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.
What's Bookie?
- Free delivery in Germany.
- Find your perfect next read.
- Track to motivate you to read more.
- Connect with people like you.
City of Girls: A Novel
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.
Popular Reviews(8)
Reviewed by Mariia A.True story didn’t evoked especial interest or sympathy in me. It is a nice story but it brings no satisfaction at the end. First half is boring and full of details about having fun nights with booze and sex. Another part a bit better. From the second half you have a strong feeling that the author repeats herself in expressions and turns of speech. The part with war and post war period got me the most, maybe because it is the most relevant to me, but also I was not convinced by that period she described. Well, the story gives us a strong woman the despite all possible scenarios in her life finishing it happy and satisfied and this is sort of nice happy ending, which makes it boot 3 stars.
Reviewed by Peggy Payne “Anyway, at some point in a woman’s life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time. After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is” – Elizabeth Gilbert, City of Girls I just finished this one, and I can say there was just something I loved about it. This book was poignant and intimate. Though it was a tad long (470 pages) and a bit slow at first, I devoured every page. We begin in 2010 when Vivian Morris receives a letter from Angela. Angela's mother died. Now, she wants to know what Vivian was to Angela's father, many years ago. Next, we go on a whirlwind of coming of age in the early 1940s through WW11 and into the 60s. Vivian spares no detail in the intimate details of her life as she moved to New York and worked in her aunt's theatre. She finds herself in more ways than she ever imagined. The story is rich and tantalizing. City of Girls is filled with characters you don't forget and lots of galivanting through in the days of old. It reads like a memoir, which I actually loved. I played this one in my head like the movie it will eventually be, and I can't wait!
Reviewed by Eileen Dierner DNF <br/>I couldn't get warm with it. The protagonist is so naive, and while this is totally valid since this is a coming of age story, this personality trait doesn't sit well with the plot. Sex scenes are handled SO DISTURBINGLY, I was actually worried for the kind of message this sends to (young) readers - if there any young ones in the audience. <br/>I read some reviews and they didn't really animate me to continue reading, since they critiqued the same parts I had problems with.
Reviewed by KatesBooklightsHier haben wir ein Buchclub Buch, das schon seit Ewigkeiten auf meiner To Read Liste stand, ich so aber wahrscheinlich eine Weile nicht angefasst hätte. Und ich hätte mir ein richtiges Highlight entgehen lassen! Schon auf den ersten Seiten war mir klar: das wird ein phänomenales Buch werden. Und ich wurde absolut nicht enttäuscht. Denn sowohl die Charaktere als auch die Story selbst haben mich wirklich umgehauen. Ich hatte unglaublich viel Spaß dabei, mich durch das New York der 40er Jahre zu bewegen und zusammen mit Vivian von einer Party zur nächsten zu springen. Der Schreibstil hat es mir dabei sehr leicht gemacht, mich in die Geschichte fallen zu lassen und eine schnelle Bindung zu den Figuren aufzubauen. Die Handlung hat mich hier wirklich überrascht. Denn nach circa der Hälfte des Buches habe ich mich kurz gefragt, wo das Ganze wohl noch hinführen soll, unglücklich mit den Ereignissen war ich aber zu keinem Zeitpunkt. Mein einziger Kritikpunkt war das Ende der Geschichte. Wir haben uns eine ganze Weile auf ein wichtiges Detail hin bewegt, das meiner Meinung nach dann einfach zu wenig behandelt wurde und schon fast irrelevant erschien. Hier hat der Anfang der Geschichte einfach nicht hundertprozentig zum Verlauf der Handlung gepasst. Trotzdem war das ein super Buch und ich muss mir unbedingt noch weitere Werke der Autorin anschauen.
Reviewed by NayeliI loved this book! Is the first book I read from this author and totally loved it. The characters seem very real to me, and the way it’s written I could totally imagine my favorite aunt talking like this about her life!