Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, pray, love"

[skylights]

i really dont understand why are people bothered by her whining about herself.. it's personal journal.. never had diary or anything, but i am pretty sure everybody whines in his/her diary about her/himself 95% of the time, this person only decided to publish it because she knows how to write..like the rest of us dont do the same thing in our heads. :/

it's one thing to whine and moan to yourself, but it's another when you know that everyone and their mom is going to read it. i feel like a writer has the responsibility to be aware of her audience, and i don't think gilbert was. i wouldn't want everyone to read my diary because i write about the things that perplex me, bother me, upset me - things i need to figure out. i don't write in so much depth about the wonderful things because i know and appreciate and understand them. it makes you seem very unbalanced - and it seemed like gilbert didn't have much of an appreciation of how much life had given her beforehand, and it seemed like everything just fell magically into place with her. it was like her life was scripted by a romantic comedy writer. everything is terrible (except it wasn't), so you run away to find yourself (or get paid a ton to come up with something to write about), and in the meanwhile you meet the perfect man (cute and rich, of course).

my biggest complaint is that the whole book is not about italy, india, and bali. it's not about the people liz meets along the way, and it's not about places she explores. it's all about her. if it's going to be an autobiography, just write that on the cover.

just curious; why?

haha wow. reading this 3 months later, no idea.

but there's no way i can do it

sure there is! you just have to emphasize some things and deemphasize others. we don't always have to share all our angst with everyone, or you can word it in a way that is less of an emotional burden. you can also talk about your issues in ways that relate to others. what do we take away from this book? not much, really. i'm happy for liz that things worked out but i don't really take much away from it personally.

And for all of her self-realization and navel-gazing to end her dependence on men, Ms Gilbert has, as pointed out by anotherAmazon reviewer, married her Brazilian and moved to new Jersey. She could have saved Penguin Books a whole lot of money by getting in her car and going through the Lincoln Tunnel. I wonder how long before she ends up back on the bathroom floor.

FOR REAL.

she sees the world, but fails to see the world. it's extraordinary.

 

[the state i am in]

i'd say my best guess is estj 1w2 so/sx. her energy feels 1w2 for me. she qualifies what she says more than most enfps i know (who just reformulate more freely than fix what they have or try to specify within the framework of what they've already said), and there's a lot of forward energy pushing her, but it seems less experiential to me than Ne doms, less perceptual and more goal-driven.

the parallel's are interesting with estj 1w2s and enfp 7s. this woman is not a 7w6, and i think 1w2 makes more sense than an 8 wing. she seems more self-critical than aggressive angry.

 

[mochajava]

I think we're being hard on her book! I thought it was an amazing journey of a book. I love it when authors can beautifully render a transition from a hard, limited, suffering life to something more alive, colorful, and authentic. What do you all think of Wally Lamb's and Alice Walker's The Color Purple? They follow this trajectory... and incidentally are both Oprah books Gotta give 'em hope, right?

 

[Reflection]

I think we're being hard on her book! I thought it was an amazing journey of a book. I love it when authors can beautifully render a transition from a hard, limited, suffering life to something more alive, colorful, and authentic.

I haven't read the book. But if it's anything at all like the film, I won't even try. Two hours of my life wasted on a whiny princess who couldn't think for herself and needed everyone else to tell her what to do, think and feel.

 

[Chloe]

i'd say my best guess is estj 1w2 so/sx.

estj who spent 4 months in ashram in India ? LOL

she is driven by self-search more than anything.. she analyzes every single thing that one can analyze about relationships.. search meaning in everything.. If she isnt N then really dont know who is...

 

[Chloe]

......

I have mixed feelings about her, lol. Partly I agree with you, but sometimes I like her. Depends on a day... but it personally some parts of the book really were precious to me, because of the time I read it, I tried to read it 2yrs ago and hated her, lol, and then recently loved her.... now I am back at being more critical towards her. But not as much as you.

 

[Chloe]

i walked out of this movie.

haha, me too!!!! and i overslept 30 minutes of it, other way I'd walk out much sooner.

 

[Chloe]

I haven't read the book. But if it's anything at all like the film, I won't even try. Two hours of my life wasted on a whiny princess who couldn't think for herself and needed everyone else to tell her what to do, think and feel.

not sure are you talking about whoopi's character or that singer's? if its whoopi.. well, maybe you'd be even worse if you had her life conditions:/

i liked the color purple, kill me. If not for anything then for music, we Europeans dig church music you have there, lol.

 

[cascadeco]

estj who spent 4 months in ashram in India ? LOL

she is driven by self-search more than anything..

But again, her entire life leading up to this year sabbatical/'journey' seemed pretty distant from self-searching or even self awareness. In mbti terms, it's like the book was her trying to reach down into her less-used processes, you know? The book is basically documenting a shift in who she is and how she now wants to see the world and live her life. It's why I definitely thought she could be ESFJ in my original post. I really don't know that I see ESTJ - she seems so 'F' to me. But again, I never saw the 'P' or the 'N', really. I'm not opposed to ENFP, I just don't think it's a given and I'm not convinced of it either.

As for the ashram.. well in the book it wasn't easy for her by any means, nor natural. It was like a forced thing - she was trying to 'go there' but it really went against her grain and she fought it most of the way until the very end.

