Book to Movie: Eat, Pray, Love

Summary: Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy's buffet of delights--the world's best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners--Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. "I came to Italy pinched and thin," she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise "betwixt and between" realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry--conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor--as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression.~amazon.com (refers to the novel)

Book to Movie Review: As you know I'm not a huge memoir fan, unless they make me laugh; so I've never read Eat, Pray, Love but when I saw that Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem were going to be in the movie, I knew I would see it. So, my sister took me to see it for a belated birthday movie. Who knew someone's personal journey to find themselves would be so moving? I certainly didn't expect it. I cried, I laughed, I cried some more. I love how Liz had the guts to take a year off and work on herself. Sure most of us don't have the luxury and it's a day in day out process, but if I did lose everything, I might pack up and go to Italy and Bali. I would skip India and go to Jerusalem for my "pray" part. See the India part is the the only part of the soul searching that didn't ring true for me. I thought she was still trying to find peace through her relationship with David and David was Hindu. Maybe, it's better flushed out in the book, but I wasn't sure if she was there for herself or for him. She did end up getting something out of it in the end.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite part because I enjoyed all of it. I will say that eventually, one way or another, I will get to Italy and I will enjoy every single morsel of food that I eat there. It is my life mission.

I did remark to my sister that Julia seems to have come into her own. I've always thought she was pretty but these days she's just positively radiant. Javier Bardem is so easy on the eyes but also a talented actor and the two of them had genuine chemistry.

Now, just because I really liked the movie, does it mean I'll go buy the memoir and read it? Nope. Again, I don't do memoirs and well my TBR list is just so huge I can't add anything more to it.

If you are looking for a movie to see with your friends, definitely check out Eat, Pray, Love; I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Book to Movie Final Take: 4/5