How many times have you allowed books to touch you and move you so much that you just want to run away and start a new beginning?
It has happened to me several times. I don't read fictions. I read about the life experiences of real people. By the time I finished reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes in 2005, I had already booked my flight to Tuscany. That summer, I spent the best days of my life wandering through the cobbled streets of Lucca, Florence, Bologna, Pisa, Venice, Trieste and Rome.
The same thing is happening to me again. Maybe I'm restless or my life is bordering on the edge of boredom but since I started reading EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert, I feel a deepening desire to take the next flight to Rome where she spent her days roaming freely after dealing with a difficult divorce.
I woke up at 3.30am last night to continue reading after I dozed off earlier in the night. I'm now at page 80 and she's still in Rome, learning the beautiful Italian language and enjoying the city. As the story goes, she'll later move to India where she'll live with her spiritual leader for 4 months, followed by Bali where she'll stay for another 4 months.
She's not living life aimlessly though. Before she left New York, she had signed a contract with her publisher where she would produce a book about her experiences in the 3 countries. How cool is that? Being paid to travel and in her case, taking time off to heal and fight the demons too. .
My mind was wandering through the streets of Rome as I stayed up reading. I felt compelled to take the day off and just continue the wonderful journey with her which wasn't always rosy of course. She went through extremely dark days of depression and nights sobbing her heart out in New York. The traveling helped her overcome the pain and misery and begin a new life.
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Her witty writing style makes the book such a joy to read. It takes me away to places I had been and new ones that I would like to see. I feel like I'm with her on the journey. Maybe someday, I'll make that one year journey...
9 comments:
I love that book too! While I didn't go on vacation in Rome because of the book, I did end up falling in love and getting married to a roman I had met while here! I just had this intuition I needed to see Rome, and now I know why! I say jump on a plane and see what happens...you never know.
Wow Jessica, what an interesting and rewarding outcome! I know how suave Italian men are.. ;-)
I like the sound of that book. I know if I read it I'll get itchy feet and want to book a flight out of here!
It's always good to read something different from the genre of books that one usually reads .. once in a while. It helps us to see areas that we normally do not see or are not aware of.
WOW...I don't think I've ever been inspired like that when I read a book, but one of my childhood friends told my Mom that once I watched an old woman travelling the world and I told her that I wanted to do that later on he he he...
I think you've got a traveller's blood running through your veins. ;-D And I believe that you'll make it one day. :-))))
Yes World, I'm sure you will. It's a good book which I'm sure you would love.
Is it possible to take the rail up from London all the way to Rome?
Water - Yah, real life stories teach alot. That's why I like.
Amel - But you did travel half way across the world and stayed there!
HA HA HA HA...yes, you're right in that sense. I still have many more countries to visit in my dream list, but it doesn't really matter now whether I can visit them or not 'coz I'm here, living my dream he he he...;-D
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