ramblings

This book drowned in discalimers. Before it even starts, the author throws in a lengthy discalimer, which basically says "I'm sorry, but this isn't 'Eat, Pray, Love' anymore." Even in her descriptions of people and cultures, she keeps interfering. She doesn't let her readers read, and she doesn't let the places she sees and the people she meets naturally talk to her readers, the way she did in her previous book. Sometimes she goes on to contradict what she says. We end up with a jumbled narrative which is reflective of how she feels about marriage. In her confusion, she takes us with her; in her research, sometimes I felt as if she was purposely looking for things which would affirm what she (wanted to) believe in. It is very much in character, though; it's typical of her to intellectualize things too much, thus ending up with an overly-anxious self (and book). It seemed as if she was making excuses all throughout the book, which I don't understand, since the book could very well stand on its own. Maybe her publishers kept telling her how different this one is from her previous best-seller. Next time, she ought to just listen to herself and forget about everyone else. I felt short-changed in some parts (especially the one on Cambodia), but the book isn't really a travel book, since they were forced to move around, and couldn't absorb everything thoroughly. Also, in spite of all these, there is something about the author that makes you want to root for her marriage, perhaps because of her innocence regarding the matter or her tendency to over-intellectualize things. You might find yourself skimming through several parts if you aren't interested with the topic of marriage, though.