The book started with the Introduction which pertains to Gilbert’s reason as to why her book was divided into three sub-books further divided into 36 chapters each. As aforementioned above, Japa Mala has 108 beads which signifies balance. However, it is also known that there is this 109th bead lying outside the string of the ‘perfect’ beads. This one outlying bead is used as a reminder to thank one’s teacher after the meditating process. With that being said, Gilbert, at the first part of her book, thanked all the people who helped her in her one-year journey to physical, emotional and spiritual stability. The first sub-book is about her stories of pursuing pleasure. This happened in Italy which is her first stop in her one-year journey. Upon her four-month stay in this country, …show more content…
In her journey of learning the culture especially the language of the place which is Italian, she met Giovanni (not his real name), her Italian language exchange partner. However, this affection she had for this young Italian man subsided upon realizing that in order to heal her wounded heart and mind, she needed a year of celibacy. As the story goes on, Gilbert reminisce about her failed relationships with her ex-husband whom she learned to ‘unloved’ in the course of their relationship. Still reminiscing the past, she remembered her relationship with an actor named David whom she had also several ups and downs. The downside of their relationship, as she said, was that she was indulged with drugs which lead her into some kind