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libraryforspooky's review
3.0
Rating: 2.5 Stars rounded up
In "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It," a diverse group of individuals shares their personal narratives on how Elizabeth Gilbert's iconic memoir, "Eat Pray Love," influenced their lives. While the concept is intriguing, the execution falls short for various reasons, resulting in a mixed bag of stories that fail to fully engage the reader.
The collection comprises nearly fifty essays, each offering a brief glimpse into the author's post-"Eat Pray Love" transformation. Unfortunately, the brevity of these narratives limits the depth of connection readers can establish with the storytellers. Moreover, there's a pervasive sense that many of the contributors idolize Gilbert, aiming not just to be inspired by her journey but to emulate it entirely. This reverence often feels forced and detracts from the authenticity of the essays.
One of the book's primary shortcomings is its narrow interpretation of happiness and fulfillment. While Gilbert's memoir advocates for self-discovery and balance, the essays in this collection often reduce her message to a formulaic prescription for happiness: travel, spiritual exploration, and yoga. This narrow focus neglects the diversity of paths individuals can take toward personal growth and contentment, undermining the book's potential impact.
Furthermore, some essays come across as thinly veiled attempts at self-promotion, with authors using Gilbert's name to bolster their own narratives. This opportunistic approach diminishes the sincerity of the stories and leaves readers questioning the true role of "Eat Pray Love" in the authors' journeys.
Despite these shortcomings, a few essays stand out for their introspective exploration of Gilbert's themes. These authors delve beyond surface-level emulation to find their own paths toward fulfillment, recognizing that happiness is not a one-size-fits-all pursuit. Their stories offer a refreshing perspective amidst the book's sea of idolization.
Ultimately, "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It" may appeal to die-hard fans of Elizabeth Gilbert and those seeking validation for unconventional life choices. However, for readers looking for nuanced reflections on personal growth and fulfillment, this collection may fall short of expectations.
While the book's themes of empowerment and self-discovery are commendable, its execution leaves much to be desired. Despite its flaws, "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It" serves as a testament to the enduring influence of Gilbert's memoir and the diverse ways in which individuals interpret and incorporate its message into their lives.
In "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It," a diverse group of individuals shares their personal narratives on how Elizabeth Gilbert's iconic memoir, "Eat Pray Love," influenced their lives. While the concept is intriguing, the execution falls short for various reasons, resulting in a mixed bag of stories that fail to fully engage the reader.
The collection comprises nearly fifty essays, each offering a brief glimpse into the author's post-"Eat Pray Love" transformation. Unfortunately, the brevity of these narratives limits the depth of connection readers can establish with the storytellers. Moreover, there's a pervasive sense that many of the contributors idolize Gilbert, aiming not just to be inspired by her journey but to emulate it entirely. This reverence often feels forced and detracts from the authenticity of the essays.
One of the book's primary shortcomings is its narrow interpretation of happiness and fulfillment. While Gilbert's memoir advocates for self-discovery and balance, the essays in this collection often reduce her message to a formulaic prescription for happiness: travel, spiritual exploration, and yoga. This narrow focus neglects the diversity of paths individuals can take toward personal growth and contentment, undermining the book's potential impact.
Furthermore, some essays come across as thinly veiled attempts at self-promotion, with authors using Gilbert's name to bolster their own narratives. This opportunistic approach diminishes the sincerity of the stories and leaves readers questioning the true role of "Eat Pray Love" in the authors' journeys.
Despite these shortcomings, a few essays stand out for their introspective exploration of Gilbert's themes. These authors delve beyond surface-level emulation to find their own paths toward fulfillment, recognizing that happiness is not a one-size-fits-all pursuit. Their stories offer a refreshing perspective amidst the book's sea of idolization.
Ultimately, "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It" may appeal to die-hard fans of Elizabeth Gilbert and those seeking validation for unconventional life choices. However, for readers looking for nuanced reflections on personal growth and fulfillment, this collection may fall short of expectations.
While the book's themes of empowerment and self-discovery are commendable, its execution leaves much to be desired. Despite its flaws, "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It" serves as a testament to the enduring influence of Gilbert's memoir and the diverse ways in which individuals interpret and incorporate its message into their lives.
kajosa's review against another edition
All the worst things about EPL and almost none of the good things
amandae129's review
2.0
I had high hopes for this, but I wasn't very impressed. There are a lot of short essays which almost all say the exact same thing (aka Let me kiss your butt Liz Gilbert as you and massive amounts of travel complete me). I'd much rather have seen fewer essays that go more in-depth and that are diverse in what people did.
lolagreen's review
1.0
Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It is a collection of short stories (and I mean REALLY short, as in 5 pages "short") of how reading the book Eat Pray Love has impacted the authors' lives.
I LOVE Eat Pray Love! It is one of my favorite books. But this book blew; it really did! Every. Story. Felt. The. SAME! Which truly was sad to me.
I would say that 90% of the stories focused on unhappy marriages or self-sabbatage. Yes… Gilbert's failed marriage was part of Eat Pray Love but it wasn't the whole book. In fact, Gilbert goes out of her way in Eat Pray Love NOT to harp on why she left her ex-husband. I felt like I was reading too much about women complaining about their marriage and not enough about how Eat Pray Love made them discover new realities about themselves (separate from others).
I still like the concept of this book. I wish that they would do a Part II but pick five stories (maximum), really dive deep, and diversify the stories more.
I LOVE Eat Pray Love! It is one of my favorite books. But this book blew; it really did! Every. Story. Felt. The. SAME! Which truly was sad to me.
I would say that 90% of the stories focused on unhappy marriages or self-sabbatage. Yes… Gilbert's failed marriage was part of Eat Pray Love but it wasn't the whole book. In fact, Gilbert goes out of her way in Eat Pray Love NOT to harp on why she left her ex-husband. I felt like I was reading too much about women complaining about their marriage and not enough about how Eat Pray Love made them discover new realities about themselves (separate from others).
I still like the concept of this book. I wish that they would do a Part II but pick five stories (maximum), really dive deep, and diversify the stories more.
vll295's review
4.0
This is the follow up to the best seller in which people talk about the ways in which the book has made them do things that they normally wouldn’t have. It is an interesting read and takes you across the whole gambit of things that people do. I enjoyed it very much.
pammoore's review
3.0
I liked the first few essays but after that they grew really repetitive. I understand that the theme was pretty narrow however I've read other anthologies where a few stood out in my mind for one reason or another... exceptional writing, a unique story, a clear voice... None of the stories in this anthology exactly blew my mind. Maybe it was the word limit? I submitted to this contest so I know the max length was 1500 words... Even so, I've read a lot of essays that were even shorter than that that made an impression on me. Maybe the problem is that nothing can touch the original. Also, I swear I am NOT bitter that my work was not accepted into the anthology:) I know to some people 3 stars is a great rating, but to me, it's a C... anything under 3 stars, I would not even read beyond a couple of chapters.
trekbicycles's review
5.0
Coming soon to a free little library near you: Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It Made Me Do It.
willwork4airfare's review against another edition
4.0
I read Eat, Pray, Love so long ago that I don’t even remember if I liked it, but I really enjoyed this. Short and sweet and a little hit of inspiration if you’re looking for it.