City of Girls
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-06 14:55:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Elizabeth Gilbert
- ISBN：1526619806
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Summary
"Life is both fleeting and dangerous， and there is no point in denying yourself pleasure， or being anything other than what you are。"
Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s。 Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret （but mostly pleasure）， City of Girls explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity， as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love。
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。
Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s。 Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret （but mostly pleasure）， City of Girls explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity， as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love。
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。
Reviews
Gisela
，
Loved it！ Will try to write a review later 。。。
Renee Blanchard
，
Now I remember why I love Elizabeth GilbertThis book grabbed me from the very first page。 Ms Gilbert is a fabulous author and although I got nothing done in my life for the four days it took me to read this book， now I have to go and get all her other books and keep reading。
Sarah Klapka
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Update: I didn’t actually finish this book。 I got to page 117 and I just couldn’t get into it。 I usually give a book about 100 pages to turn good at least。 But nothing here really stood out to me or made me want to keep reading。 Going through the mundane life of Vivian and her encounters with showgirls really didn’t keep me interested。
Miranda
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Good story but about 100 pages longer than it needed to be。。。
Eleanor Wilkinson
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Took me a while to get onto this book。 But once I did I was whisked back to pre-war and wartime New York。 The story of one woman’s life。 A great and interesting read。
Prerna Gandhi
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"…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。"That struck a chord。 There have been several books that would want you to go on an adventure right now or be someone different， living in a different place， during a different time。 Being true to yourself no matter how someone else perceives you。 Living life the way you want and not according to the way you're expected to。 That's who Vivian Morris is。 Bein "…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。"That struck a chord。 There have been several books that would want you to go on an adventure right now or be someone different， living in a different place， during a different time。 Being true to yourself no matter how someone else perceives you。 Living life the way you want and not according to the way you're expected to。 That's who Vivian Morris is。 Being who she truly is on the streets of New York。 Spending life most wildly with the most weird friends and nonetheless， sharing the wisdom of life。 Reading this book felt like your cool grandma narrating to you how wildly and dangerously she lived her life。 It's about friendships， art， freedom， love， and New York City！ It's an unconventional story narrated extraordinarily。 This book isn't just a story based on one feeling but all feelings combined。 With every turn of events， you can feel a different emotion deeply， imagining every character to be a living breathing person。 And when the book finishes as if the people were once real and are now dead。 Sadly， we can have our share of excitement only by reading these stories。 。。。more
Sarah Bergius
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3，5⭐In City of Girls erzählt Vivian rückblickend ihre Lebensgeschichte。 Sie berichtet wie sie mit 19 von der Universität geflogen ist und zu ihrer Tante nach New York geschickt wurde。 Dort taucht sie in die Welt des Theaters， langer Party-Nächte und einer aufblühenden Sexualität ein。 Das New York der 1940er strotz vor Leben， vor Musik und vor jungen Menschen， die fragwürdige Entscheidungen treffen。 Auch das Erwachsenenleben von Vivian bleibt außergewöhnlich und spannend。 Das Buch ist wirklich gu 3，5⭐In City of Girls erzählt Vivian rückblickend ihre Lebensgeschichte。 Sie berichtet wie sie mit 19 von der Universität geflogen ist und zu ihrer Tante nach New York geschickt wurde。 Dort taucht sie in die Welt des Theaters， langer Party-Nächte und einer aufblühenden Sexualität ein。 Das New York der 1940er strotz vor Leben， vor Musik und vor jungen Menschen， die fragwürdige Entscheidungen treffen。 Auch das Erwachsenenleben von Vivian bleibt außergewöhnlich und spannend。 Das Buch ist wirklich gut zu lesen und fließt angenehm vor sich hin。 Die Charaktere bestechen weniger durch Sympathie und eher durch ihre Einzigartigkeit und Entwicklung。 Die Welt des Theaters， New York während dem 2。 Weltkrieg und die Geschichte rund um Vivian und ihrer gefundenen Familie， machen das Buch definitv unterhaltsam， auch wenn mir Vivians Jugend， und damit die erste Hälfte des Buches， thematisch mehr liegt。 Ich denke， das Buch ist perfekt für eine Urlaubslektüre und für leichtere Unterhaltung。 Ich weiß nur nicht， ob ich im Nachhinein noch viel über das Buch nachdenken werde， aber es muss ja auch nicht jedes Buch tiefgehend und weltbewegend sein。 。。。more
