Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert (2006, Unabridged, Compact Disc)

Reading the subtitle of Elizabeth Gilbert's latest book, "One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia," one can only think well, she certainly knows where to look! Also, upon learning that this is her chosen way of recovering from a particularly acrimonious divorce and a trying-to-make-up-for-that-los​s romance that didn't work, we might think how fortunate she is to able to seek solace in such intriguing places.

Whatever our opinion of her reasons for this journey it has been established that she's a super writer (The Last American Man), and she brings all of her wit, intellect and stylish pen to Eat Pray Love. More than that, she brought a great deal of courage to her chosen task of traveling the world alone at the age of 34. She felt she needed a dramatic change, and it may be that she has found it.

It's a pleasure to listen to this memoir/travelogue in her voice. Many will associate with her initial confession that she's not a very good traveler in that she suffers from various digestive interruptions. However, on the plus side she easily makes friends with anyone. As she puts it, "I can make friends with the dead." Or, if there isn't anyone around she claims that she could chat with a pile of Sheetrock. Whatever the case, she is a very lucky lady as her travel experiences prove.

No Viva Italia for Italy because of Messina, a port town in Sicily that she describes as "scary and suspicious." Perhaps that's one reason why she's lonely and depressed there. But things definitely take a turn for the better in India and Indonesia, although her meditation needs a little more work.

Did Gilbert find what she was searching for? Listeners may not be too sure but they'll certainly enjoy the trip!

This book chronicles the soul-search of one slightly neurotic writer, Liz Gilbert.

After a wrenching divorce, Liz (prompted by a Balinese shaman) decides to travel to Italy to eat, to India to pray, and to Bali to love.

Witty, succinct, and a great read. I truly enjoyed the openness with which she portrays her frailties, her quirks, and her (mis)adventures.

Enjoy a look into Italian food (including the best pizza in the world), yogic meditation, self-analysis in paradise, buying Balinese real estate, and falling in love, genuinely.

Brilliant, funny, sometimes profound, and quite charming. I hope you'll read this book.

If you enjoy "Eat Pray Love", try "Tales of a Female Nomad" by Rita Golden Gelman.

This is a beautifully written memoir about one woman's journey to the life she always wanted. After a painful divorce, she decides to "find herself" by spending four months in Italy ("eat"), four months in India ("pray") and four months in Indonesia ("love"). The story of her journey of discovery is at times funny, sad, poignant, informative, enlightening and inspirational. I highly recommend this book.

This book is an amazing biography with a lot of emphasis on faith. They "Pray" section of the story get's very religious based, however not so much so that you feel pressured into believing as she believes. What I found wonderful is how easily the story mirrors many of the principles of "The Secret". While this book mentions nothing about "The Secret" I am a big fan of the book and found that her act of writing the Petition requesting her divorce be finalized soon was much like how The Secret says to make your request to the universe and imagine the feeling of having it, and of course, GRATITUDE! There is so much gratitude in this book, so much emphasis on love that you cannot help but enjoy this woman's journey. Even her moments of depression, frustration, are all depicted so well here.

I own now both the book and the audiobook, and suggest anyone in the midst of their own break ups, divorce, self discovery take a minute to read this book. It's a great read, and even better listen while driving the long miles to and from work.

A middle aged, depressed writer who is exhausted in spirit and body decides to give herself a year to discover herself and heal. Italy, India, and Indonesia serve as the back drop to this informative, well writen, funny narrative of her adventures.

Along the way we meet colorful characters and explore different regions and customs, and our brave explorer finds healing and love.

I liked this book. It was never boring but the main character was so centered on herself and her healing I find her a little self centered and over analytical. I wondered about the rest of us who have traumas in our life but don't have the means or time to take a year off. In her defense, she lets us know upfront that this is the intention of the book. I wondered about what happened to the characters afterword, an epilogue wound have been nice.

All in all it was enjoyable and I will miss Liz now that it is finished. Not really a story but more a travel diary, it is well worth the read.