From Elizabeth Gilbert’s Committed (A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage):
This entire book — every single page of it — has been an effort to search through the complex history of Western marriage until I could find some small place of comfort in there for myself. Such comfort is not necessarily always an easy thing to find.
And search she does.
I like this book. I don’t agree with everything she says, but like Eat, Pray, Love, her previous book, I take in the meat and spit out the bones. Fortunately, not much spitting here.
Here is what I enjoyed about Committed:
1. It’s a fast, interesting read on the history of marriage. I know a lot more about the history of marriage after reading Committed. I’m a big fan marriage, so that’s well done.
2. Seeing how other cultures view marriage. Gilbert is a good storyteller. And when one travels the world, one tends to pick up good stories. I’m still wondering what happened to that young monk in Cambodia.
3. More Felipe. If you enjoyed the story line of Elizabeth falling for Felipe in Eat, Pray, Love, you get to see what happens next to them in Committed. Hint: it has to do with homeland security.
4. A new thought regarding marriage. Gilbert calls marriage a revolutionary act. Never heard that one before. Read the book to find out what she’s talking about. Then come back here and we can talk about it.
and finally. . .
5. I like to laugh. See page 75, middle of the first paragraph. (They are going to SAVE marriage?!? What a hoot.)
By the way: when my Edmund spotted the book in the store, he wanted to know if it was about Lord of the Rings.
I have no idea why.
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Very interesting, great review! I will read it!
Paloma.
Paloma´s last blog ..My haunted kitchen…
Interesting review! I haven’t read Eat, Pray, Love (mostly because it got so much press and I’m afraid it’s been overhyped for me) but this one looks interesting. I heard Gilbert being interviewed the other day and it seems like this is a book I should check out.
Cori´s last blog ..[BTT]: Twisty!
NJ, eh? Well, Frenchtown is in a pretty awesome part of NJ. I spent my teen and high school years in the Cherry Hill area which was, pardon the pun, the pits. My wife and I lived in Doylestown, PA for a few years while I went to seminary and we loved walking along the Delaware bike path and playing disc golf at Tinicum Park. Maybe Gilbert plays disc golf?
Twitter: monicabrand
Yes, I’m not much for the “traditional” style book review that most book bloggers write. Plus, I don’t like to give too much away, to spoil it for others.
And my neck of NJ is very awesome. We have cows and horses down the street, fox and coyotes and BEARS lurking about. We have GRASS. I’m sure it’s much like where you live, if you live in the quiet country.
I remembered I wanted to come back and read some of your thoughts after I finished reading it.
I enjoyed it — and yes, the history part of marriage — but not as much as Eat Pray Love.
I wanted MORE Felipe and Liz actually.
Jennifer, Snapshot´s last blog ..You’re Never Too Old for Disney Magic