Allison D. (alleigh) reviewed on 6/18/2008 + 15 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert is an unreadable exercise in self-pity and whining. Granted, it should probably have expected considering the general premise of the book, but Gilbert spent more time talking about her various neuroses than actually discussing her self-exploration. In addition, the occasional sympathy aroused during her various and numerous crying outbursts was lost every time she made an unnecessary political snipe. Is it necessary to reference her knowing how depressed she was because she couldn't even cry when the Democrats lost the 2004 Presidential election or explain that our country went to war just for fun? How is that relevant to journey for inner peace?

In the end, everyone's life has difficulties, and it is not clear why Gilbert's rollercoaster ride is any different from anyone else's ride. It doesn't offer insight for someone going through similar experiences, and more than anything, she just appears eccentric and neurotic. After the first 1/3 of the book, I lost my patience and stopped reading, so maybe my complaints don't apply to the whole book. However, since the process of getting to and the description of living a life of âeatingâ in Italy was less than enlightening, I just couldn't suffer through the rest of the book.

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