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.

Wow, just wow. I absolutely loved reading this book so much. The story is just incredible and I loved following along with Vivian’s life. It is on one hand so light heartened that it was a joy to read and on the other hand so heartbreaking that it’s going to stay with me for a while. I am going to have a get my hands on a physical copy for my shelves as this will be something I will love to re-read.

I love this book! Vivian Morris, 20, is banished to New York in disappointment by her parents after being sent down from Vasser after failing to attend a single class. She’s to live with her Aunt Peg who owns the Lily Theatre Company which performs something like revues with showgirls and dancers. Oh boy, does Vivvie have her eyes opened as she’s introduced to a hedonistic world by the showgirls, especially Celia. The story is told from 1940 onwards by Vivian to Angela who wants to understand what her father Frank Grecco meant to Vivian. To set their story into context Vivian tells her life story.

I really enjoyed this book which takes you on a journey of fun, danger, war and post war with all the ups and downs of a bohemian life. The book is very well written, at times it’s hilarious and at others for example when Vivian and Celia are looking for fun and trouble, there is also a dark side. The book is about Vivian’s attitude to sex and certainly in the early days she is promiscuous and is certainly ahead of her time and would have fitted right in with the 60’s. In fact, she probably invents free love of that era. I love the character of Vivian as she’s honest, knows what she wants and what pleasure she seeks but all the characters are vividly portrayed. The dialogue is great, I love that a lot of the words used are appropriate to the period, in fact I, going to start using flim flam!! The book is set in New York and there are some excellent descriptions of the city throughout the book. The Lily Theatre is a delight and comes alive and I love that various waifs and strays find their way to Aunt Pegs door. Some of the plays they perform are to a formula owing to lack of money and Vivian makes the outfits. She puts herself down when she says she only does sewing and sex. She is way more than that. She shows how thoughtful, kind, self aware and true a friend she is in a myriad of ways especially to Frank Grecco and her friendship with him is a thing of beauty. This is a wonderful book of self discovery and truths.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for a copy of the book.

Fabulous book! I love everything this author does; if Elizabeth Gilbert published her shopping list I would buy it and read it. Thank you so much for the chance at read!

Reminded me of a series i use to watch years ago regarding two sister having a clothing business. Vivien started with nothing but had a lot of obstacles on her way. Made you smile made you feel sad but a truly light hearted story.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I've read Eat, Pray, Love and thought this might follow in a similar soul searching, finding oneself kind of vein, and while there was an element of that, it was a whole lot more.
The main character, Vivian, is neither dislikeable nor immensely likeable, which made her all the more real and fun to follow along. It's got enough well-rounded and realistic characters to make the plot interesting, and getting to know this character, I grew to like her more and more as she developed from a girl into a woman and became an interesting, complete person.
I also really liked how the plot progressed through so many big events in history and the characters developed along with the timeline. It's both coming of age and also coming through the ages.
Overall, a really pleasant, easy to read story.

I ended up really enjoying this book. It took me ages to get into and a few times I nearly put it down but I am glad that I kept reading. Vivian’s story is full of larger than life characters. She has a colourful and entertaining life. Her story and how she met Frank is long in places but interesting and well written.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I loved this book. The story of Vivian from her 20s through to the present day. A story of sewing, sex and friendship. I found her an inspiring character and was keen to see where she’d take the sewing machine and her love of life next. It didn’t disappoint, after every setback she picked up the machine and set off on a new direction. I found the final few chapters particularly moving as she reached the end of her life.

A dazzling, feathery, frothy coming of age tale about young Vivian and her undoing that begins in 1940.

With that said, this book is about so much more than than a young girl finding her liberty and having a bloody good time. Our lovely author takes us on several journeys where we see Vivian learning about the joy of sex, the fulfilment found in having an expert skill and being able to utilise that and the rewards of feeling valued, the juxtaposition and inbalance of love, and how to put on a hit show in a back street theatre. City of Girls is written as a memoir and is the perfect genre for a story from this era.

City of Girls is the hit show put together by Peg and Billy Buell in a run down back street theatre that changes the lives of everyone who resides or works at the Lily Playhouse.

