This was another of the books on my BookTube Prize reading list, and another I likely wouldn’t have gotten around to without it. In large part because I’ve not had great success with Elizabeth Gilbert in the past. I particularly struggled with Eat, Pray, Love, her best-known work all about the trauma of her unhappy marriage and divorce and the multi-country expedition she set off on to recover from it. I’ve seen reviewers I respect discuss the entitlement and privilege of this book and they say that she does address that, even poking fun at herself in places. I either didn’t get that far in the book or didn’t pick up on it, so it’s possible I missed an important element. But at the time it left me rolling my eyes and reaching for something a little more relatable. I haven’t tried to read anything else by her since.
So this book was a pleasant surprise. It’s the story of a young woman, Vivian, who is sent to New York in the 1930s to live with her theatre-director aunt because she is too much trouble for her parents to handle. Luckily Vivian has an aptitude for sewing, and uses that skill to become an invaluable member of the production team at the Lily Playhouse, the run-down theatre that barely manages to limp along without folding.
Her story is in the usual tradition of coming of age – she makes silly mistakes with her newfound freedom, has to be bailed out, and disappoints her family in the process. But – and this surprised me – she manages to figure out her own path, and bravely walks it even though it isn’t the traditional marriage and kids route her parents had mapped out for her.
I found myself completely swept along by this book. I liked how it dealt with the war (it’s set during WWII) and its aftereffects on the community and people around her. I liked the friendships she formed and the relationships she developed with her aunt and her aunt’s long-time partner. The stories here are understated, but brave in their own quiet ways. I was glad to have gotten to know Vivian (even if I didn’t always like her much), and to have watched her grow and develop as a character and as a person.
This is one of those books that I think most readers would enjoy. It’s got some romance, some excitement, some social commentary and lots of characters you can really get to know. It’s fast-paced but not entirely plot-driven, and it covers a long enough period of time that the changes in the characters are believable. It left me with the distinct impression that I had been unfair to Elizabeth Gilbert, and I think I ought to give her more of a chance in future!
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 ninety-five 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.
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. Written with a powerful wisdom about human desire and connection, City of Girls is a love story like no other. – Goodreads
Book Title: City of Girls
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Series: No
Edition: Hardback
Published By: Riverhead
Released: June 4, 2019
Genre: Fiction, WWII, Character-Driven, Romance
Pages: 480
Date Read: April 14-25, 2020
Rating: 8/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.05/5 (124,770 ratings)
I really enjoyed this one as well, but felt that the last 75-100 pages were a bit unnecessary.
I honestly don’t remember at this point what happened when in the book, but there were parts that didn’t need to be quite as long for sure. But overall I still found it a quick read, and enjoyable, if not perfect!