This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls “Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister”) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

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

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)

An engaging, intelligent, and highly entertaining memoir. (Time)

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)

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

Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of a story collection, Pilgrims (a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award); a novel, Stern Men; and The Last American Man (a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award).

Imprint: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 01-30-2007
Pages: 352
Measurements: 8.46in X 5.56in X 0.86in X 0.63lb