I can't believe how this book has flown out of book stores. It's like we don't know good writing when we see it anymore. My main beef with this book is it's so chummy and chatty, Gilbert uses this really informal way of communicating which on it's own isn't the problem; the problem is that she's unlikeable. She's like the woman sitting at the table at a dinner party and she won't shut up about how accomplished and worldly she is and all the while you're like, "Give it a rest about yourself already! So you're lucky enough to travel without constantly struggling for money. Big whoop. You should probably thank me for buying your book and sending you there." I found her trite and condescending and the book itself it nearly utterly without worth. Save your money and your bookclub members money and don't send Gilbert on any more trips. Our future generations will thank us for sparing them of yet another trashy early 2000-era book.