Last week I went to hear Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best seller Eat, Pray, Love speak as part of the Baltimore Speaker Series. Gilbert was charming, funny and thoroughly entertaining.
Elizabeth Gilbert grew up on a Christmas Tree Farm. Writing came easy to her, although she made a point of saying and repeating that it was the only thing she was good at! Apparently she failed at many of the family farm chores. After graduating from college, she traveled for several years. Her first book Pilgrims, a collection of short stories was inspired by her travels. Gilbert’s short story which appeared in GQ about her experiences working as a waitress /bartender at the Coyote Ugly Saloon resulted in the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, a movie I saw years ago before I had ever heard the name Elizabeth Gilbert. According to Gilbert she was not a very good waitress either! Eat, Pray Love was on the New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller List for over 182 weeks. She has since written another book Committed.
Elizabeth Gilbert may not have been a good farm hand or an efficient waitress, but she certainly is a wonderful speaker and talented writer. After hearing her speak, I think Julia Roberts was the perfect choice to portray her in the movie Eat, Pray, Love.
Friday Morning Bookclub 