I really enjoyed this book. I suspect I was predisposed to because of the current pandemic lockdown making me more likely to enjoy something that was just pure escapism. I was completely distracted by 1940s New York, though, and felt all the better for it.

The characters felt very well rounded and believable and the whole story cracked along at a really fast pace. It’s very well written and quite thoughtful in places too and obviously very well researched.

I’m really grateful for the free copy of this. I haven’t read anything by this author before but thought this was great - exactly what I needed! Thank you.

I loved this book!!  Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.

This was the first book of Elizabeth Gilbert's that I had read but if definitely won't be the last.

I really liked Vivian's narration of the book, it honestly felt like I was sitting opposite her and she was regaling me with the story of her younger years.

I received a .free copy in return for an honest review.

Unexpectedly I thoroughly enjoyed ‘City of Girls ‘ by Elizabeth  Gilbert. I didn’t particularly like the characters, except perhaps Peg, but I loved the depiction of New York and of the lives of the inhabitants  of The Lily.  The novel is a like a secret pleasure and I couldn’t resist it’s lure.

Absolutely stunning. A beautiful story of 1940s glamour that cleverly speaks to the modern world. A book to remind you of the joys of reading.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. It made me laugh out loud at times and moved me to tears at others. I was gripped by the story from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.

This is written in the form of a letter from Vivian Morris to Angela, the daughter of the only man she ever loved, and she’d known many men along the way. She had had an interesting and varied life, which we are allowed to follow, from her at aged 19, just before the start of the American involvement in WWII, until 2010. Vivian was born privileged and thought everyone had the sort of start to life that she did. 

I found this a difficult book to read, and very nearly put it aside completely. However, having been lucky enough to get an ARC to review this, I felt I should finish it. I’m glad I did. When Vivian is describing  her relationship with Angela’s father, you get an insight into what it must have been like for servicemen during the war, the horror of war itself and the mental and physical anguish suffered by some of the survivors. This is obviously a well written book; in some early parts of the story you felt as though you could have been with Vivian during some of the situations she found herself in. I couldn’t empathise with her character, though her aunt Peg is someone I would like to have met. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed the book, but I’m very glad I read it

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot.  In some ways it is a classic 'woman's life' narrative, following Vivian Morris from the age of 19 in the 1940s and recently dropped out of Vassar, to late in her life in 2010 as she writes to a younger woman recounting the story of her life.  Elizabeth Gilbert provides a forward where she tells us that she wanted to produce a 'champagne cocktail- light and bright, crisp and fun' as well as telling the story of a woman who has a varied promiscuous sex life 'without ending up under the wheels of the train'.  

I think she fails at both of these and to be honest it would have been better if she had let the novel stand for itself.  The overwhelming feel of the novel to me is thoughtful and slightly downbeat, and it is a sexual escapade that does cause a crisis of sorts for Vivian and changes her life forever.  

Having said this it is an interesting story told well and I'm glad I read it.  Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

I have to admit I struggled with this one; it has it's moments but for the most part it was a bit of a slog.

Vivian arrives in New York to live with her Aunt Peg, but it's not the life that a genteel young lady is used to. Given free rein, Vivian and her friend Celia become wild young things, filling their time with nothing but fun once the work of the day is over . . .

I couldn't wait to get started reading this one; the blurb really attracted me and I was sure it was my kind of book. In a way, it was - but I found the style of writing not to be to my taste. For a start, the whole story is told by way of a letter and this is the longest letter I've ever come across. There are some really exciting moments but, whilst I am no prude, I found a lot of it to be rather sleazy. The bit I adored more than anything was all the sewing details and Vivian's skill and thirst for learning more about this. There was a few other bits which brightened up the story for me but, for the most part I had to make myself keep reading and it was a relief to reach the final page. Overall - after considerable thought - I have given this one 2.5*. However, I am sure that others will love it .. we all have different tastes after all!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I was drawn to this book as it promised a fun and light read in the world of New York's theatrical world.  I thought it would be an ideal escapist book for these tricky times. 

