Eat, Pray, Love

An enticing, open, and poetic narrative by a renowned writer about her quest for material fulfillment, her spiritual commitment, and her true desires in life.

Elizabeth Gilbert had an early-onset midlife crisis about the time she reached thirty. She had a husband, a home, and a good career—everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to desire. But instead of being content and joyful, she was overcome with fear, loss, and uncertainty. She endured a divorce, a debilitating depression, a second failed relationship, and the dismantling of what she had ever believed her identity to be.

Gilbert made a drastic decision in order to get beyond all of this. She sold everything she had, resigned her job, and embarked on a year-long, solo trip across the globe to allow herself the time and space to discover who she really was and what she truly desired. The captivating account of that year is found in Eat, Pray, Love. Her goal was to go to three locations where, against the background of a society that has historically excelled in that one item, she could study one facet of her own nature. She learned to speak Italian, studied the art of pleasure, and put on the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life while living in Rome. India was for the art of devotion; she spent four unbroken months exploring her spirituality with the guidance of a local guru and an unexpectedly smart cowboy from Texas. She learned the technique of striking a balance between heavenly transcendence and mundane delight in Bali. She started taking lessons from an old medicine man and fell in love in the most wonderful way—by surprise.

A very expressive and poignant autobiography of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love explores what happens when you give up attempting to live up to society's expectations and take ownership of your own happiness. Anyone who has ever been aware of the constant need for change will undoubtedly find it touching.