Eat, Pray, Love

Gilbert turned her personal crisis into a travel book that connected with millions of readers because the search she describes — pleasure, meaning, balance — is universal even if the itinerary is not. The tone is intimate, sometimes too self-indulgent, but the honesty about personal shipwreck earns forgiveness. More interesting as testimony than as spiritual guide. For readers who look to books for companionship and recognition, not instruction.