Book Review: BIG MAGIC: CREATIVE LIVING BEYOND FEAR by Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you are a creative person, I highly recommend this book! I found it so inspiring that when I finished the last page, I wanted to turn back to page one and start reading all it over again.

Prior to this book, I had never read anything written by Elizabeth Gilbert. After attending multiple writing conferences where agents and editors recommended this book, I had to buy it and read it. My expectations were high, and Gilbert did not disappoint.

BIG MAGIC, by far, is one of the best books I've read in years.

Some of my favorite passages:

"Pure creativity is something better than a necessity; it's a gift. It's the frosting. Our creativity is a wild and unexpected bonus from the universe. It's as if all our gods and angels gathered together and said, 'It's tough down there as a human being, we know. Here--have some delights.'" (Page 127)

"Over the years ... I found that if I just stayed with the process and didn't panic, I could pass safely through each stage of anxiety and on to the next level. I heartened myself with reminders that these fears were completely natural human reactions to interaction with the unknown." (page 145)

"A good-enough novel violently written now is better than a perfect novel meticulously written never." (page 176)

"You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you passed your entire existence in devotion to the noble human virtue of inquisitiveness. And that should be more than enough for anyone to say that they lived a rich and splendid life." (page 239)

Oh, I could quote many more passages, but instead, I encourage you to read the book.



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