For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

This is one of those books that is incredibly difficult to decipher exactly how you feel about it. 

I actually started reading this in college. I think I was bored at a friend's apartment and she had it laying around, so I started reading it. I still have the copy she gave me with the bookmark still on page 42. I remember being incredibly bored and annoyed with the book.

Now, years later, I found a copy of the audiobook at the library. I drive a lot for work so I figured it may be worth listening to for two weeks of driving time.

For the most part, I liked it. It took a little while to get into it, but overall it was good. Yes, you're going to get annoyed with Gilbert's irritating problems. Heartbreak and divorce are not so rare these days. Thinking back, I really didn't like Gilbert at all. Mostly I think I put up with her because I kept picturing her as Julia Roberts (even though I haven't actually seen the movie) and you just can't hate Julia Roberts. Anyway, I did enjoy the experiences that she had and the stories she had to tell. She met a lot of interesting people on her travels and has a knack for telling interesting stories.

One of my hesitations about this book though is how she tells others' stories. At the start of the book, she says she changed everyone's name (except Richard from Texas), but she still went on and took those people's stories from them. I understand that she is reflecting on the stories and experiences, but I think she really took advantage of some of the stories. The details of someone else's abusive marriage and difficult divorce aren't really things you should write about just because that person trusted you with the information and lives in a different country that probably wouldn't have access to the book you wrote featuring their stories. I don't feel like she had to go into so much detail. It just felt like she was exposing other people's lives without them really knowing her intentions. I felt a little squeamish about the way Gilbert peddles others' life stories for her own gain.

Her travels were definitely interesting and I did like the various ways she found balance in life such as yoga and meditation. I can see people getting a lot out of this book. There is a deep focus on pleasure and devotion and finding the balance between the two. Overall, I thought it was good. It's not perfect, but there is some inspirational stuff within its pages.

"It wasn't so much that I wanted to thoroughly explore the countries themselves; this has been done. It was more that I wanted to thoroughly explore one aspect of myself set against the backdrop of each country, in a place that has traditionally done that one thing very well. I wanted to explore the art of pleasure in Italy, the art of devotion in India and, in Indonesia, the art of balancing the two. It was only later, after admitting this dream, that I noticed the happy coincidence that all these countries begin with the letter I. A fairly auspicious sign, it seemed, on a voyage of self-discovery."

DNF @ 61%
I tried, for 61% I tried. I found a couple quotes from other people that I highlighted but that was it. I never highlighted anything the author wrote. I had to ask myself why am I reading a book where the authors advice is not connecting with me ? Why wasn't it working, several reasons. One was the qualifications of the author, two was the lack of any real actions.
The author, I did not know who she was when I purchased this book, I had not read her Eat Pray Love novel, but had seen it on store shelves. She talked about her success of that piece, many times as her great masterpiece, which qualified her to give advice on creativity. She came across to me as self absorbed, pompous, and full look at me, see how wonderful I am. Where was this creative genius, the spark that would send us humans out into the world to make ourselves into the artists we held hidden inside ?
This came across more as a memoir of her greatness to date than a self-help book. What little there was seemed gimmicky and useless to me. I gathered no information helpful to use of pass on, no steps no actions.

Still feeling meh-ish. I have not read her book Eat Pray Love, maybe that's my problem I'm not feeling the creative genius in her ? Meow, right ? It feels so gimmicky, over the top and a tad conceited when she puts herself on this high level creative shelf with the "stars"
So help me fellow readers, was Eat Pray Love, a masterpiece ? She bases her whole expertise on that novel. 

I'm not ready to drop this but I am disappointed in this first half. First person pov- not fond of someone talking about themselves and their book "Eat Pray Love" over and over and over which is what I've mostly gotten to this point. There have been tidbits of inspiration, all quotes from other people. :/