Book Club/Movie Club Guide: Eat, Pray, Love

Book/Movie: Eat, Pray, Love

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

Movie Rating: PG-13

Book Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Self-Discovery/Change

Movie Genre: Drama, Romance

Places Featured: Italy, India, Bali, Indonesia

Eat, Pray, Love has easily become one of the most popular travel books and travel movies in recent years. The book was selected for Oprah’s Book Club and the movie starred Julia Roberts–it doesn’t get much more popular than that.

For many, Eat, Pray, Love was their first exposure to the world of travel memoirs; for some, it was the first time they’d seen a woman request a divorce and come out stronger. Some found the search for religious meaning in an ashram inspiring, some found the author self-centered and the story a little too convenient.

Some have seen the movie and loved it, some read the book first and then were disappointed with the movie. Some took the book (and/or the movie) as inspiration and gone off on their own adventure to rediscover themselves (in fact, there’s a whole book dedicated to telling their stories–check out Eat, Pray, Love Made Me Do It), whereas some couldn’t even finish the book, because they found the author too privileged and whiny. (For more on our thoughts, check out my Eat, Pray, Love book review and Eat, Pray, Love movie review. We also included both the book and the movie on our list of Travel Books and Travel Movies about Self-Discovery and Personal Change.)

Either way, both the book and the movie have taken on a major role in our travel reading and travel watching landscape…and are great choices for a Travel Book Club, Travel Movie Club, or they could be an inspiration for a special meeting where the book is discussed and then the movie watched together!

Suggested Eat, Pray, Love book discussion questions:

1. When Gilbert wrote this, do you think she was specifically writing for a female audience? Do you think a man would want to read about a woman’s search for wholeness?
2. I often describe the book as a woman’s search for pleasure in Italy, peace in India, and a balance between the two in Bali. Do you agree with that description? Do you think Liz found those things?
3. Liz acknowledges that she has many of the things in life that, by society’s standards, should make her happy…but she isn’t. Discuss society’s definition of happiness and the pressure to meet those definitions.
4. Why do so many people (including Liz) use travel as a way to discover themselves? Have you ever felt changed by a trip? When travel isn’t available, what are other ways people can work on self-discovery and personal change?
5. If you had a year to travel, where would you go and why?
6. Were you moved or inspired by Elizabeth’s story? Why or why not? Was there a part that was especially meaningful (or annoying) for you?
7. Many find Liz to be selfish and self-indulgent; would you describe her that way? Why or why not? Some call her courageous and bold; would you describe her that way? Why or why not?
8. Some have complained that Liz has “cherry-picked” her spirituality by superficially selecting quotes and rituals from several (sometimes conflicting religions) that simply make her feel better rather than truly following one specific religion. How do you feel about that assertion?
9. Why do you think some people love the book? Why do you think some people hate the book?
10. What would you select as “your word”? Do you believe your word lasts your whole lifetime or does it change?

Suggested Eat, Pray, Love movie discussion questions:

1. How are women and men portrayed in the movie? What messages do you think Eat, Pray, Love sends about gender roles?
2. Did you have preference for one location over another? What about that location enticed you?
3. Do you feel the movie captured the essence of each country?
4. Does the movie perpetuate stereotypes about the three countries? If so, is it justified? Are they harmful?
5. If you had a year to travel, where would you go and why?
6. Did you understand Liz’s motivation for wanting the divorce and wanting to leave David?
7. Since the movie is considered a romantic comedy, there is a lot of emphasis placed on Liz’s romances. Her friendships, though, are also quite important–discuss them and why they are often glossed over.
8. Which supportive character was your favorite? Why?
9. Did you learn any personal lessons from the movie?
10. Were you moved or inspired by Elizabeth’s story? Which part was especially meaningful for you?

Suggested questions for those that have both read the book and seen the movie:

1. Did the actors in the movie match your expectations? What was the same? What was different? (Liz? Stephen? David? Richard from Texas? Ketut? Wayan? Felipe?)
2. The book is a deeply personal memoir; is the movie able to capture that?
3. Did you read the book first or watch the movie? How did that affect your judgment of the other? Would you recommend the book, the movie, or both?
4. Was there anything in the book that you feel the movie didn’t capture?
5. One reviewer said she preferred the book because the movie fell prey to three issues in Hollywood: beautification (the glossing over the “realness” of some of the characters and locations), intensification (the fighting between Liz and Felipe), and simplification (it misses out on the some of the complexities we see in the book). Do you agree?

Other suggestions for your discussion:

• Have a potluck with everyone in the group being assigned to bring something from Italy, India, or Indonesia. (Or just order pizza and pasta. 🙂 )
• Play the Guru Gita in the background as you discuss.
• Bring a coloring book of mandalas and have everyone select one and color.
• Research photos of the real Liz, Stephen, Richard from Texas, Ketut, etc. and discuss if they match what you pictured.
• Take a group yoga class!