City of Girls
The Sunday Times Bestseller
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4.2 • 113 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
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**A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER**
**A BOOK CLUB PICK FROM THE QUEEN CONSORT'S READING ROOM**
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'Stunning' - Lisa Taddeo, author of THREE WOMEN
'Warm and wise' - Stephanie Merritt, Observer
'Glamorous, sexy, compelling' - Dolly Alderton, Sunday Times
'I fell in love with Vivian from page one' - Daisy Buchanan
'An education in love, and an iridescent delight' - Rowan Pelling, Spectator
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New York, 1940. Young, glamorous and inseparable, Vivian and Celia are chasing trouble from one end of the city to the other. But there is risk in all this play – that's what makes it so fun, and so dangerous. Sometimes, the world may feel like it's ending, but for Vivian and Celia, life is just beginning.
City of Girls is about daring to break conventions and follow your desires: a celebration of glamour, resilience, growing up, and the joys of female friendship – and about the freedom that comes from finding a place you truly belong.
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'There is so much to love in City of Girls' - Independent
'Wherever Liz Gilbert goes, we'll follow' - Oprah magazine, Best book releases
'Sensational' - Cosmopolitan
'As bubbly as a champagne cocktail but with a real kick in the tail' - Sunday Express
'Explores female desire in a radically refreshing way' - independent.co.uk
'Brilliant on female friendship, desire and the influence a good mentor can bring to enrich a young woman's life' - Grazia Summer Reads
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Gilbert (The Signature of All Things) begins her beguiling tale of an innocent young woman discovering the excitements and pleasures of 1940 New York City with a light touch, as her heroine, Vivian Morris, romps through the city. Gradually the story deepens into a psychologically keen narrative about Vivian's search for independence as she indulges her free spirit and sexuality. Freshly expelled from Vassar for not attending any classes, 19-year-old Vivian is sent by her parents to stay with her aunt Peggy Buell in Manhattan. Peg runs a scruffy theater that offers gaudy musical comedies to its unsophisticated patrons. As WWII rages in Europe, Vivian is oblivious to anything but the wonder behind the stage, as she becomes acquainted with the players in a new musical called City of Girls, including the louche leading man with whom she falls in love with passionate abandon. Vivian flits through the nightclubs El Morocco, the Diamond Horseshoe, and the Latin Quarter, where she hears Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Louis Prima. Drinking heavily and scooting into the arms of numerous men, one night at the Stork Club she meets Walter Winchell, the notorious gossip columnist, who plays a pivotal role in the tabloid scandal in which Vivian becomes embroiled. Vivian's voice irreverent, witty, robust with slang gradually darkens with guilt when she receives a devastating comeuppance. Eventually, she arrives at an understanding of the harsh truths of existence as the country plunges into WWII. Vivian originally reckless and selfish, eventually thoughtful and humane is the perfect protagonist for this novel, a page-turner with heart complete with a potent message of fulfillment and happiness.
Customer Reviews
Sparkling, glittery escapism but a disappointing end
The first 60% of this novel was excellent. It was sparkling, glittery escapism that took me to another world of showgirls, dancing all night, theatre, New York and those coming of age years for a girl. Then the plot took a fairly sharp turn away from all that, and I just felt like I’d been cheated out of a satisfying ending to this book, because suddenly the story was not as shiny, not as interesting and not as captivating. Did the first half make it worth it? I think so.
Something different
I enjoyed the content and I’m glad I read this book.
Amazing
The very best storytelling