Did you read Eat, Pray, Love? Did you watch the film? Did you study all the DVD extras? I did. And I really enjoyed both the book and the film. I think that reading the book before watching the film was definitely a good idea, because there are a few things that are ‘glossed over’ in the film and you might not get quite understand the importance of Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey if you’ve only seen the film. I probably don’t have to tell you that, because you’ve probably read the book, like all the millions of readers around the world (it was on The New York Times Best Seller list for 187 weeks after all) and seen the film already – this is all old news.
But what I’ve enjoyed reading recently is Elizabeth Gilbert’s sequel to Eat, Pray, Love – “Committed: A Love Story”. It was written a couple of years ago, just after the film was released and it follows Elizabeth and Felipe’s life after Eat, Pray, Love ends. I am especially enjoying the book because it isn’t just an account of their struggle to marry after Felipe is deported from the US, it is an anthropological look at marriage and relationships throughout history and customs around the world.
The loved-up pair must travel from country to country while waiting for permission to wed from the American authorities, despite neither of them ever planning to marry again after their previous relationships failed. However, the only way that they can live together in the USA is to make it official and get married, so this book charts Elizabeth’s research into the whys and wherefores of marriage – how couples do it all over the globe and why it works (or doesn’t) in different cultures.
The discussion of culture was what I particularly enjoyed about Eat, Pray, Love – I felt I learnt something while reading it – so this book really is a treat for me to read. I’ve enjoyed learning about the social and historical roots of marriage but I haven’t felt like I’m reading a text-book, despite the book being more focussed on anthropology than Elizabeth’s personal story. It was a great read, and I’m getting through it pretty quickly – it’s addictive reading and when you get going, you don’t want to put it down – probably because the chapters are so long so you don’t get enough opportunities to stop!
Recommended for fans of the film and book, and you can expect to learn lots from it 🙂
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