Jennie Bourgeois

I very much enjoyed this book. It is not typically the type of book I usually read, but it was a great change for me.

This true story chronicles the author’s one year journey through Italy, India and Indonesia in her self discovery journey. Some great lessons and experiences were shared throughout the book that I think many people are able to relate to on some level.

The author has a website with some FAQs about her life since the writing of the book as well as actual pictures of some of the famous characters she wrote about.

There is also an entire blog devoted to Eat Pray Love and the author, the stories, the quotes, the merchandise, the fans, etc. It is also some very interesting reading.

In addition, one of the most popular characters from the book, Richard from Texas (the one who affectionately nicknamed the author Groceries, has become so famous that he has apparently been on Oprah twice. He has his own website and is doing his own speaking and writing at this time as well. Here is a picture of him -

Here is a picture of the author with her HUSBAND whom she met on her journey and later married, Felipe.

Here are some of the reviews on the book:

From The New Yorker
At the age of thirty-one, Gilbert moved with her husband to the suburbs of New York and began trying to get pregnant, only to realize that she wanted neither a child nor a husband. Three years later, after a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for “balancing.” These destinations are all on the beaten track, but Gilbert’s exuberance and her self-deprecating humor enliven the proceedings: recalling the first time she attempted to speak directly to God, she says, “It was all I could do to stop myself from saying, ‘I’ve always been a big fan of your work.’”
Copyright © 2006 – The New Yorker

A meditation on love in its many forms—love of food, language, humanity, God, and most meaningful for Gilbert, love of self. — Los Angeles Times

An engaging, intelligent, and highly entertaining memoir. — Time

Gilbert’s prose is fueled by a mix of intelligence, wit and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible. — The New York Times Book Review

This insightful, funny account of her travels reads like a mix of Susan Orlean and Frances Mayes. — Entertainment Weekly

This is a wonderful book, brilliant and personal, rich in spiritual insight. — Anne Lamott