Sheri Davis
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Writing is fantastic。 Characters and scene are beautifully imagined。 Storyline is weak。
Lorietta Bahr
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Delightful！
Geena
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Thoroughly entertaining except for one niggling annoyance: I listened to the audiobook and therefore wasn’t willing to back to the beginning after I’d forgotten the original question that started the world’s longest letter。 Why use a letter at all？
Cindy Margarett
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A lot of womanhood I love the story and I love Elizabeth Gilbert The way the story goes and the way she writes it are really beautiful and and keeps me longing for more of the story I only wished I read this book earlier so that I could join the party
Nicole
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Very slow book， definitely not a page turner。 Slowly built up to a great story line， which was short and fleeting- followed by a sad turn。 Was hoping to find something more lighthearted in this book！
Saadia Khizer
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Loved itIt was strange and immersing experience of NewYork before during and after ours。 Kept me hooked on the book and loved the story itself！
Jean Mackenzie
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Listened to the audiobook， and the reader was absolutely perfect。 Enjoyed it immensely。 Excellent， smart and believable dialogue。 In my opinion the second half of the book could have been edited down， but because it was read so well， it didn’t really bother me。
Nisa
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2。5⭐Took me a long time for me to finish this book。 When I was 50pages in and I found out that this book concerned about a coming-of-age young lady from a privileged， well to-do family， got shipped out to New York and whilst she was there she was trying to find her spot or way in her life， it didn't come off as the sort of story that I would resonate with。 I only read through in the end because I was intrigued with the story of the entertainment world back then and about the show girls。 I also w 2。5⭐Took me a long time for me to finish this book。 When I was 50pages in and I found out that this book concerned about a coming-of-age young lady from a privileged， well to-do family， got shipped out to New York and whilst she was there she was trying to find her spot or way in her life， it didn't come off as the sort of story that I would resonate with。 I only read through in the end because I was intrigued with the story of the entertainment world back then and about the show girls。 I also wished there was more story about Frank， or a story told from his POV。 Nonetheless， Elizabeth Gilbert is a great writer。 I love how she weaved the story and how wonderful the sentences were put together。 The plot was seamless and you could see how Vivian's character developed over the years。 I think the whole book was brilliantly written but not so much about the story that was told。 。。。more
Tamara
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I had read Eat， Prey， Love by this author some years ago。 In short， I did not like it。 Over time， I have come across this book （Eat， Prey， Love） title and the rave reviews of both the book and its author， I thought I would give another book （City of Girls） by her a shot。 Wow what a shot … Loved the story…。 Loved the writing … and I loved the life lessons。 Perhaps it's the difference in viewpoints between the two books。 In Eat， Prey， Love the main character has arrived in her 30's and needs to "f I had read Eat， Prey， Love by this author some years ago。 In short， I did not like it。 Over time， I have come across this book （Eat， Prey， Love） title and the rave reviews of both the book and its author， I thought I would give another book （City of Girls） by her a shot。 Wow what a shot … Loved the story…。 Loved the writing … and I loved the life lessons。 Perhaps it's the difference in viewpoints between the two books。 In Eat， Prey， Love the main character has arrived in her 30's and needs to "find herself"。 This I struggle to identify with and more accurately it just annoyed me。 City of Girls， however， is a story told from an elderly woman that is recounting her youth。 In the story she is thinking honestly of her encounters without sugar coating her actions。 Although I can't identified with the events she experienced， I can identify with looking back on my youth … the good and the bad。 Bottomline， it's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it with a warning。 This is not a story for someone that prefers conservative and restrained behavior and storytelling。ttFavorite Quote （one of many） is “…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。” 。。。more
