C I T Y O F G I R L S

//City of Girls // Elizabeth Gilbert // Book Review 5⭐️ //

“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.”

1940, Vivian is 19, has dropped out of the coveted, Vassar college and is amounting to nothing, but a disappointment to her well bred parents. They send her to live with her Aunt Peg, who runs a rundown theatre in New York. Surrounded by a mixture of heady nights, showgirls and no rules or expectations, Vivian finds herself drawn into the thrills of show business. Leading into one of the biggest mistakes of her life, causing ripples that will scatter for years to come.

The story is told from the voice, of 95 year old Vivian, very much akin to a memoir and I absolutely loved the style of writing. It added that extra special touch of personality that made this story unforgettable. Vivian is one of those characters, that will stay with you for a very long time. It transported the reader vividly to the glorious 1940’s NYC, making us long to experience one of the glamorous theatre nights pre war, that Gilbert depicts. Yes it is a long book, but I felt that it needed that time to let the characters develop perfectly. This would make a perfect film, that would have us all running to the cinema to watch.

A show -stopping, glitzy historical fiction read. 💃🏼🍾