Committed to the journey
By Gabrielle Nomura on March 17, 2010 – 3:38 pmNo Comment
New York Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert has traveled the world and come home again.
The author of the well-received memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love”, has been launched into the spotlight since its release in 2006 and has transformed into a living inspiration for women everywhere. Her follow-up book, Committed, A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, was released in January and picks up 18 months after “Eat, Pray, Love” leaves off, capturing the story of her romance and marriage to Jose Nunes (known as Felipe in the book).
Not only has she gained a new found fame and a shiny ring on her left hand, but also Gilbert’s tale of torment to triumph will hit the big screen with the release of “Eat, Pray, Love” as a major motion picture, starring Julia Roverts and Javier Bardem this coming August.
Gilbert and her husband, whose initial romance blossomed on the pages of “Eat, Pray, Love”, now live in a small, quiet town in New Jersey. She recently traveled to Bellevue as the featured guest speaker at the Inspire YWCA Luncheon Eastside where she dazzled the audience with her story telling, kind heart and spunky wit.
“I don’t really have a traditional novelist personality,” Gilbert said. “I’m not a shy person as you can tell. I enjoy meeting my readers and sharing stories.”
Gilbert may lack the shy gene, but she still faces her own challenges. According to Gilbert, writing her second memoir “Committed”, was her most challenging feat yet.
“As I approached writing this second memoir, I felt I was writing into an ocean of expectations. It was a self generated pressure of wanting to please everyone and have this book match the success of Eat, Pray, Love,” she explained. “There was such an intimate and powerful reaction to that book by readers. How was I supposed to match that?”
The book Committed recounts how she came to marry the man she first met and fell in love with in Indonesia in “Eat, Pray, Love.” This second book explores her reluctancy to jump back on the marriage boat and touches on the history and sociology of marriage itself.
“Committed is much less raw and open,” she explained, comparing it to Eat, Pray, Love. “It’s not as brutally honest and personal as Eat Pray Love was because I’m not in such an emotional space. My life is more stable today.”
Gilbert said she approached this book from a learning standpoint. She dove into the study of marriage and divorce and learned a lot along the way.
“All my research on marriage and divorce was perspective changing and very useful,” she said. “I have a much better understanding of what a marriage should be.”
Luckily for Gilbert, her love interest and now husband was not bashful about gracing the pages of her book. He took it all in stride, according to her, and continues to support her throughout her journey.
“With “Committed”, we both knew a lot of people would be reading it and he is very proud of me,” she said. “He likes committed and thinks it’s a very important book and he wants it out there.”
