Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

A book I read with anticipation, having read reviews and heard the author interviewed on a podcast. I liked her voice, and that goes a long way towards my perception of someone! The sensuous Italian delights of food, mellowness and good company, while the author learns Italian and recovers from the emotional backlash of her divorce & heartbreak of a broken relationship, was a journey I willingly travelled with her. She writes with a wry humour, and though sometimes her grieving is almost maudlin, overall the book is quite enjoyable. After the first 4 months, we move on to India and her emotional and spiritual journey in an ashram where she meets a few interesting characters. The identity of the ashram and guru are deliberately not divulged, but there's no attempt to disguise the details so it's obvious to me which guru & ashram it is. The last 4 months is in Bali, captivating in a different way, where we meet a new cast of characters - the medicine man who was her reason for being there, the locals, the expatriate community, the herbalist woman friend whom she helps to obtain a much needed home. And a lovely ending, but best left to readers to find out for themselves!