Oh wow, City of Girls was just what was needed during this chaotic and crazy times! It transports you to 1940s New York where we meet Vivian, the main character of the book. This is definitely a coming of age novel and we follow Vivian on her journey through her life, the ups and the downs.

Vibrant and full of life, Vivian moves to live with her aunt who runs a theatre in New York. We see firsthand the young, naive woman that Vivian is but we soon become embroiled in her shenanigans and adventures and read as she develops and grows as a character.

The story is told from Vivian’s point of view and the writing is almost conversational, learning about all her innermost secrets and sharing of her feelings. Elizabeth Gilbert really makes you envision New York during those times and Vivian’s story feels so real and true, almost as if it was based on someone’s own life story. 

Despite the mistakes Vivian makes along the way, you really can’t help but like her and as she grows older, you love her that little bit more. This book really is a story of acceptance and showing that being who you are truly matters. It’s embracing the hurdles and mistakes along the way and loving those people for being them, flaws and all!

It's 1940, twenty year old Vivian has dropped out of school and been sent to live with her somewhat eccentric Aunt Peg, who just so happens to run a New York theatre. What should be disgrace for Vivian becomes a rip-roaring ride through New York nightlife, a coming of age and a behind the scenes of a golden age in American Theatre. 

Yet this is a book very much of two halves, split by the war. While the first half focuses on the wild nights of Vivian's youth, scandal and shame, the second half is a much truer 'coming of age' in which Vivian grows up sharply. The opulent cityscape we saw previously has become practical, industrial, the frivolity replaced with economy. Vivian's life through the story is a striking portrayal of how one woman experiences history. Vivian is shaped by her time, and forges her life despite it. 

This novel is as rich and vibrant as they come with a cast of characters who are larger than life. Elaborate details are the making of this story, right down to the show they stage itself, it's costumes and lyrics. The wider story is framed by this letter to an unknown reader, which gives Vivian a wonderful knowing, often witty and cynical voice in the narrative, and one that you won't forget any time soon. When you eventually circle back to this framing, so much has changed - Vivian, New York City and you as a reader. 

Vivian's story is the perfect accompaniment and antidote to the heady, overwhelming sense of opportunity and sheer anxiety that comes with your twenties, and is probably full of nostalgia for that late 'coming of age' for anyone who is older. If you aren't sure where your life is going or what you want to do with it, City of Girls might help ground you, or provide the perfect escapism into someone else life for a while.

I loved this book. I was drawn into the life of Vivian who was living it up in NY in the 1940s...even though there were times when I found her self centred and selfish, I blamed it on her youth and immaturity. She had a great role model in her aunt and it was great to see the bond between them develop. Highly recommended.

I have ambivalent feelings about this book. I'm a big fan of the author and love her writing style but I disliked the main character and this tainted the story for me. It's 1940, Vivian is nineteen years old, vain and spoilt, when her parents send her to her aunt in New York after dropping out from university. Her aunt runs a theatre of show girls, providing affordable entertainment to the masses and only just manages to cover her costs. She welcomes her niece and offers her all the excitement and adventure of New York. In turn, Vivian reciprocates by living a life of either sexual liberation or debauchery, depending on your level of generosity, with serious consequences to those that care for her or offer friendship. 
At all times I was interested where the story would lead and 1940's New York came alive for me. There were lots of fascinating characters and I particularly loved the veteran English stage actress who embodies all that is powerful in a woman. However, the character development of Vivian came too slowly for me. Beautiful, young, vain and entitled, she has a selfish, disregard for her actions and their impact on anybody else. Her narcissistic  pursuit of hedonism, nurtured such strong dislike for Vivian that I was unable to identify or empathise with her character or situation. I understand what the author wanted to achieve, and the book demonstrates that not everyone is born for a conventional life, but I had trouble connecting with this story.

Really enjoyable read ! The book is a letter from Vivian to someone called Angela and is all about Vivians life from a 19 year old in the 1940's who started college but left after a year and went to live with her Aunt in New York. Here she discovered a bohemian lifestyle that she loved! She made lots of friends and partyied hard ! I loved the style and pace of this book and I couldn't put it down I wanted to hear all about her life, the last few chapters were really poignant . This is a lovely book about friendships .

