I found Eat, Pray, Love to be a delightful read. As a woman who has also gone through a divorce and had to re-vision herself in the shambles afterwards, I understand this story. The author takes a year of her life to travel in three stages -- Italy, India, and Indonesia -- as means to recover from her divorce. I also love to travel, and often use a physical journey to help explore a psychological journey, as does this book. So, I found much to like here.

I found the most to like in the first section on Italy (focusing on food), and in the last section in Indonesia (focusing on love). The section on India (focusing on praying) was -- well -- not as enjoyable for me. Don't get me wrong. I am open to reading about spiritual experiences. I'm a big fan of Ralph Waldo Emerson and his discussion of the transcendental moment -- as well as plenty of other writers exploring spirituality. I simply found this section to not be as enjoyable. I didn't get lost in it, as I did the other part. I was often pulled out of the text, out of the story, by something I didn't understand or didn't get. When I could stay with it, I enjoyed it, but I longed for the ease of the other sections.

The last section spoke to me in an unexpected way. As a divorced woman who has not discovered lasting love again, I found Gilbert's developing love relationship fascinating. Like Gilbert, I have made bad relationship choices in the past -- so bad, in fact, that I feel incapable of making good ones now. She chooses a man who is older, who is experienced, who takes good care of her. She finally chooses a grown-up. I liked seeing how she rethinks the choices she has made in the past, and seems to learn from her mistakes. It gives me hope that if Gilbert can change, so can I. So can any of us.

A wonderful book, one I would recommend to any of my friends, but especially the ones who want to see the ways women can grow and change after a divorce.