Elizabeth Gilbert

 

My friend, Adria, and I went to see Elizabeth Gilbert speak at Agnes Scott College on Monday evening. In case you don't already know, Gilbert is a fantastic writer, author of two books I have read in the past few years, The Last American Man and Eat, Pray, Love. I loved both of these books, though the latter definitely stood out to me. She says herself in the preface to her new book, Committed, that she had, previous to writing Eat, Pray, Love, been told that she "wrote like a man." Whatever that means, right? But I could definitely note a difference in her writing style between the two, and really did not even realize she was the author of The Last American Man until just this last week. I am sure the difference in her writing comes from the fact that Eat, Pray, Love was a memoir, and therefore her personal voice was really exposed. She said, while speaking to the fact that Hollywood is making Eat, Pray, Love into a movie, that all of her other short stories and novels feel like her creation, whereas it feels as if Eat, Pray, Love had a hand in creating her.

In any case, I adored the book and was very excited about hearing her speak in person. She read an excerpt from the first chapter of her new book and then answered about five questions from the audience before moving on to a book signing. After I left, I was trying to figure out why it is that I loved Eat, Pray, Love so much. It is definitely not because I wish I could be just like her -- not because I want to go through a terrible divorce so that I can go run off and spend a year abroad trying to find myself -- but I think it is because, if I were to be in her situation, I would hope to be just as brave and as adventurous as she was. She is just as funny, well spoken, and just plain delightful as she reads from the pages of her book. And did I mention that she is a fantastic writer?

I purchased her new book while at the event, and had Gilbert sign both it and the well-read copy of Eat, Pray, Love that Adria brought back to me. I originally borrowed that copy from my friend, Jenny, and then passed it on to Adria, whose boyfriend at the time also took a turn for a read. In the process, the book has lost its jacket, but it is still reading just as good. I know this because I picked it up to just reread the first few pages, and now cannot seem to put it down. So I guess I will be rereading it in its entirety prior to starting the new book (although I have already read the first few pages of that one too!).

[Note to Jenny: I either need to buy you a new copy with a jacket or send this one (which is now signed!) back to you once I am finished with the reread.]