This book is beautifully written and brings to life New York in the 1940s and onwards as Vivienne tells her life story.

A new author to me and quite an interesting book.  I don’t usually read books that are not set in this age but was surprised about how the lives of women in New York lived in the 1940’s onwards especially in the theatre world.  The story is narrated by Vivian who is telling Angela (did not know what the relationship was in the beginning) of her life through decades of her life.  Vivian is sent to her Aunt in New York who runs a theatre because she did not want to be at school or college and her family did not know what to do with her so she shipped off to New York.  This opened Vivian’s eyes and she was swept away in the New York life style and seemed to love being around the people in this world.  She was very handy with a sewing machine and this helped her bond with the others who lived a chaotic life in a chaotic household.  The story travels along in a lovely way and I found that I wanted to get to the end of the story to see what happened especially to Vivian.  The story went along well but I do feel it was not my sort of book even though I did feel it was well written and interesting to learn about 1940’s plus New York

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, a 1940s set novel about the life of a Vassar dropout who moves to New York should charm from the outset. Unfortunately, the writing felt clunky to me and I neither liked nor believed in Vivian as a character. I know I’m in the minority here, but I found this overlong and unengaging.

Absolutely loved it! Such escapism was so welcome during this dreadful Covid-19 time we are in. I enjoyed the setting of New York -  I haven't read many books set in the city and enjoyed all the wonderful descriptions of how the city functioned over the decades. Wonderful, full of life characters that you just fell in love with. I was transfixed by Vivian's story and was with her 100% of the way, I felt every moment that was wonderfully described to us.  I have already recommended this to all my book club girls- i am so hoping they read it so I have someone to discuss and bring the book to life with.

A tale of city girls on new York in the 1940’s when they felt life was too short to not enjoy everything that came their way. This involved many sexual encounters and a lot of booze. Sorry to say I didn’t really enjoy it- it just seemed drawn out.

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Glorious and uplifting, what a fabulous read this is!  Vivian Morris is a girl before her time, full of adventure, seeking thrills and enjoying sex with many men.  Life with aunt Peg and the Lily theatre is wonderfully described,  New York in 1940 is a ball and Vivian enjoys every minute.  However, reality seeps into the bubble and she makes some wrong decisions, takes a wrong turn.  How her life develops after this is almost a different book but just as readable and enjoyable. Vivian knows what she wants and how to get it but she also gives back many times over. Full of characters that jump off the page, full of wisdom and joy, I loved this.

“Never has it felt more important for me to tell stories of joy and abandon, passion and recklessness. Life is short and difficult, people. We must take our pleasures where we can find them. Let us not become so cautious that we forget to live.”

City of Girls is set in 1940s New York. It’s a book of two halves. I really enjoyed the first half. It was absorbing and joyous, and made me forget the real world for a few hours (sorely needed). Vivian Morris has just flunked out of college, and is sent to live with her aunt Peg who owns a theatre in New York City. She is mesmerized by this world of beautiful showgirls, and gets to work experiencing life. 

The second half of the book, set during and after the American war-effort, is a lot slower. This is when Vivian really has to grow up, face the music, and start sorting out her own mistakes. Eventually she settles into a life that is unconventional as she is. I can’t help but think this second half could be (A LOT) shorter. The end is lovely though and goes some way towards redeeming it.

I’m in two minds about whether or not to recommend you read this book, it's a solid entertianing read but it’s probably worth reading a few more reviews before deciding for yourself.

A wartime tale but with a difference... Vivian's experience of life and love in 1940's New York is a joy to read. The heady days of youth mixed with the colourful lives of the theatre set are intertwined and Vivienne navigates her way through with her talents as a seamstress to see her though. Written with warmth and humour, this book will lift your spirits.

For some reason the covid-19 lockdown has me turning to WWII novels and books. I find the spirit of that time heartening during our current struggles and this led me to City of Girls. Though most of the books have been from the British perspective ('The Splendid and the Vile' by Erik Larson as well as 'Love in the Blitz' by Eileen Alexander - both exceptional, by the way) City of Girls shows us the war through the rose coloured glasses of New York showgirls and the theater life. Amazing good fun for young, naive Vivian Morris moved to New York to live in the theater run by gloriously independent aunt Peg. She has a lot to learn and grows up quickly in this cracking read.