 

[Chloe]

I understand what you mean, maybe thats why i even liked the book - Her life until now was everything others expected from her, what culture expects, she had picture of good wife good woman good future mother - and tried automatically to be all that. This is why I think
she's enneagram 3, i've seen it thousand times in e3s - in lesser proportions. Though she seems to have a part that looks 2: but definately identity/image type.

people seem to understand poorly to which extent can E3 become what he thinks culture wants him to be, without knowing - if she is estj she'd be happy to stay estj, not become nf-something in her journey..
If it was about her function then someone could expect you will in crisis become STP for a year and claim you find happiness that way - I dont think that is likely to happen.


And her whole career as writer is not exactly filled with esxjs.. especially the way she did it - working in a bar while writing coyote ugly etc - I see a P; definately




Its nothing unusual for people to find themselves in early 30-ies. Or later. What about people who spend 5 yrs as monks, they leave it and become a rock stars (there is one case similar in croatia)? would you type him according to his quiet monk life ot his wild rock star life?! hes ESFP, like screaming ESFP, but because of family problems become a monk..


As for ashram I dont think ESTJ would even want to go there, not t mention her thoughts on life etc., and everybody has monkey mind in the beginning... of course she struggled - she lived in NYC fast paced life and suddenly ashram.

I'd struggle more probably and I am not SJ.

 

[skylights]

@ petra - lol yeah i understand. i don't hate her. she seems funny and sweet, and i imagine she saw a lot of meaning in the world that she didn't include in the book because it didn't fit the storyline. i just think her book wasn't very well tailored to other people.

 

[Chloe]

@ petra - lol yeah i understand. i don't hate her. she seems funny and sweet, and i imagine she saw a lot of meaning in the world that she didn't include in the book because it didn't fit the storyline. i just think her book wasn't very well tailored to other people.

i dont even have opinion on her as a person, more of her story and psychological state

i dont think she is the type of person, at least in the state she was in in that book, who finds much meaning in a world - she is all me,me,me - but as I said, not really forming opinion about her pereonally to be bothered.. there are way bigger personality flaws than that..

 

[Reflection]

not sure are you talking about whoopi's character or that singer's? if its whoopi.. well, maybe you'd be even worse if you had her life conditions:/

i liked the color purple, kill me. If not for anything then for music, we Europeans dig church music you have there, lol.

I was actually talking about "Eat, Pray, Love". "The Color Purple" wasn't too bad. Oh, and I'm European too.

 

[ExAstrisSpes]

Someone gushed to me what the book was about and I honestly don't "get" the appeal. I love to travel, and I self-analyze a lot (to do both at once and not have to worry about money would be awesome), but I have to agree with others when they say she's a touch self-absorbed.

When I found out they were doing a movie starring Julia Roberts I knew I had to stay away. Especially when I read about people following Gilbert in their own little "Eat, Pray, Love" vacation tour. Makes me want to

 

[Chloe]

lol yeah she is self absorbed but i obviously dont have an alarm for e_fp self absorbtion*, but ENFJ? hah, thats another story

*though at first atempt to read I hated her

damn, now I cant tell is she really that unacceptable. Huh.

 

[skylights]

Especially when I read about people following Gilbert in their own little "Eat, Pray, Love" vacation tour. Makes me want to

seriously. and also:

eat pray love pillowcase

eat pray love hat

eat pray love shirt

eat pray love lipglosses

eat pray love tea

eat pray love bedding

eat pray love perfume

eat pray love keychain

eat pray love magnet

eat pray love storage basket

eat pray love earrings

:barf:

 

[Thalassa]

MON DIEU.

 

[Thalassa]

Okay so I read like the summary and one to two pages of this book, and I'm thinking first of all, that's she's a terrible writer.

So not INFJ.

I'll let you know if I decide on a particular type later, but someone who does something like this is likely an NF.

 

[Chloe]

seriously. and also:

eat pray love pillowcase

eat pray love hat

eat pray love shirt

eat pray love lipglosses

eat pray love tea

eat pray love bedding

eat pray love perfume

eat pray love keychain

eat pray love magnet

eat pray love storage basket

eat pray love earrings

:barf:

i thought Americans dont even recognize this kind of brainwashing anymore..., lol. *burn* i mean, based on how much there is this kind of shit in USA.

what shocked me in USA was when I saw a doll for kids with name "American Doll" in window of some shop. I mean, it's maybe not obvious to someone who lives in that enviorment forever.. but i cant even imagine "Croatian Doll" in shops, that level of self-love lol. And Croatia is a country full of nationalism.

 

[doris88]

It's interesting that some people here think Gilbert is self-absorbed and they opened the book to read about Italy and India. There are many books about Italy and many books about India, Gilbert writes at the beginning that it was not supposed to be a travel book. It's a book about soul-searching. That makes it precious in my opinion, because, like I said, there are many compelling travel books, but not so many well-written and though-provoking books about making a change in your life. I'm being coached right now and I reached for the book. I can't explain how much I can relate to this. If I wanted to read about Italy, I know a good book or two I could read.

Someone also said it's too personal. Well, I think it's the author decision how personal she goes, isn't it? It's not her first book so she well knew the risk of opening herself up to people she knows and doesn't know. And still apparently decided to include all these personal details to give her work the meaning. I know I would open myself this much if I felt it's meaningful. Many artists do. She took that decision on her own and I don't see why readers should have problems with it, since it doesn't affect them in any possible way (that is unless the reader who left the comment on this page was Gilbert's ex, but I doubt it ).