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Committed [Kindle Edition]

Elizabeth Gilbert (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £7.99
Kindle Price: £4.27 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £3.72 (47%)
* Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

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Kindle Edition £4.27   -- --
Hardcover, Large Print £21.98   -- --
Paperback £5.99   -- --
Audio, CD, Audiobook £18.73   -- --
Audio Download, Unabridged £10.57 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial

Product Description

Review

'Like Eat, Pray, Love, her follow-up, Committed, feels irresistibly confessional ... I found myself guzzling Committed, reading it in mighty chunks, far into the night. Whenever I put it down, it was pinched by my mother or sister' (Sunday Times )

‘An unblinkered consideration of what marriage really means' (Woman & Home )

'Gilbert delves deep into the history and cultural meanings of marriage, as well as into her own relationship' (Financial Times )

‘Insightful ... She speaks for many who question the bliss in conjugal bonds, or, at least, those who want to understand how the tradition still perpetuates. For better or worse' (Vogue )

Review

'Like Eat, Pray, Love, her follow-up, Committed, feels irresistibly confessional ... I found myself guzzling Committed, reading it in mighty chunks, far into the night. Whenever I put it down, it was pinched by my mother or sister' Sunday Times 'An unblinkered consideration of what marriage really means' Woman & Home 'Gilbert delves deep into the history and cultural meanings of marriage, as well as into her own relationship' Financial Times 'Insightful ... She speaks for many who question the bliss in conjugal bonds, or, at least, those who want to understand how the tradition still perpetuates. For better or worse' Vogue
See all Product Description

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 438 KB
  • Print Length: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (4 Jan 2010)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0034DGP6S
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #14,009 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Elizabeth Gilbert Page
Elizabeth Gilbert
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful 21 Feb 2010
By Leah Armstrong
Format:Paperback
I could relate to this book because I also felt the same about marriage. Once divorced, I couldn't imagine wanting to get married again ever. But I was faced with a similar situation in my relationship. I did not qualify to stay in Italy with my boyfriend and try and "make a life with him" so we were forced to get married for Immigration purposes.

Gilbert's search for the meaning of marriage is interesting because she explores other cultural traditions and opinions and leaves you with a feeling of utter confusion. I would like to think that this was a bit on purpose because it exemplifies exactly what she is struggling with, which is not wanting to fall into the North American dillusion that another person "completes us".

As North Americans we have a tendency to "romanticize" about love and marriage and yet this book hits the nail on the head from any "Government State" perspective around the world, which is marriage is meant to keep some sort of order in the world and community. But, at the same time, the rules of "engagement" is a shifting platform with the integration of education for women in otherwise secluded villages, the virtual world of the Internet, affordable travel and Expatriate societies sprouting up everywhere.

Gilbert never loses sight of the emotions she feels for her spouse (good and bad), but as a woman, she struggles with her sense of self and independence. She has taken a leap of faith indeed, but isn't everything in life worth having a bit of a leap of faith?

This book left me with a feeling that Gilbert's plight is not a solitary one. She has spoken for many in this everchanging world we live in. It's inspirational to know that she was not going to take orders from the State sitting down.
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57 of 61 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Patchy, but ultimately satisfying 7 Jan 2010
By Julia Flyte TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Like so many others, I was curious to know what happened to Elizabeth and her Brazilian lover Felipe after Eat, Pray, Love ended. As the book opens they are still happily together, but with no intention of marrying. It becomes clear however that they will not be able to live together in the US unless they are married. (Or as Elizabeth puts it, they are "sentenced to marry by the Homeland Security Department").

This book is about how they spend most of the next year traveling in Asia waiting for Felipe's visa to process and for much of this time that Elizabeth researches the concept of marriage. So the book is part love story, part travelogue and part history. Or again as Elizabeth puts it, a memoir (with extra socio-historical bonus sections!) about her efforts to make peace with the institution of marriage.

The results are patchy. The historical/sociological parts are well written and interesting enough, but after a while it feels too much like a lecture. (Especially when Elizabeth puts her case for same sex marriages. I have no issue with her views, but neither am I very interested in them). It's when she's describing her own experiences that Gilbert's writing really shines. There are wonderful accounts of encounters with the local people in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and I was also totally absorbed in her relationship with Felipe which she describes in a very honest and moving way. While she still has the same chatty and open writing style (which is very easy to read), she comes across as more mature and less self-absorbed this time around.

