My Response to the NY Times Review of Eat Pray Love

This blog is a bit different than my usual ones, because instead of simply giving my opinion and a detailed summary of a book I've been immersed in I have chosen to give my feedback to a review of a novel I read at the beginning of the third quarter. Here is a link to the review by Jennifer Egan, just in case anyone is interested in checking it out for themselves: .

I strongly side with Egan on her point that Elizabeth Gilbert's ability to, "make friends with anybody," as she herself states at the opening of the novel, is evident through her manner of writing. Egan shows this through her remark that, "Gilbert's prose is fueled by a mix of intelligence, wit and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible, and makes the reader only too glad to join the posse of friends and devotees who have the pleasure of listening in,". This critic also wisely points out that a trip around the world, financed as an advance for the novel seems the perfect outlet for Gilbert to set free her "odball sensibility on an international stage". I have to take her side on this one as well because that little tad of quirkiness or diversity that Gilbert gives to her descriptions of each of her travel sites is quite refreshing and really allows the reader to picture them as if they were there themselves.

I was intrigued by Egan's insight that Gilbert's disdain and pain over not having the traditional life, or essentially ending her attempts at it are really a way to make herself realize that this sort of life is never that which she wanted, nor what she was cut out for. Egan admits she is, "willing to believe that Gilbert despaired over having failed at a more conventional life even as she sought out its opposite — complications like these are what make us human. But she doesn't tell that story here, or even acknowledge the paradox. As a result, her crisis remains a shadowy thing, a mere platform for the actions she takes to alleviate it." And once again I have to agree; Gilbert's novel is not about the struggles she is facing but the journey she embarks upon and therefore it is an interesting and quick read because there really isn't a whole lot of whining.

Well, I'd have to say Jennifer Egan hit the nail on the head with this review and I would definitely put my trust in her judgement of authors and books in the near future. Hope you enjoyed this change of style!