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~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
This was one confusing read for me, apart from the occasional nuggets of wisdom like in the above quoted lines. I swung between hatred and love and then sometimes it was just unadulterated disenchantment. Now before I plunge deeper into my regrets, I must confess of being somewhat of a literary snob. Almost a decade of studying and a year of teaching literature has done this to me. But I did stray many times and found pleasure being on the other side, my most favorite being Bridget Jones, for I could actually identify with so many of her blunders.
Coming back to Elizabeth Gilbert's journey, I finally fell prey to it despite the years of resistance, ever since its stellar release. The reason - having watched the movie Eat, Pray, Love for the second time recently, and being once again moved by Julia Robert's brilliant performance (when has she ever been dull?!). My other reason for picking it up - I hoped it would have a cure for my personal disillusionment with life at the present moment, and that I would get to mend certain aspects of my writhing and wringing world. But this was one of those rarest of times, when the film adaptation stirs you more than the book itself. May be it was the superficial tone or the effect of too many bad, needy jokes, but a large part of it felt like reading out of the diary of a troubled teenager often obsessing over something as trivial as her first pimple.
Having said that, no one can take away the writer's courage and faith for embarking upon this remarkable journey, both physically and spiritually. Kudos to her for learning the daunting Sanskrit scriptures and mastering the art of meditation, which, I am sure, many of us Hindus haven't dared to and probably never will. But I just failed to make a connection with her predicament, or to get inspired from her experiences. I even went back to Goodreads to check out a few more reviews and was relieved to find that nothing was wrong with me. Well, not here, at least.
And when I was too distracted by the overwhelming self-love in the book, I chose instead to stare at this Buddha bookmark and draw from the pool of serenity cascading from that eternally radiant face.
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Hello Suman:
ReplyDeleteSometimes deep contentment comes from the least suspected source. Although the book seems to have failed to ignite your imagination, clearly the bookmark worked the trick.
It is strange how one can be seduced by a film to read the book from which it came and vice versa. Only occasionally, in our experience, do both art forms manage to satisfy equally well. More often than not one wishes to have read but not seen or the other way around.
Hello Jane and Lance, I agree about the forever triumph of the written word. On many occasions, I have watched the film first and then visited the book, but then it is mostly in the case of the contemporary works.
DeleteNasha hum kiya karte hain
ReplyDeleteIlzaam Sharaab ko diya karte hain
Kasoor Sharaab ka nahi Unka hai
Jinka chehra hum har jaam mein talaash kiya karte hain
I hope the 'nasha' wasn't happening when you wrote this!
DeleteWhen I saw the title of this post I thought 'I won't be able to comment because of my feelings about the book'. As I read, I thought 'yes - me too'. I thought I was the only one who didn't like the book. I don't need to say why, because you have explained much better than I could. The movie - loved it!
ReplyDeleteAnother 'you too?' moment! I have some friends who had more that loathing for the book. While one could watch the movie more than once, to go through the book just that one time is surely a tedious task.
DeleteInteresting, I should read it too.
ReplyDeleteYou have my best wishes, then!
DeleteI didn't read this book. And thanks to you, I won't read this book. Sometimes, both movies and books are amazing (Death in Venice). But it's rare. I really like your bookmark!!
ReplyDeleteYou could give it a try, Celine, if you want, but I know you won't like it too. Yes, I agree, sometimes both can be equally absorbing and my most cited example is 'The English Patient'. I haven't seen 'Death in Venice', will try to get hold of it here although the chances are pretty slim.
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