I'm not sure this book will stay with me in the way that Eat, Pray, Love did, but it was a satisfying read that did also make me think more about my own views on marriage.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A personal journey for the reader 26 Oct 2010
By Clair Holland
Format:Paperback
All books are a personal journey for the reader; we cannot help but put ourselves in the heroine's shoes and wonder what we would do in the same circumstances.

I have a confession to make; I haven't yet read Eat, Pray, Love (I must be one of a very small minority!) So Committed was my first opportunity to 'hear' Elizabeth's voice. One of the hardest things for an author to do I think, is firstly, to find their own voice, and secondly, to be consistent with their voice and remain true to themselves. As Elizabeth herself admits very readily, she had already almost written the book once, but it didn't feel right, she didn't feel like 'herself' in it. So she threw it away and started again! Brava! As a result, what Elizabth has given us is a personal reflection of her own journey into the meaning of marriage for her, through which we can explore our own personal journey of what marriage and committment mean to us.

Not everyone feels comfortable with personal journeys of exploration into the psyche, and it's evident from some of the other reviews that some people are looking for a slightly different book to the one that Elizabth has written. And that's fine, of course! It says more about them and where they are, than it does about Elizabeth.

Personally, as a psychologist and as a woman who has been considering the meaning of my own marriage (after 17 years with a man I have married 3 times!), I found the book insightful and thought provoking.

I loved the book ............... and I shall be getting a divorce.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars commited A love story
I have started to read this book and already know that this book is life changing .. even within the first chapter it already approaches the attitudes towards marriage, and the... Read more
Published 14 days ago by MS PINK FLUFF
1.0 out of 5 stars Not good at all
Not met my expectations- very disappointing to read about marriage history...I was expecting to read more about her life and experience with him after they got married and all of... Read more
Published 18 days ago by Ana D.
4.0 out of 5 stars Great easy read
Great book for those who enjoyed Eat Pray Love, the sequel tells the story of Liz and Filepe the next chapter and highlights some interesting themes regarding marriage and... Read more
Published 23 days ago by Miss S J Walsh
5.0 out of 5 stars An educational love story
I didn't expect to learn so much in Elizabeth Gilbert's second book. I finished the book feeling educated and having almost cured my own fears about marriage! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Miss Sarah-Jane Sherwoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Committed
Fantastic could not put it down will continue to read all Elizabeth's books. You feel like you know her if that makes sense amazing!!!!!!
Published 1 month ago by Debbie Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but a little slow in places
Absolutely loved Eat, Pray, Love and thought this would be a good follow up. There are some very interesting facts and research put across in an interesting way but i did find... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Poro
5.0 out of 5 stars Still reading it but ...
I found it interesting, informative and insightful if a little wordy in places, certainly a useful book for people considering marriage.
Published 2 months ago by Dawn Cutland
4.0 out of 5 stars Commited
I found this book very interesting on the author's discussion with herself really about the necessity of a formal marriage. It certainly raised some very interesting points.
Published 2 months ago by Rev. Shirley Ludlow
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book on love, marriage and relationships
After reading "Eat, Pray and Love" I did not find this book amazing. However, I enjoyed what she was writing about marriage and love in different cultures, relationship between... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eva
5.0 out of 5 stars Spoke to my heart
So odd; I read "Eat, Pray, Love" while deciding if I should divorce, and this one while fighting for a visa, mine or my fiancé's - at the start we didnt care which. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dawn Thane
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&quote;
People always fall in love with the most perfect aspects of each other’s personalities. Who wouldn’t? Anybody can love the most wonderful parts of another person. But that’s not the clever trick. The really clever trick is this: Can you accept the flaws? Can you look at your partner’s faults honestly and say, ‘I can work around that. I can make something out of that.’? Because the good stuff is always going to be there, and it’s always going to be pretty and sparkly, but the crap underneath can ruin you.” &quote;
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“Sometimes life is too hard to be alone, and sometimes life is too good to be alone.” &quote;
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Marriage becomes hard work once you have poured the entirety of your life’s expectations for happiness into the hands of one mere person. Keeping that going is hard work. &quote;
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