City of Girls

Books | Fiction / Literary

3.8

(23.7K)

Elizabeth Gilbert

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and The Signature of All Things, a delicious novel of glamour, sex, and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don't have to be a good girl to be a good person."A spellbinding novel about love, freedom, and finding your own happiness." - PopSugar"Intimate and richly sensual, razzle-dazzle with a hint of danger." -USA Today"Pairs well with a cocktail...or two." -TheSkimm"Life is both fleeting and dangerous, and there is no point in denying yourself pleasure, or being anything other than what you are."Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret (but mostly pleasure), City of Girls explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity, as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love. In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves - and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest. Now eighty-nine years old and telling her story at last, Vivian recalls how the events of those years altered the course of her life - and the gusto and autonomy with which she approached it. "At some point in a woman's life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time," she muses. "After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is." Written with a powerful wisdom about human desire and connection, City of Girls is a love story like no other.

Coming Of Age

Historical Fiction

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More Details:

Author

Elizabeth Gilbert

Pages

480

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

2019-06-04

ISBN

1594634734 9781594634734

Community ReviewsSee all

"It almost makes me angry that this book is not appreciated enough. The way you are entranced into Vivian’s world and able to empathize with her emotions, good or bad, is deeply impressive. You are able to experience the story as if you have gone through it yourself and I adored every minute of it. I (especially if you loved TSHOEH) so deeply recommend it. "

"2nd time I’ve read this book. Even better than the 1st time. I love all the characters, so imperfect, so real. Story expands over a few decades, you get to follow their lives and see their ups and downs. A wonderful story about friendship 5/5 "

Kasandra

"Love, love, love. I savored every page and was sad that the story had to end. "

Mary

"Couldn’t get into it. I think it was the audiobook maybe? The narrator didn’t fit the character for me. Gave it a good 4 hour listen, returned early. "

Grace Eden

"I like female friendships and stories that all come together at the end"

M R

Mary-Grace Rees

"Really enjoyed this book! I loved the writing style. It was funny, tragic and truthful "

L S

Lynne Stroyne

"Must read count of age story and beautiful story of love with a twist that it isn’t all fairy tails but still an amazing love story "

A k

Alexandria koerkel

"five stars and it deserves every single one. i found this book at my libraries used book sale section and it just... called to me. only after i bought it did i realize that it was by elizabeth gilbert. i'd read the signature of all things a few months before and was really excited to start reading it, but around that time i went into a reading slump. it was a bit further down on my list so i didn't think i'd be reading it this early, but after a truly horrible book experience this morning, i decided i needed a treat, and what a treat this book was. i had so much fun reading this book. it felt incredibly well paced and well told. it had the exact right vibes, sort of like evelyn hugo in a way. i finished the entire thing in a span of about eight hours. if you're like me and turn to online reviews to see if you should read a book or not, look no further. the answer is yes, absolutely yes, all the way. read this book. "