HER OWN SEARCH - HER OWN VOICE, BOTH IMPRESSIVE, February 26, 2006

HER OWN SEARCH - HER OWN VOICE, BOTH IMPRESSIVE, February 26, 2006
By Gail Cooke

Reading the subtitle of Elizabeth Gilbert's latest book, "One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia," one can only think well, she certainly knows where to look! Also, upon learning that this is her chosen way of recovering from a particularly acrimonious divorce and a trying-to-make-up-for-that-loss romance that didn't work, we might think how fortunate she is to able to seek solace in such intriguing places। Whatever our opinion of her reasons for this journey it has been established that she's a super writer (The Last American Man), and she brings all of her wit, intellect and stylish pen to Eat Pray Love। More than that, she brought a great deal of courage to her chosen task of traveling the world alone at the age of 34। She felt she needed a dramatic change, and it may be that she has found it। It's a pleasure to listen to this memoir/travelogue in her voice. Many will associate with her initial confession that she's not a very good traveler in that she suffers from various digestive interruptions. However, on the plus side she easily makes friends with anyone. As she puts it, "I can make friends with the dead." Or, if there isn't anyone around she claims that she could chat with a pile of Sheetrock. Whatever the case, she is a very lucky lady as her travel experiences prove. No Viva Italia for Italy because of Messina, a port town in Sicily that she describes as "scary and suspicious." Perhaps that's one reason why she's lonely and depressed there. But things definitely take a turn for the better in India and Indonesia, although her meditation needs a little more work. Did Gilbert find what she was searching for? Listeners may not be too sure but they'll certainly enjoy the trip! - Gail Cooke