Categorized as "chick lit," Eat, Pray, Love cultivated quite a following several years back. I ignored it, because those types of women watch Lifetime and join Jenny Craig.
No, thanks.
Oprah got involved and I knew for sure I wasn't going to like the book.
She liked Twilight, for crying out loud.
Then Julia Roberts signed on for the movie version.
Strike three.
Eventually, I did read Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir and fell in love with it. This annoyed a few friends, who couldn't understand why I'd turned into such a huge disappointment.
"You're becoming one of the masses," a delightful creature told me. "And you always said the masses are asses. Next thing you know, you'll be faking orgasms and saying 'literally' all the time."
Good lord.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.