Angela
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I wasn't worried about the length of the book but more on the fact that I thought at first the author was trying to make a point on gender or privilege， then I gave up on that idea。 I saw Vivian as a very narcissistic creature， quite unlikeable and wholly focussed on herself。 She marginally matures during the war years， then morphs into a different person when she meets Frank。 I also wondered why she would be telling her life story to Frank's daughter after all these years when Rosella was almos I wasn't worried about the length of the book but more on the fact that I thought at first the author was trying to make a point on gender or privilege， then I gave up on that idea。 I saw Vivian as a very narcissistic creature， quite unlikeable and wholly focussed on herself。 She marginally matures during the war years， then morphs into a different person when she meets Frank。 I also wondered why she would be telling her life story to Frank's daughter after all these years when Rosella was almost in her seventies。 She claimed she was lonely but again it allowed her an opportunity to talk about herself。 All the while， the settings were great， other characters generally well developed and I did enjoy the book though I found it disjointed。 （Very much like this review， apologies for that。） 。。。more
Zoe Giles
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4。5
Nancy
，
The most satisfying book I’ve read in agesCharacter development。 Humor。 Witty dialogue。 Human beings in all their rawness finding love for themselves and others。 The discovery we are all flawed and we are all worthy of love。 This book is absolute deliciousness and I could not put it down。
Kristen
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I really enjoyed the audio。 Great narration。 I liked the characters （even the ones I loved to hate）。 It reminded me of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo。
DebbieM2
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While I agree with others that this book was longer than it needed to be， I loved it！ It was playful and fun but at the same time， it was a deep look into relationships， aging， social norms， women's friendships， and shame。 There are a couple of events from my younger years that I have felt deep shame over， but I realize now， at the ripe old age of 53， it's time to let go。 This book helped me see that！ I felt very sad when it ended。。。 Like losing a friend。 BTW， I listened to it on audio while gar While I agree with others that this book was longer than it needed to be， I loved it！ It was playful and fun but at the same time， it was a deep look into relationships， aging， social norms， women's friendships， and shame。 There are a couple of events from my younger years that I have felt deep shame over， but I realize now， at the ripe old age of 53， it's time to let go。 This book helped me see that！ I felt very sad when it ended。。。 Like losing a friend。 BTW， I listened to it on audio while gardening。 The narrator was great and it actually made me excited to get out and pull weeds！ 。。。more
Lisa Ferreira
，
I really enjoyed this book - the idea that it was a 400 page letter to an unknown person named Angela was a bit hokey， but did not detract in the least。 Great character development。
Parascovia Belschi
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O carte surprinzătoare。 Prima mea întâlnire cu Elizabeth Gilbert a fost prin cartea Eat Pray Love pe care am ascultat-o doar pentru că văzusem filmul cu Julia Roberts anterior și trebuia să citesc originalul。 A fost o întâlnire frumoasă， dar n-aș spune că era dragoste la prima vedere。 Apoi am ascultat Big Magic și mi-am închipuit， cumva， că toate cărțile ei sunt autobiografice， aproape non-fiction， cu învățături， cu lucruri de pus pe hârtie și în practică。 Cartea asta nu a fost deloc așa cum mi- O carte surprinzătoare。 Prima mea întâlnire cu Elizabeth Gilbert a fost prin cartea Eat Pray Love pe care am ascultat-o doar pentru că văzusem filmul cu Julia Roberts anterior și trebuia să citesc originalul。 A fost o întâlnire frumoasă， dar n-aș spune că era dragoste la prima vedere。 Apoi am ascultat Big Magic și mi-am închipuit， cumva， că toate cărțile ei sunt autobiografice， aproape non-fiction， cu învățături， cu lucruri de pus pe hârtie și în practică。 Cartea asta nu a fost deloc așa cum mi-am imaginat-o （pentru că nu citisem nicio recenzie înainte să mă apuc de ea）， a fost o explozie de ficțiune， o istorie frumoasă a unei femei ce și-a petrecut cei mai frumoși ani în New York -ul anilor '40 ai secolului trecut， când războiul încă nu începuse pentru SUA， iar teatrele erau nu doar pe Broadway。 E o istorie despre prietenie și Iubire， despre trădare și lecții prețioase， despre puterea ce crește într-o femeie dacă aceasta îi permite。 Și mi-a plăcut enorm de eroina principală， de cum a reușit să se cunoască， să se iubească și să ofere iubire si celor din jur。 Citiți/ascultați această poveste- vă veți îndrăgosti de personaje și veți trăi un trecut pe care noi l-am trimis demult la groapa cu gunoi a timpului。 。。。more