The first part of the book absolutely delivers this.  The narrator, Vivian Morris, is upbeat and cheerful in telling the story of her arrival in New York in 1940.  Freshly expelled from her university course for minimal effort, she goes to stay with her Aunt Peg, an eccentric family member who runs a dilapidated theatre.  Vivian soon makes friends with the showgirls and starts living the high life in a city full of men and alcohol, far away from the war raging in Europe.  I loved this bit of the story - the theatre people and Vivian's joie de vivre make for compulsive and upbeat reading.

The tone shifts a bit in the second part of the book as Vivian ages and there is more of a war theme.  I'll admit to not enjoying this bit as much, although its beautifully written and quite touching.

Overall, this is an evocative and compelling novel with a really unique heroine at its heart.  I'd recommend it wholeheartedly although it didn't quite deliver the consistent high I was looking for.

Elizabeth Gilbert wrote that her goal with City of Girls was to write a novel that would go down like a champagne cocktail, light and bright, crisp and fun and she has more than achieved that. City of Girls is all of those things which are much needed in these strange times we are experiencing at the moment, but it is also much deeper. At its core it is a series of love stories, a love story between Vivian & New York, Vivian and her friends, and finally Vivian and someone unexpected in her life. On paper as a reader you should not like Vivian, but Elizabeth Gilbert shows you her strengths, weaknesses and her vulnerabilities and you grow to love her and want her in your life as your friend.

I was given a copy of City of Girls by Netgalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This isn’t the usual type of book I read but I was looking for something completely different. I was a little unsure whether this would be the book for me but I don’t mind telling you, I was completely seduced. Elizabeth Gilbert is a brilliant writer. This is evident in every single word which she uses to good effect to draw me to a crescendo of emotions one minute followed by a diminuendo the next. It is some time since I have been so emotionally involved in a book. The story is told by an elderly lady, Vivian, to the unknown (to the reader), Angela. It is, at its most simple, the story of Vivian’s fascinating life. It is so much deeper than this, however. It is a microcosm of New York from the 1940’s onwards and the story of a group of people who live, work and love there. It is the story of a crumbling theatre and the people who work there. It is the story of awakening sensuality and sexuality, and yet is done with such sensitivity that the reader is drawn in. It is all of that and so much more I loved this book. I genuinely could not stop reading and desperately wanted to know what happened and who Angela was. A brilliantly executed story of the lives of a group of artistic temperaments who gel and are drawn toward each other. The characterisation is the best I have read and I read a lot. I would highly recommend this book to all women whether you read this genre or not. Elizabeth Gilbert is my new favourite author and I cannot wait to read more by her.

A fun grown up tale of a magical time and place, while also showing is me of the realities of life at the time. Some racy scenes and some real emotion.

In 1940 Vivian Morris aged 19 is sent to stay with her Aunt Peggy in New York. Peggy owns Lily’s Playhouse in Manhattan. She is eccentric and nothing like her straight laced parents.

 Vivian having had quite a restricted life, loves the freedom of living over the theatre and makes friends with showgirl Celia. They are soon going out together drinking and getting into mischief with the men.

The book is narrated by Vivian as she tells the story of her life. She is writing to a mystery woman called Angela who wants to know how Vivian knew her deceased father.

 Vivian starts out as a shy girl and becomes a wild child, but after an incident that could destroy her reputation she is soon forced to grow up.

I loved this book. I devoured every word as if this was going to be the last book I would ever read!! There are great characters and the journey of Vivian’s life is told in a beautiful and witty way.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Beautifully written & poignant - I absolutely loved this novel!

This was an evocative tale, the setting was so vividly illustrated it was impossible not to get drawn into the action and transported to New York. Addictive and dazzling, you won't want to step away from it until you have turned the very last page.

This colourful cast of characters is multi-dimensional, totally distinctive from one another. They are far from perfect but brilliantly authentic. Vivian stole my heart from the first page and will always have a piece of it; vibrant, sexy, and wise she is one incredible woman.

