City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

“…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.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

Specifics:

Book: City of Girls

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

Published: 4^th June’19

Genre: Romance fiction, Domestic fiction, Historical fantasy

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Pages: 210

My rating: 4/5

Blurb:

In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager.

But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves-and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest.

Now ninety-five years old and telling her story at last, Vivian recalls how the events of those years altered the course of her life – and the gusto and autonomy with which she approached it. At some point in a woman’s life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time, she muses. After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is. Written with a powerful wisdom about human desire and connection, City of Girls is a love story like no other.

“Nothing will uproot your life more violently than true love—at least as far as I’ve always witnessed.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

“Sometimes it’s just true that other people have better ideas for your life than you do.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

Review:

City of girls is the most hilarious and real story I have ever read for a historical fiction. It is in the form of a letter by Ms Vivian Morris (an old lady at the time) who writes to Angela (also an old lady), the story of how she met her father and what her father means to her. (Major How I Met Your Mother vibes but the kid does not belong to the narrator in this case)

I have so much to say that I do not know where to begin. The writing style is an absolute delight. The character of Vivian is so well constructed. You grow with her and fond of her as the story progresses. The story has everything. It has happiness, struggle, success, failures, darkness, deaths and basically all aspects of life but there is one thing that does not miss throughout and that is the humour. I had a blast reading this.

It not only shows us the life of a teenage girl and her relationships and adaptations to a new city but also gives us a look into the life of theater. The story is based in the time after the WWI and continues into the WWII and the aftermath. For a long while, it did not feel like fiction at all. It incorporated the events before, during and after the war down to the dates and I feel like kids these days are really lucky that they get to remember their history lessons through masterpieces like these.

I so badly want to visit New York City after reading the book. I want to go to the places mentioned and feel the nostalgia through the story. I also am a huge fan of Elizabeth Gilbert for her vocabulary. I feel like I’ve learned so many new words and I won’t be lying when I say that I had to go through the dictionary to understand a few of them.

The story has also given us insights into the then lifestyle of New-Yorkers and speaks about all those things that were considered abnormal that are totally normal now – LGBTQ relationships, Independent women, Having a baby out-of-wedlock, Single mothers parenting, Non-violence, Soft-hearted boys.

Overall, this was a very good read and I rate it 4/5 stars.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Starting with the beautiful story, I could see myself in Vivie’s shoes. The mistakes she made, the way she got carried away and finally, the way she stood on her own and took care of herself. She grew from a clumsy teenager to a powerful and strong woman and that was amazing.

City of girls, the play, was a pleasant surprise to be honest. I was not expecting the title to be more than just what it says. I thought it was New York City and the life of the girls that were being introduced to us. I have always been intrigued by theater (not acting, just watching) and having these insights into the making, performing and the aftermath of a play and the life in the theater kept me hooked to the story.

The details into the war were such a good addition. The deaths in the story, though not too disturbing to me, were heart breaking.

Who isn’t obsessed with weddings? I definitely am. And when Vivie and Marjorie start the L’Atelier together, I was not disappointed. That was my favourite part of the entire story.

The ending was so heartwarming! I knew from the moment I heard this random guy calling Vivie “a dirty little whore” on that car ride that he was bound to make a comeback and he did. I loved how Vivie found pure and true love without any expectations with Frank, I was overjoyed. This was so special and precious. I was so happy for the both of them and my eyes were wet all along.

“When women are gathered together with no men around, they don’t have to be anything in particular; they can just be”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

The mammoth of characters that the author created cannot be left untouched.

Vivian Morris:  My beautiful, stupid but smart (because she made mistakes and learned from them) is the most relatable character that I have read since a really long time. I absolutely loved her. I guess love is an understatement as I want to be her and live her life. The way she faces change and embraces everything and keeps moving on is commendable. I love her quirky sense of humour and her beautiful soul. She was a very well written character.

Peg: The cool aunt that has seen it all, Peg owns the Lilly play house and she lives life to the fullest. She has a drinking problem and has a lover that picks up after her. She also has a husband that she has not divorced. She worked as a nurse in the World War I but later decided to entertain people with plays. She is such a mood honestly.

Olive: The back bone of every pivotal character in the novel, she is the reason why people could do what they did and not really bear the repercussions. I love how strong and focused she was.

Majorie: The woman behind the bridal boutique and the material hoarder for Vivie. This was such an amazing duo. While she mainly supported Vivie and lifted up her character. She, deciding on becoming a single mother back then and doing it with sass spoke volumes to me. I loved the little dysfunctional but happy family that they build together.

Uncle Billy: The wicked but clear headed husband of Peg who doesn’t care for anyone but himself is the healthy representation of everyone in this world these days. He is so creative and City of Girls was a masterpiece after all. He knew it even before he wrote it that it would be a hit. I live for that level of confidence. He is also selfish which I guess is his best-worst trait.

Frank: One word that comes to my mind when I say his name is… ‘CUTE’, so cute, so freaking cute! I love the author speaks of PTSD utilizing the war situation. I also love that Frank was naive and he hated that about himself. He paid for what he said one day to a stranger due to an inferiority complex by regretting it his entire life. I love that he loved his daughter so much even though he couldn’t be close to her. I do feel bad for his wife though. I legit cried when Vivie said that they became comfortable enough to hold hands.

Celia: The queen of show girls, Vivie’s first inspiration and a complete rebel who would figure out her way by hook or by crook. Her confidence knew no bounds. She was also reserved but not really, if that makes sense. I am glad she turned out fine. She was a bad influence on Vivie but you need both in your life.

Edna Parker Watson: Probably the one with the strongest will power and an absolute sass queen. The only thing I didn’t like is how she handled the cheating. Celia had to quit her job, Vivie had to go home but her husband got to stay? Why? How? My favourite dialogues of hers are when she warns Vivie after the scandal. She was really well written.

Anthony: I hate him. I hate him so much. He hurt my Vivie. But also, wasn’t he hurt by her too? I had a gut feeling that he was never right for Vivie and guess who was right? ME! That’s right! ME!!!

Walter: If you need an example of all the things a spouse shouldn’t be, it is Walter.

“You must learn in life to take things more lightly, my dear. The world is always changing. Learn how to allow for it.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

“Let us not become so cautious that we forget to live.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

Pros:

1. Good storytelling
2. Will improve your vocabulary
3. LGBTQ +
4. Has strong female characters
5. Very good incorporation of the world wars
6. Insights into the world of theater
7. Creative and hilarious
8. A beautiful love story
9. Will improve your vocabulary
10. Subtly talks about mental issues like PTSD and Inferiority complex

“Not many people know how to be satisfied.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert

Cons:

1. A few triggers like war and death
2. May seem boring or stretched out in a few parts

“Lucky is the soul whose only troubles are self-inflicted.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert