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Description edit
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... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
At 32 years old, Gilbert was educated, had a home and a husband, and successful career as a writer. However, she was not happy; she was depressed with her marriage, often spending the night crying on her bathroom floor. She divorced her husband and entered into a relationship with another man,... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Elizabeth M. Gilbert: The narrator of the story. She leaves her husband and then goes throughout Italy, India and Indonesia to find herself.
- David: Liz's boyfriend towards the end of her divorce with her husband and for a little while after. Also described as her soul mate.
- Luca Spaghetti: One of Elizabeth's friends in Italy.
- Sofie: A beautiful Swedish girl whom Elizabeth befriends in Italy.
- Richard from Texas: At the ashram in India, Liz befriends a man she calls "Richard from Texas," who helps her on her spiritual path.
- Yudhi: A young Indonesian musician, deported from the United States after 9/11, who dreams of returning to live in America.
- Giovanni: Elizabeth's conversation partner in Italy.
- Wayan Nuriyasih: Wayan is a Balinese healer and single mother. Elizabeth decides to help her in providing a house for herself and her daughter.
- Tulsi: A teenage girl at the ashram in India.
- Mario: Elizabeth's first friend in Bali. They bond over their love for Italy.
- Smitha Sindagi: Divorcee finds herself.
- Swamiji: One of the previous gurus that appears to Liz while she meditates and/or dreams.
- Ketut Liyer: A medicine man that Elizabeth befriends in Indonesia.
- Luca Spaghetti: Maybe it was only because of the surname 'Spaghetti', that this character made me feel that he displays the characteristics of Italy. He was always content in life, never shows any signs of depression or sadness, and was always the one to tell Elizabeth to 'lighten up' and go with the flow. Luca Spaghetti is one of the characters in books who make readers happy with them, and makes us smile whenever we read parts in the book which are about him
- Susan Freddie: One of Liz's friends in New York.
- Linda: One of Liz's friends in New York.
- Deborah Luepnitz: One of Liz's friends in New York.
- Richard From Texas: A wisecracking Texan whom Liz meets during her time in the Indian Ashram, who's humor, kindness, and candid honesty help her in her devotion.
- Catherine: I really loved this book. It is one of my favorites. I enjoyed all of the spirituality. People who feel strongly about religion may not like it.
- Dina: One woman's meditation on life through her travels and the food she enjoys there. Learning to forgive yourself is never easy
- Sean: Add a description of this character.
- Dario: Brother of Giovanni, who posted a flyer alongside his brother's to find someone to converse with in English. Dating Sophie.
- Albertini
- Nick
- Adam
- Mother Teresa: Infamous humanitarian
- Iva
- Tutti: Wayan's daughter.
- Paolo
- Bob
- Felipe: A 52 years Brazilian man whom Liz meets at Bali. Felipe brings back the trust and love in liz's life. Also helps her find a suitable residence for her dear friend.
- John
- Brian
- Ann Barros
- Nyomo
- Liss
- Maria
- Dante Alighieri
- Giulio
- Louis Farrakhan
- Little Ketut: An orphan girl adopted by Elizabeth's friend, Wayan, in Bali.
- Sharon
- Dai
- Dalai Lama
- Corella
- Gandhi
- Ian
- Annie
- Aunt Deb
- Puccini
- Armenia
- Tom
- Liz Gilbert: The lead character, it is her story and she is the author.
- Goethe
Quotes edit
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“But "That" feels impersonal to me--a thing, not a being--and I myself cannot pray to a That. (Makenna B.)”
Elizabeth -
“God is an experience of supreme love. (Makenna B.)”
Elizabeth -
“Similarly, when the question is raised, "What kind of God do you believe in?" my answer is easy: "I believe in a magnificent God." (Makenna B.)”
Elizabeth -
“Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.”
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“I have always responded with breathless excitement to anyone who has ever said that God does not live in a dogmatic scripture or in a distant throne in the sky, but instead abides very close to us indeed--much closer than we can imagine, breathing right through our own hearts.”