An absolute joy to read - the writing is charming, poetic, and seemingly effortless. Gilbert set out for City of Girls to “go down like a champagne cocktail — light and bright, crisp and fun.” I'm delighted to report it did exactly that. It is also thoughtful, thought-provoking, a true gem.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Herbert is certainly no Maeve Binchy novel. Certainly it is about feminism and sexuality but grittier, more promiscuous. I enjoyed Vivian’s storytelling and getting to know her extended family and friends but this is simply the backdrop to every conceivable element of, and means of engaging in, sexual intercourse  and Vee’s seemingly insatiable sexual appetite. How she escapes disease and pregnancy is astounding. Very readable and food for thought about the constraints and gender hypocrisy of the times. Aunt Peg’s unbreakable love is fantastic, almost compensating for the lack of warmth and belonging from Viv’s mum, dad and brother. An engaged grandmother and great friends in Marjorie and Frank bring an enduring constancy and richness to Vivian which somewhat inexplicably still leaves her “darkness” that only sexual gratification can fill. I actually find Vivian’s lonely, pleasure-seeking journey very sad. An interesting, yet unsettling, read.

This was a beautiful novel capturing a fascinating time in our history. I loved the depiction of characters and the way the author was able to create a believable yet glamorous scenario. Highly recommended!

I finished City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert this week and absolutely adored it. Her forward says she wanted to write a book that would go down like a champagne cocktail, and that to read it would be to take a break from your troubles, and she nailed that! I love a book that follows a character, weaving through their history and seeing how they are effected by world events, and Vivian is so witty and totally and utterly alive. I also adored Peg and Olive, what a brilliant cast of characters. Take me to the Lily... I want to live there!!

In the vein of Any Human Heart, A Gentleman In Moscow and The Thorn Birds - City of Girls is a fictional memoir following the life of naive heroine Vivian newly dropped out from college and fresh to the city of New York.

The characters that appear throughout are nuanced and interesting, and in the first half New York is a glittering character in its own right.

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I was enraptured by the glittering characters that sparkled throughout the first half and intrigued by what Vivian did next in the second.

Human relationships and their complexities and frailties are handled beautifully and the honest narration gives it a huge heart.

‘City of Girls’ will definitely be a ‘summer holiday read’ hit; lengthy, entertaining and often amusing, it tells the life story of Vivian Morris whom we first meet as a naive 19-year-old catapulted into New York hedonism in 1940.  Living with her aunt Peg, a theatre impresario, and mixing with a variety of itinerant showgirls, musicians and actors, the respectable, moneyed middle-class Vivian soon begins to enjoy the nightlife, the freedom and her role as costumier for her aunt’s theatre company.
The prologue to the novel begins in 2010 with the elderly Vivian being asked a question in a letter from a younger woman, Angela, whose wedding dress she made back in 1971.  The following story arises from the latter’s question: ‘…I wonder if you might now feel comfortable telling me what you were to my father.’  And, thus, ‘City of Girls’ begins.  However, whilst this is a good enough reason for recounting a life, for much of the novel the narrator’s regular reminders that she is ‘talking’ to Angela can be irritating and often feel unnecessary.  But … all becomes clear eventually.
In her foreword, Elizabeth Gilbert writes that, ‘My goal with this novel was to write a book that would go down like a champagne cocktail – light and bright, crisp and fun.’  All of those adjectives are applicable.  Nevertheless, there are also thought-provoking elements to ‘City of Girls’.  We are reminded of the long-lasting effects of war, both physical and psychological.  Gilbert also explores sexist moral double standards deemed perfectly acceptable by society.  She shows what happens when a child grows up feeling unloved: Vivian enjoys most of her sexual encounters but what is behind her voracious sexual appetite?
Above all, this is a novel about friendship.  We are reminded just how important it is to be with people who love you for who you are, care about you enough to be truthful, and will always stick by you.  
My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing plc for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

A wild tale of New York in the 1940s

When Vivian Morris drops out of college in 1940, her family sends her to stay with her Aunt Peg, owner of a tatty, failing theatre in Manhattan, to become their costume designer. There she begins a reckless year of wild adventure with the raucous actors, showgirls and various acolytes she meets through them. Vivian narrates the story as a letter to 'his daughter Angela'. We only find out whose daughter she is in the final chapters. Not a book I would normally pick, but great fun and certainly memorable.