Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert has remained a huge hit since its release in 2006. Gilbert recently published a new book called Committed that didn’t quite meet the mega star standards of her first book. Eat, Pray, Love is in the top 10 on the Kindle Bestseller list.
Eat, Pray, Love chronicles the events of the year following Gilbert’s sudden decision that she didn’t want to be married anymore. She spends her time in Italy, India and Bali enjoying the culture while searching deep within herself. I was amazed at how well she captured her experience with the yogis in the Ashram in India. While reading, I felt like I was right there with her experiencing the same enlightened emotional response that she did during meditation.
Some reviewers argue that this book is self centered, annoying and obtuse because Elizabeth Gilbert focused on herself, and not the political issues in the countries that she visited. The counter argument is that this is meant to be a book of self discovery and is meant to be taken with a bit of humor while Gilbert fumbles her way along that path.
The reader gets a chance to learn about spirituality, life and relationships in a lighthearted, witty manner as opposed to a wise and more serious one.
Committed, Gilbert’s newest book about marriage, has a completely different tone than Eat, Pray, Love. It discusses what marriage is and isn’t, and the implications of transitioning from an independent life to spending it with someone else. Gilbert addresses marriage as an institution that has been through a lot of analyzing and has evolved a great deal over the centuries. How has this institution remained intact despite these changes?
Some reviewers thought Committed was too chatty, whereas others pointed out that the deeply personal insight into Gilbert’s life made them uncomfortable. It is all a matter of preference and what you take from it.
Both books are geared towards women and their viewpoints on marriage, spirituality and relationships. Each book has its unique strengths and weaknesses, and are not meant to be compared to as sequels to each other.