WASTE OF MY TIME

WASTE OF MY TIME!!!, June 5, 2007
By DJG (Scarsdale, NY United States)

I am dumbstruck that so many reviewers enjoyed this book. I have always wanted to do a similar trip myself, a trip I also called my "i" trip that additionally included Ireland and Israel. My trip will wait until I finish raising my small children, so I was hopeful she could transport me a little. In fact, I was excited to read of her experiences, insights, thoughts, adventures. As a suburban mom and freelancer who chose the life she opted out of for now (and how liucky I am to have that choice), I was still curious to learn what scared her about motherhood, what drew her to work and travel and how she would eventually deal with a possible balance. I am hopeful to support women who make unique choices and are willing to explore them. Only what she offered was, well, nothing.
She is the most vapid, narcicistic, insecure, self-absorbed, spoiled brat I have ever had to listen to. I could not wait to get her whiny, foolish voice out of my head. I only finished this book because it was a selection in my book group, the group hated it as it turns out. Has this women ever thought about someone other than herself? If she has an insight about divorce or relationships or even how to give and receive love she certainly forgot to share it with her readers. She didn't show struggle or conflict or self-reflection about societies pressures versus internal longings. It sounds like she just got bored and cried a lot.
Am I supposed to take her word for it that her marriage was unsalvagable and her husband so unworthy that she was smart to leave him? Did he abuse her? Hate her? cheat on her? drink? do drugs? Was he depressed -- or was that just her? She decided not to tell us why she would walk out and give up on a marriage. She isn't really deep enough to look at why she would abandon a person she promised to stick by. She doesn't explain her calling, her needs. Acutally she doesn't seem to learn anything. Or teach anything about the human condition or self-dicovery or how depression affects loved ones. Hard to like her -- or even want to read her -- at all when all she prattles on about is her weight fluctiations. Uh, when she finally gets to the third world country of India I wondered if she noticed the poverty and hunger? No, she complains instead about how hard it is to sit quietly in a room. I practice yoga myself and I think all her meditiation seems to have missed the point. Settle down, get centered sure, but then GO out and HELP someone, you creep!!! For awhile I thought this woman should, in fact, have a kid if only to teach her how to think about someone other than herself. But then I thought, maybe not. Might be too hard for her and then what? Jet off to Iraq to write about, say, army food, and abandon yet againj???
If you have any insights of your own about the world we share and how to share with others in it, do not bother reading Ms. Gilberts book. There is nothing valuable there to find, outside of a silly, spoiled girls daily planner of what she did today and who she has a crush on. ugh. better to watch Sex and The City reruns!
She seemed really proud of how good she is at making friends. I wondered how genuine she is or just glad to collect people like stamps or glass animals. I am certain I would not be her friend. I really could not stand her.