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“I also know that I won't go forth and have children just in case I might regret missing it later in life; I don't think this is a strong enough motivation to bring more babies onto the earth.”
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“My life had gone to bits and I was so unrecognizable to myself that I probably couldn't have picked me out of a police lineup. But I felt a glimmer of happiness when I started studying Italian, and when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt--this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.”
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“True Yogies, from their seat of equipoise, see all this world as an equal manifestation of God's creative energy--men, women, children, turnips, bedbugs, coral: it's all God in disguise.”
-
“I couldn't care less about evidence and proof and assurances. I just want God. I want God inside me. I want God to play in my bloodstream the way sunlight amuses itself on water.”
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“God isn't interested in watching you enact some performance of personality in order to comply with some crackpot notion you have about how a spirirtual person looks or behaves. We all seem to get this idea that, in order to be sacred, we have to make some massive, dramatic change of character, that we have to renounce our individuality. This is a classic example of what they call in the East "wrong-thinking."”
-
“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't you will leak away your innate contentment.”
-
“I knew then that this is how God loves us all and receives us all, and that there is no such thing in this universe as hell, except maybe in our own terrified minds.”
-
“In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.”
-
“You should never give yourself a chance to fall apart, because it becomes a tendency, and it happens over & over again. You must practice staying strong instead.”
Guru -
“We must get our hearts broken sometimes. This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something.”
-
“Many times in romance I have been a victim of my own optimism.”
-
“As smoking is to the lungs, so is resentment to the soul; even one puff of it is bad for you.”
-
“What I'm alarmed to find in meditation is that my mind is actually not that interesting a place, after all.”
-
“Loneliness watches & sighs, then climbs into my bed & pulls the covers over himself, fully dressed, shoes & all. He's going to make me sleep with him again tonight, I just know it.”
-
“I was just alone. But not really alone, either. I was surrounded by something I can only describe as a little pocket of silence - a silence so rare that I didn't want to exhale, for fear of scaring it off. I was seamlessly still. I don't know when I'd ever felt such stillness.”
-
“To find the balance you want ... this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have four legs, instead of two. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way, you will know God.”
Ketut -
“You must be very polite with yourself when you are learning something new”
Giovanni to Liz -
“I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I eat and read and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life - whether I will see them as curses or opportunities (and on occasions when I can't rise to the most optimistic viewpoint, because I'm feeling too damn sorry for myself, I can choose to keep trying to change my outlook.) I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts."”
Liz -
“To stop talking for a while, then, is to attempt to strip away the power of words, to stop choking ourselves with words, to liberate ourselves from our suffocating mantras.”
Liz -
“My thoughts turn to something I read once, something the Zen Buddhists believe. They say that an oak tree is brought into creation by two forces at the same time. Obviously, there is the acorn from which it all begins, the seed which holds all the promise and potential, which grows into the tree. Everybody can see that. But only a few can recognize that there is another force operating here as well--the future tree itself, which wants so badly to exist that it pulls the acorn into being, drawing the seedling forth with longing out of the void, guiding the evolution from nothingness to maturity. In this respect, say the Zens, it is the oak tree that creates the very acorn from which it is born.”
Liz -
“In a world of disorder and disasterand fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted.”
Elizabeth Gilbert -
“She was exuding an unbelievably glamorous air of: You will look at me, but I will refuse to look at you. It was hard to imagine she had ever, even for ten minutes of her life, not worn mascara. This woman was in every way the opposite of me, who dresses in a style my sister refers to as "Stevie Nicks goes to Yoga Class in Her Pajamas.I pointed that woman out to Giulio, and I said: See, Giulio - that is a Roman woman.”
Elizabeth Gilbert -
“For instance, when I told one friend back in NYC that I was going to India to live in an Ashram and search for divinity, he sighed and said: Oh, there's a part of me that so wishes I wanted to do that ... but I really have no desire for it whatsoever.”
