the best "spiritual" books I have read in a long time. Elizabeth Gilbert perfectly articulated what it feels like to be lost, to want God and peace more than anything else in the world and the journey in finding that. Her humor was wonderful and I'm jealous of her writing style as I believe it was exquisite. I don't know why people have even criticized this book unless they were jealous for other reasons - like not having her life or being a wonderful best selling author. The book was a wonderful balance of humor, insight and information.
This is a book will reread again and again. Thanks Elizabeth Gilbert for sharing this with us all.
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