Everything is fun and games until events turn again our girl Viv and she must deal with the consequences. This seemed such a lighthearted and jolly novel but there is a real vein of bittersweet tenderness running through it as the war pulls America in. I didn't expect this book to be as touching as it was but love the turn it took as elderly Vivian recalls her life in New York and shows how the war impacted many globally even if not directly involved in the fighting.

I loved this novel for all the sarcasm and quick wit but more for the gentle love that stitched it all together. Not just a feel good book, here, but something that will warm your heart and make you feel satisfaction in your soul.

I loved the author’s memoir Eat, Prey Love when I read it a couple of years ago (never seen the movie). I’ve not read anything else by her and had no idea she wrote fiction as well. I adored this book. I need to read more by this author. This book has been everywhere and sounded like fun, so I wanted to read it. It’s one of my top read’s this year so far. This is a fun, entertaining read. It’s rare that I get as lost in a book as I did here. The simple language is very well done and makes the book easy to read. It spans many years in the character’s lives. I cannot recommended this book enough.

A fantastic fast paced story, this book is about a young girl Vivian, who has dropped out of college and gets sent to New York to live with her aunt who is in charge of a run down theatre in the heart of Hells Kitchen in 1940. A well researched portrayal of life in New York just prior to America joining the second world war. Vivian is young and silly, she gets caught up in the life of actors and showgirls and gets caught up in situations that she needs rescuing from. Not a thespian Vivian is saved by the fact that she can sew and is therefore in charge of costumes, again the research shines through in the descriptions of fabrics and tales of searching through thrift stores for material. I got lost sometimes in these scenes but could see the appeal for someone really into sewing and fashion, it also introduces Marjorie who is such fun, a real wise cracking New Yorker. There are some other really great characters in this book, Celia Ray, Aunt Peg, Olive, Frank and Edna. Having a book with so many strong women at its heart is also a refreshing change.
In some ways this is a familiar story but I enjoyed the insight that looking back on her life gives the older Vivian, where she is able to notice the sexist way that women were treated especially as they explored their sexuality. I found it a quick, enjoyable read and really appreciated seeing New York through this lens and at that time. 

With thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vivian Morris is the daughter of a prosperous family and a college dropout.  In order to save their faces, her parents ship her off to her Aunt in New York to lie low and grow up.  Grow up is exactly what Vivien does, in the theatre world of 1940 Vivian uses her skills as a seamstress and becomes involved in a louche and superficially glamorous world.  However her naivety is her downfall and Vivian finds that as war approaches she needs to rethink her life.
After reading the author's introduction I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book - the idea of writing about a promiscuous woman didn't really appeal to me.  It is a testament to Gilbert's storytelling that the sex seemed part and parcel of the character and actually this is a quite meaningful tale.  If one views it as a period version of 'Sex and the City' it works really well!

I really enjoyed this, and will be buying it for a friend. It's a interesting story of wartime New York, looking at the roles of women and how they are perceived. The theatre setting is fun and I found myself caught up in the lives of the characters.

As I am a great enthusiast of New York I was really keen to read this book.  

I found reading Vivian's story really interesting as she relays highlights of her life to Angela.

Absolutely loved it, a great read.

Heady, indulgent and dazzling!

I was intrigued by this book when I first saw Elizabeth Gilbert reveal it on her social media pages. It seemed different to what she was known for, and I generally love anything where wayward young women go off and have fun.
That's what this book was - pure fun! The story of an ordinary sort of girl in search of a more interesting life, in the run up to the war. After dropping out of her appropriate college education, Vivian is sent to New York to live with her theatre owning aunt, and ends up getting into heaps of trouble (fun) whilst sewing costumes and helping them pull together a hit show. It moved quickly, was written simply and beautifully, and it covered so much time and so many eras, with the characters becoming more known and loveable as the book continued. 
Vivian learns her lessons but is never minimised, shamed or cowed. The book, whilst being about love and friendship, is also about sexual experience and shame and it was an incredibly refreshing read.
I read it with a joy at getting to be pulled along on this wonderful adventure. I imagine this book will be a big hit. It's clear Gilbert wrote it to be a joyful escape, and now more than ever, that's what we need.