A personal review of 'Eat Pray Love'
Usually, I have an aversion to the media and literature everybody else loves - things that are decided by my peers to be mainstream. Yet here I sit, in total adoration of the book Eat Pray Love.
Gilbert’s traveling memoir is a perfect example of what I look for in a piece of literature; something I can respond to, relate to, and be inspired by. Memoir is the genre I most enjoy, purely because the authors are so open about their real life. Not only does this intrigue me as a reader, but as a writer as well, it gives me the confidence to say exactly what I want to say in my own work. I think honesty within any literary genre opens up a space to have the necessary conversations to promote open-mindedness and positive social change. Plus, on a less moral note, trauma seems to sell in the 21st century. Works like Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Marriage Story by Noah Baumbach, After Life by Ricky Gervais, and Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton are some of my favorite examples of the monetization of the average person’s trauma.
Personally, despite understanding possible impracticalities, I would like to see a shift in the study of English literature towards texts which would be more successful in engaging a modern audience. Based upon my younger sister’s and my own experience with secondary school English Literature, I believe students of that age would benefit highly from studying texts like the ones previously mentioned, so that they can truly connect with what they are being taught, through the texts’ relatability.
I read EAT PRAY LOVE at a time in my life when it was impossible not to be completely enveloped by it; traveling, sometimes solo, and taking my debut novel in a completely new direction. It is safe to say, at this time in my life, I was learning a lot about myself, and Gilbert’s memoir acted as my unofficial guide; the stepping stone I did not know I needed. I have talked back to her many times in my novel, discussing her theory of fate: ‘Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship - a play between divine grace and wilful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over, half of it is absolutely in your hands,’ and responding to her friend’s advice to share her heart with someone else again at some point: “move ahead with your life” he tells her. Quotes like these prompted very insightful content. It brought to the surface questions I needed to be asked in order to reach the point I was trying to make in a lot of my chapters.
From the moment I traded my pound coin for the paperback I was set on a journey, I could not imagine my life without. Reading EAT PRAY LOVE was a truly encompassing experience and I will be forever grateful to my past self for going against habit and giving in to the hype of this book.
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