All the Way to the River - Book Review

Charles shares a personal reflection on Elizabeth Gilbert’s new memoir All the Way to the River—a raw, beautifully told story about love, addiction, and loss. He explores what makes Gilbert’s writing different from typical books on recovery and co-dependence, how her honesty resonates with his own journey, and why the audiobook version delivers an especially powerful experience.

Support the show

Episode Transcript

Charles (00:00):
Welcome to the Mindfully Masculine Podcast.
This is Charles.
Today I want to share anabbreviated book review of a
memoir I recently listened to onsome long walks and some
drives.
It's called All the Way to theRiver by Elizabeth Gilbert, and
it tells the story of herrelationship with her partner
Raya and deals with issues likecodependence, addiction, and

(00:23):
terminal illness.
It's not the kind of book thatreally lends itself to the usual
model of our podcast, which isDan and I spending weeks
dissecting, praising, in mycase, often attacking a written
work, but it did have a profoundimpact on me, and I think it
could have the same effect onother people as well.
So I wanted to share some of mythoughts.

(00:44):
First, let me say that Gilbertis a brilliant, best-selling
author, and I am one half of apodcast that has cultivated a
following of literally dozens ofloyal listeners.
So compared to her, my skill asa writer is essentially that of
a toddler who found an uncappedSharpie while his mom was
distracted.
So what this review will lackin literary quality and

(01:09):
eloquence, I hope to make up forin honesty.
The first time I became awareof Elizabeth Gilbert's work was
when I saw a trailer for themovie Eat Prey Love ahead of its
August 2010 release.
I didn't really feel stronglyabout the film, not that it
looked particularly good or badto me, it just looked not for
me.
So I didn't really think aboutGilbert much again for years.

(01:33):
The first time I really engagedwith her writing was when my
best friend, who later became mygirlfriend twice, recommended
Big Magic.
She told me it was inspiringfor understanding the rewards
and struggles of humancreativity.
So I bought the audiobook, andI remember listening during a

(01:54):
drive to Georgia, and thenduring the hike up and down
Stone Mountain outside ofAtlanta.
Gilbert's writing style wasengaging and easy to follow.
And Gilbert herself is a greatnarrator.
That book left a strongpositive impression on me, and I
recently recommended that Danuh read or listen to it, and he

(02:15):
took my advice.
And last time I checked, he wasstill in the middle of it.
So I'm looking forward tohearing from him what he thought
of it and how it mightpositively impact his creative
pursuits.
A few years later, I heard uhGilbert on Glenn and Doyle's
podcast, We Can Do Hard Things.
She told the story of losingher partner, a story involving
drug use, terminal illness, andgrief.

(02:36):
It was extremely raw, honest,and deeply moving.
I came away with a lot ofrespect for her ability to speak
openly about such painfultruths.
So, fast forward to now, autumn2025, when a number of
culturally impactful womenreleased some new books.
Brene Brown's Strong Ground,which I'm in the middle of

(02:57):
reading, well, really listeningto right now, Kamala Harris's
107 Days about the 2024presidential campaign, and All
the Way to the River by Gilbert.
Gilbert's was the one I choseto listen to first.
I should say, again, Iexperience this as an audiobook
narrated by Gilbert herself.
She delivers it with suchemotion and presence that it

(03:17):
goes far beyond just an authorreading her own words.
She brings it to life with thesincerity of a person sharing
their life story in a recoverygroup and with the skill of a
professional voice actor, andthat makes the listening
experience incredibly powerful.
What really stood out is howdifferent this book felt from
others I've read on addictionand codependence.

(03:38):
Most of those stories arewritten by clinicians, valuable,
insightful, but sometimes a bitdry in tone.
Whereas Gilbert is a masterstoryteller and that changes
everything.
She doesn't just explainaddiction and codependence, she
makes you feel them.
And she shares stories mostpeople would never have the
courage to tell.
That honesty resonates with me,and it's the kind of bravery

(04:02):
that I aspire to.
As I listened, I saw parts ofmyself in the story.
I saw people I love reflectedin it.
And I admired both Elizabethand Raya, their courage, their
humanity, and the way they lovedeach other through unimaginable
struggle.
Despite the heartbreak, I cameaway feeling encouraged and even
inspired.
I think this book willencourage and inspire many

(04:23):
people, especially women dealingwith codependence and
addiction.
It's both beautiful and brutaland deeply human.
The one part I especiallyappreciated was how Gilbert
described her experience with12-step recovery.
She was open about trying it,not connecting with it at first,
stepping away, coming back, andeventually finding real help

(04:45):
there.
I hope that honesty inspiresothers to give recovery a
chance, to attend a meeting, seeif it might help them, because
Gilbert made clear just how muchit helped her.
And for me, the way I listenedadded another layer to the
experience.
Again, most of the book I heardwhile out on long walks through
the woods, along the lake nearmy home, in city parks.

(05:05):
And that combination of beingin nature while hearing Gilbert
tell this raw emotional storymade it even more powerful.
So, to wrap this up, All theWay to the River is a book I'm
very glad Elizabeth Gilbertwrote, and I'm very glad that I
listened to it.
It's raw and painful, but alsolife affirming, inspiring, and
beautifully told.
I recommend it wholeheartedly,especially the audiobook.

(05:27):
Thanks for listening, and we'lltalk to you on the next show.