This book is a delicious adventure! After suffering through a difficult divorce, Elizabeth Gilbert decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery that takes her to Italy, India, and Indonesia (Bali) over the course of a year. Her story, told with wonderful humor and honesty, is one of extremes—self-indulgence, self-deprivation, and finally equilibrium. It’s a story about searching for God, searching for one’s identity and place in the world, and healing a broken heart.
Gilbert’s journey begins in Italy, where she freely indulges in all the culinary pleasures she can find. She studies Italian, learns about the culture by quickly making friends, including a sweet, young language study partner name Giovanni, and an accountant named Luca Spaghetti (yes, Spaghetti). She questions whether or not she deserves so much pleasure as her waistline expands from breakfasts of chocolate pastries and cappuccinos, Quattro Formaggi pasta, and the best pizza she can find in Italy.
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This book, written by Betty Smith in 1943, is one of my favorites. I first read it when I was twelve years old and became so attached to the characters and story, Francie Nolan felt more like a best friend than a fictional character. I identified with her love of reading, writing, and her determination to find good in life. Set in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn, this is the story of her family’s struggle to survive against poverty, prejudice, alcoholism and hardship.
Francie is a solitary child, adored by her father, a big-hearted, impractical alcoholic. Her mother, a kind but tired and reserved person who clearly favors her son Neely, is forced to be the realist in the family.
Francie is rejected by her peers and treated poorly at school due to her family’s social standing and her father’s reputation as a drunk. Her mother puts kerosene in her hair to “kill germs” resulting in an unpleasant smell that adds to the ridicule and humiliation. Despite the bleakness of their life, Francie endures with grace and a strength symbolized by the tree growing outside her window.
This is a wonderful story that you won’t soon forget.
This was a great read – full of surprises. In his interviews with Grobel, Capote shares so much about his life. Through his comments–laced with humor and sadness–on his contemporaries and their work, friendships, writing, and society, his sharp wit, character, and sensitivity are revealed.
Grobel began with the intention of doing one interview with Capote, but was so intrigued he continued to do a series of interviews and maintained a friendship with him until Capote’s death in 1984. As you read, you can see why Grobel couldn’t resist the conversations. Capote’s responses are direct and raw. He talks about his rivalry with Norman Mailer, and offers straightforward, sometimes harsh, criticism of fellow writers like Jack Kerouac, William Faulkner, and Ken Kesey. He often reflects on his own writing as well and offers insights into the art of writing. A word of warning–you might not be able to put this one down. I was captivated by it.
