Elizabeth Gilbert on the evolution from book to film…

First off, I must say that I really like the film adaptation of "Eat, Pray, Love". I think Julia Roberts is beautiful and lovable; I think every single male character in the film is allowed to be a fully developed human being with a complete range of human emotions (not always the case in "women's movies"); I think the cinematography and soundtrack are delicious; and most of all, it has not only been flattering for me, but also deeply spiritually healing, to have been portrayed by an actress with perfect skin.

But even before I saw the movie, I was happy with my choice to have sold the rights. The offer from Hollywood came in September 2006, and could not have been more welcome. Felipe and I had been stuck in immigration exile for most of that year—traveling on a shoestring through Southeast Asia, struggling to convince the Homeland Security Department to allow us back into the United States to legally wed. "Eat, Pray, Love" was not yet the phenomenon it would eventually become, and money, frankly, was in tight supply. This movie deal, then, was a gift from heaven for us, granting us the chance to pay our legal bills, buy a home, settle down at last.

To be honest, that would have been good enough for me. But then the filmmakers went and actually cared about the project. Ryan Murphy wrote a script that was loyal and loving to the book. The producers sought out my suggestions. Julia Roberts insisted that the film be shot in all the original locations. (You can't fake India, after all.) Javier Bardem spent time with my husband, to capture the essence of the man whom I love. The pizza, the prayers and the heartbreak were all accurately conveyed. And a gorgeous movie was made. It all feels like a great gift. Then again, it always was.