Review & Giveaway: Committed

Committed: A Love Story by Eliabeth Gilbert

Publication Date: February 2011

Publisher: Penguin Group

Genre: Memoir

ISBN-13: 9780143118701

ISBN: 0143118706

(Recieved for review from Penguin )

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Books-A-Million, IndieBound

If you live in Morehead, KY or the surrounding area:

Purchase from our local independent bookseller: CoffeeTree Books

Borrow from our local library: The Rowan County Public Library

Elizabeth Gilbert on the Web: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Excerpt from Committed, the companion novel to Eat, Pray, Love

Book Trailer:

Synopsis (Book Blurb:)

At the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian living in Indonesia. The couple swore eternal love, but also swore (as skittish divorce survivors) to never marry. However, when Felipe was unexpectedly thrown out of the United States by U.S. Immigration officials, the couple was faced with a strict ultimatum: get married or Felipe could never enter America again. Over the next ten months, as Elizabeth and Felipe wandered Southeast Asia waiting for permission to return home and wed, the author searched far and wide for wisdom, advice, and perspective on the subject of romantic commitment. Infused with her singular wit, intelligence, and compassion, Committed is a fascinating meditation on compatibility, fidelity, and family - and ultimately - and enthralling celebration of love.

Thoughts:

Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling book Eat, Pray Love will be eager to read the companion novel, Committed. Committed is not the continuation of Gilbert's memoir, although the events depicted did take place directly after those described in Eat, Pray, Love. This is a book about the institution of marriage. The reasons it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. How it has changed and evolved over the years and how women feel about it. Gilbert uncovers some great insight into fidelity, compatibility and other factors that go into having a great marriage.

Gilbert's love story with a Brazilian business man called Felipe captured the interest of readers around the world and though she and Felipe loved each other and were eternally devoted to each other they had no intentions of ever marrying. Both had survived horrific divorces and had little faith in the word marriage or anything that would tie them legally to each other. But everything changed when Felipe's temporary visa was recalled and he was forced to leave the United States and not return unless they married. Felipe and Elizabeth were essentially being forced to marry. Elizabeth spent the ten months they had to wait to return to the country talking to anyone and everyone about marriage. Why it was necessary? What caused it to fail sometimes and what caused it to succeed? She was gathering all the information on marriage that she could find, which in turn allowed her to find peace in her own marriage.

This was a very interesting book. Having read Eat, Pray, Love I was really skeptical as to whether I would like Committed because I knew it was a great departure from Gilbert's previous memoir. The writing style and even the audience seemed to be different with this one. It was less about the love story of Elizabeth and Felipe and more about marriage itself. When I began to look at the book from a different standpoint completely unassociated with the author's other book, I began to become engrossed in it and found it very wise and full of a lot of thoughts and observations about marriage that I liked and felt good about.

I, like Gilbert, did not have the greatest experience when it came to marriage and have roughly decided that I will never put myself in that position again. But, this book made me consider the reasons that a marriage works or doesn't work in more depth and with more understanding. Gilbert's travels in Southeast Asia allowed her to talk to many woman and gain insight from them and she gives us that insight in this book. It isn't written like a story nor is it filled with research and nothing else. It is a cross between the two. Gilbert's wit and intelligence are still very much apparent in her writing and readers who enjoyed her other work will like this one to, if they realize that it isn't meant to be a sequel.

I think Gilbert's insights into marriage are interesting and full of wisdom. I think that many women will find this book well written and something they could really learn from. It's interesting to see how marriage has evolved over the years as well. What marriage was really all about in the old days and how we are inexplicably drawn to the institution still today. I liked the way that the author makes the point that most people do not know what they are getting into when they get married. They don't realize all the strings that are attached etc.

I recommend this one to readers who are interested in marriage and finding out how to make it work. I also recommend it to those who have read Eat, Pray, Love, but caution you to be open minded and not expect it to be something it's not.

Committed is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 3 out of 5 apples from my book bag. It was a good book and I found it interesting but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Penguin is offering one copy of Committed to one lucky commenter from Debbie's Book Bag.

How do you win?

Please leave a comment on this post, which includes your e-mail and the answer to this question...

What do you think it takes for a marriage to survive in today's world?

This giveaway is for U.S and Canadian addresses only and will end at Midnight EST February 16th.