-
“Nick, my nephew, is an eight-year-old boy, skinny for his age, scarily smart, frighteningly astute, sensitive and complex. Even minutes after his birth, amid all the squalling newborns in the nursery, he alone was not crying, but looking around with adult, worldly and worried eyes, looking as though he'd done all this before so many times and wasn't sure how excited he felt about having to do it again.This child for whom life is never simpl, a child who hears and sees and feels everything intensely, a child who can be overcome by emotions so fast sometimes that it unnerves ua all.I love this boy so deeply and protectively ...”
Elizabeth Gilbert -
“The world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world. says an old Buddhist teaching. In other words: Get used to it.”
-
“... all the sorrow and trouble of this world is caused by unhappy people. Not only in the big global Hitler'n'Stalin picture, but also on the smallest personal level.”
-
“Even in the worst tragedies and crisis, there's no reason to add to everyone's misery by looking miserable yourself.”
Armenia -
“There's a reason they call God a presence--because God is right here, right now. In the present is the only place to find Him, and now is the only time.”
-
“'And now I'm kissing my robes.' Thinking this was probably some super-arcane religious custom, I asked what he was doing. He said, 'Same thing I always do whenever anyone comes for relationship advice. I'm just thanking God I'm a monk because I don't havevtondeal with tis stuff anymore.'”
-
“Sometimes the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”
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“Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit.”
Elizabeth's sister -
“You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.”
Elizabeth -
“You are after all what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.”
Elizabeth -
“As far as we know, we are the only species on the planet who have been given the gift - or curse, perhaps - or awareness about our own mortality. Everything here eventually dies; we're just the lucky ones who get to think about this fact every day."”
Elizabeth -
“There's a reason we refer to "leaps of faith" - because the decision to consent to any notion of divinity is a mighty jump from the rational over to the unknowable, and I don't care how diligently scholars of every religion will try to sit you down with their stacks of books and prove to you through scripture that their faith is indeed rational; it isn't. If faith were rational, it wouldn't be - by definition - faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be... a prudent insurance policy.”
Elizabeth -
“Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship - a play between divine grace and willful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and your actions will show measurable consequence. Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he's a little of both.”
Elizabeth -
“The notion is that human beings are born, as my Guru has explained many times, with the equivalent potential for both contraction and expansion. The ingredients of both darkness and light are equally present in all of us, and then it's up to the individual (or the family, or the society) to decide what will be brought forth - the virtues or the malevolence. The madness of this planet is largely a result of the human being's difficulty in coming into virtuous balance with himself. Lunacy (both collective and individual) results.”
Elizabeth -
“"Imagine that the universe is a great spinning engine," he said. "You want to stay near the core of the thing-right in the hub of the wheel-not out at the edges where all the wild whirling takes place, where you get can frayed and crazy. The hub of calmness-that's your heart. That's where God lives within you. So stop looking for answers in the world. Just keep coming back to that center and you'll always find peace."”
Sean, the Irish dairy farmer -
“Desperate, I beg my mind to please step aside and let me find God, but my mind stares at me with steely power and says, 'I will never let you pass me by.'”
Elizabeth -
“Then give it six more. Just keep throwin' six months at it till it goes away. Stuff like this takes time.”
Richard -
“…A true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls andsmack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever. Nah. Too painful.Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourselfto you, and then they leave. And thank God for it.”
Richard from Texas -
“Like most humanoids, I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the 'monkey mind'– the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit, and howl. From the distant past to the unknowable future, my mind swings wildly through time, touching on dozens of ideas a minute, unharnessed and undisciplined.”
-
“The former Catholic nun who oughtta know about guilt, after all wouldn’t hear of it. 'Guilt’s just your ego’s way of tricking you into thinking that you’re making moral progress.'”
-
“when you set out in the world to help yourself,sometimes you end up helping Tutti.”