The author brings certain characters into crystal clear full colour HD whilst leaving some milling around in the background. In this rather clever way, the characters are made into real, relatable people with a sturdy foundation of extras. The plot is magnificently simple and yet has twisty turny bits that make you shout aloud whilst you read. The author gives us a foreword about the content of the book and how as women we may well be enlightened now but that this is written from a perspective of the 1940s when things were very different – harder for younger readers to grasp perhaps, but this theme of awakening glitters and sparkles all the way through this story right to the very last word.

I am loathe to give spoilers as I have been completely enthralled by this wonderfully engaging and compelling story. The book is a tonic at a time when the future is uncertain. I can’t recommend it enough.

An all-American, hedonistic, show time read - great feel and a fabulous atmosphere.

Vivian is 19 and is sent to the big city to live with her Aunt Peg - she really doesn't have any idea what to expect, but takes along the only thing that seems to really mean anything to her - her sewing machine. Peg runs a theatre, and before long Vivian's apartment is the meeting place while she works her magic fixing and creating costumes on a shoestring budget.

Within days Vivian has embarked on a completely new lifestyle, and the showgirls show her everything, life, love and sex. It's only a matter of time before things come crashing down around her, and being forced to re-enter her old life makes Vivian consider what's really important, so when she's able to return to New York again things become more settled.

I wholeheartedly recommend this story - packed with a whole host of interesting characters, and the atmosphere is incredible. Loved it.

First posted on <a href="https://www.uptownoracle.com">Uptown Oracle | City of Girls </a>

Before reading I saw City of Girls everywhere – on bus stops, online and plenty of mainstream reviews. So much money must have been put into marketing this book and after reading it I realised why. It is truly a good book despite being completely different to what I usually read.

A quote from Gilbert that I absolutely love is “I’ve longed to write a novel about promiscuous girls whose lives are not destroyed by their sexual desires”. City of Girls completely fits this – and is written in a way that completely captivated me. It’s a 1940’s contemporary which is written as a letter from Vivian explaining her life to a younger female (who you won’t know until much later in the book!).

Vivian Morris is a rebellious young woman who moves to NYC to find what she wants to do with life. We watch as Vivian makes poor decisions and matures over time. I love her whole story arc as she’s our narrator and fully points out her flaws and bad decisions. This means we get to see the direct repurcusions and the feelings that come with these negatives too.

I adore the world building set around the Lily Playhouse. It’s a gorgeously set theatre in NYC in the 40’s. The character of the theatre is added to by the different people who inhabit it. It had a vibe similar to Ballet Shoes (and other Shoes books by Noel Streatfeild!) in that the multiple people in and out of the Lily Playhouse help change the lives of the place and the person.

You can be captivated by Vivian’s life despite not much really happening for most of the book. But I understand that some people may not like a book that lacks much action. Overall I found that the focus was on characters and New York, but there’s a lot of emphasis on the lifestyle of fashion, dancing and boys. Whilst this is a focus, the women of this story were never vapid caricatures of women because of those interests. They felt like real women, with real women’s issues throughout.

City of Girls helped capture my attention in a sea of fantasy books (which is unusual) however I don’t think it is for everyone. For me it was a wonderful read and I adored the story of Vivian Morris.

Positives of
Vivian, our main character
Captivating writing
Negatives of
Not much actually happens
I received City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert from the publisher. This is an unbiased and honest review

Why an accomplished novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert would expose the hole where her protagonist Vivian's personality ought to be, is rather odd. Vivian, who begins the novel as a naïve, silly 19-year-old and ends it a slightly wiser octogenarian, is a blank, fuzzy, mildly distracting, and ultimately an annoyance.

The book offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the mid-century New York theatre world that is as engaging as all the sequined gowns might suggest. But City of Girls then skips willy-nilly through the rest of Vivian’s life, compressing decades into sentences and lingering on like a comatose patient without a living will. The problem here is that Gilbert writes as if having a ton of sex is a replacement for a personality. It lacks form and depth of character, and turns out to be a sentimental yet unrealistic outlook of womanhood.

Took me a while to get into this, but I'm so glad I kept with it as I ended up really enjoying it. Clever and witty, it was a delight to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! Will definitely recommend to people who enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as this book gave me real Evelyn vibes. Thank you for the review copy!