Elizabeth Gilbert wrote a lovely book called Eat, Pray, Love, which has been turned into what I'm sure is a lovely movie starring the lovely actress Julia Roberts. I read the book about a year and a half ago, and it was... lovely. By now, you're probably familiar with the story -- the author tells us how, after a difficult divorce and a confusing relationship with a passionate, younger lover, she decides to "find herself", and takes off for Italy (to enjoy life/food), India (to pray/meditate) and Indonesia to ... well, I don't remember what she went to Indonesia for, but she finds love. Real, true love.
That's nice.
Actually, I did enjoy the book quite a bit -- particularly the "eat" and "pray" parts. Gilbert's a very friendly writer -- conversational and funny. And I was drawn to the book because I also have my three "I" countries I long to visit, two of them being, in fact, Italy and India. I also really want to go to Ireland. Not quite as exotic as Indonesia, I know, but man, can the Irish tell a great tale and play some pipes and whistles!
I think what Ms. Gilbert's successful book might've done is opened the flood gates for all kinds of memoirs of "self discovery". I want to be the first on the bandwagon! My book would be called Eat, Kvetch, Drive. Here's the blurb: After losing her father and her full-time job, our author decides to move back to her sprawling, mid-western hometown with her domestic partner and cat. Hilarity ensues as she attempts to find work, deal with her ailing, problem-ridden mother, and try to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. A joyous romp through middle-age, not to be missed!
I played with a variety of titles -- eat, mope, sleep almost won.
What would you title your past year's "journey of self-discovery"?
I would read Eat, Kvetch, Drive and buy it for all of my family members and friends.
ReplyDeleteMy title would have something to do with learning to say no, being better at the things i love to do, and being pregnant. My title would have to be something like: Yes AND No
Or something to do with making things, but never quite getting to the making, just thinking about the making a lot. "Almost-Made" or "Next Week's Quilt" or "The Someday Theatre Project"
I loved that book. Mine would have to be "Diet, Exercise, and Gain Weight Anyway: One Woman's Journey into the throes of Hypothyroidism" HAHAHAH! No, no. It would have to be something much more positive than that, but why is it that the negative stuff is just so much funnier?
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this title? "Drink, Play, F@#k: One Man's Search for Anything Across Ireland, Las Vegas, and Thailand" I saw that in the book store some time ago, and cracked up.