Elizabeth Gilbert -
““the six elements of her Fail Proof Broken-Heart Curing Treatment: 'Vitamin E, get much sleep, drink much water, travel to a place far away from the person you loved, meditate and teach your heart that this is destiny”
Liz -
“Clearing out my misery gets me out of the way. My episodes of unhappiness bring distress to those around me. Contentment is really a generous gift to the world.”
-
“To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life”
Wayan -
“...you should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because, when you do, it becomes a tendency and it happens over and over again. You must practice staying strong instead.”
Guru -
“You can let yourself off the hook anytime you want, Liz. That's the divine contract of a little something we call free will.”
Richard -
“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake.”
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“In desperate love, we always invent the characters of our partners, demanding that they be what we need of them, and then feeling devastated when they refuse to perform the role we created in the first place.”
Elizabeth -
“...I am the planet's most affectionat life-form (something like a cross between a golden retriever and a barnacle)...”
Elizabeth -
“...Is a bean green? and Does James Brown get down?”
Elizabeth -
“Four feet on the ground, a head full of foliage, looking at the world through the heart...”
Elizabeth -
“I'm here. I love you. I don't care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. If you need the medication again, go ahead and take it -- I will love you through that, as well. If you don't need the medication, I will love you, too. There's nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will STILL protect you. I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.”
Elizabeth -
“...Rome and Yoga don't have anything in common at all. Except for the way they both kind of remind you of the word toga.”
Elizabeth -
“...God long ago drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now.”
Elizabeth -
“I was not rescued by a prince; I was the administrator of my own rescue.”
Elizabeth
Setting & Locations edit
Venice, Italy
- New York City: The story starts off with Elizabeth living in a big house in the suburbs of New York which she'd recently purchased with her husband.
- Rome, Italy: Where Elizabeth discovers the art of pleasure. The best part of the book - a wonderful romp through the experiences of Italy.
- India: Where Elizabeth discovers the art of devotion.
- Indonesia: Where Elizabeth discovers how to balance pleasure and devotion.
First Sentence edit
I wish Giovanni would kiss me.
Table of Contents edit
Italy: ch. 1-36
India: ch. 37-72
Indonesia: ch. 73-108
Glossary edit
- antevasin: Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border.”
- japa mala: beads used as an aid in many strands of Eastern meditation
- attraversiamo: let's cross together
- codega: a fellow you hired to walk in front of you at night with a lit latern, showing you the way, scaring off thieves and demons, bringing you confidence and protection through the dark streets
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Spiritual Enlightenment: Something spiritual, like gaining enlightenment. Meeting or rather merging with God or whatever supreme body one believes in. More specifically, gaining the knowledge of supreme which cannot be explained, about the whole universe how everything works around the whole existence.
- Divorce: Literally meaning ending one's marriage. More emotional means ending a life which two people started to live together. Which sometimes has more than a physical effects in anyone or both of the couple.
- Soul searching: A path one takes to know or find oneself. In more religious terms searching for God or whatever supreme power one believes in and in a way searching one's true identity.
- Attraversiamo: literally: let's cross over (a street). This favorite Italian word of the author mirrors the book beautifully: She is repeatedly crossing her beliefs, her traditions, etc.
- Food: Being able to enjoy life by eating, regardless of the calorie count
- Love: Describe this theme.
- Balance in Life
- Pleasure: One of the themes about her time in Italy.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 29 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 32 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 30 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 31 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 68 of 145 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 43 of 121 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2012). (authoritative list)
This book is in KCPL Discussion Kit (Aug2010). (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Elizabeth Gilbert (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Viking
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 0670034711
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Viking
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 0670034711
Page Count: 352
Awards edit
- TED talk presenter (2009: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: G154.5.G55 A3 2006
- Dewey: 910.4 B 22
Subjects edit
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Specific Groups › Adventurers & Explorers
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Specific Groups › Women
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Arts & Literature › Authors
- Books › Religion & Spirituality › Spirituality › Meditations
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Memoirs
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Travel
- Books › Religion & Spirituality › Spirituality › Personal Transformation
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