Miina Saarna
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Okay， so I read this book with my book club。 And to be honest， upon reflection， I was probably very very far from the book's target audience。 I just get tired by books like this。 They don’t intrigue me， don’t hold my interest。 Anywho， this whole book was a 500-page letter to Angela。 I hope she had more patience for it than I did。 Some other thoughts I had while reading this book; 1。 It could be a-okay beach read， if it were about 200 pages shorter。2。 The author takes forever to get anywhere with Okay， so I read this book with my book club。 And to be honest， upon reflection， I was probably very very far from the book's target audience。 I just get tired by books like this。 They don’t intrigue me， don’t hold my interest。 Anywho， this whole book was a 500-page letter to Angela。 I hope she had more patience for it than I did。 Some other thoughts I had while reading this book; 1。 It could be a-okay beach read， if it were about 200 pages shorter。2。 The author takes forever to get anywhere with the plot。 3。 I spent the whole time waiting for a shoe to drop， it never did。 4。 I’m was surprised （okay not really） that none of the characters showed any growth throughout the story （especially considering that the book covered an entire life of Vee）。 。。。more
Brandy Davis
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This was my first experience with Elizabeth Gilbert's writing and it won't be my last！ （Though I have a feeling this will remain my favorite。） This is a genre bending type of novel and I usually find these types of books to be some of the best。 What appears to be shallow on the surface， I found to be deep， moving and emotional。 This isn't the type of novel I would recommend to everyone， as I feel this would only appeal to a particular audience。 If you enjoyed "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" This was my first experience with Elizabeth Gilbert's writing and it won't be my last！ （Though I have a feeling this will remain my favorite。） This is a genre bending type of novel and I usually find these types of books to be some of the best。 What appears to be shallow on the surface， I found to be deep， moving and emotional。 This isn't the type of novel I would recommend to everyone， as I feel this would only appeal to a particular audience。 If you enjoyed "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" you might enjoy this as well， but this novel is somewhat more intense in my opinion。 。。。more
Lisa Rutigliano
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Obsessed！ I absolutely fell in love with every female character in this book。
Ro
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DNF - I’m a third in and I love love loved the beginning。 The writing the descriptions all the characters that make up the lily。 But there’s nothing much driving the story forward。 Yes I feel like I’m lost in the world but that’s through skimming page after page as I feel no need to read every word as nothing is really happening， that’s different from what’s happened before。
Susan Lampe
，
A book of joy as told by the character Vivian who narrates the story of her long interesting life lived on her terms。 Gilbert's books never fail to surprise me with their twists and turns。 I find myself "peeking" ahead to see what comes next。 Her well-developed characters are unique and engaging and remain with me as "story friends" long after I've read the book。 I found this to be a "happy" book， a book of celebration and applause for women and men who cast their own imprint beyond society's cu A book of joy as told by the character Vivian who narrates the story of her long interesting life lived on her terms。 Gilbert's books never fail to surprise me with their twists and turns。 I find myself "peeking" ahead to see what comes next。 Her well-developed characters are unique and engaging and remain with me as "story friends" long after I've read the book。 I found this to be a "happy" book， a book of celebration and applause for women and men who cast their own imprint beyond society's cultural dictates。 Vivian lands at the Lily Playhouse in New York City after having "failed" at accomplishing education or creating a relationship with a man according to terms set by her parents。 She is embraced by her Aunt Peg and friends。 Peg owns and lives at the Lily Playhouse。 Vivian， an accomplished seamstress， is soon an integral part of the raucous "players" at the theater。 This book is a story of her adventures in love and friendship， including twenty years as a creator of wedding gowns， although she herself never marries。 Delightful read！ 。。。more
Angel Allen
，
Worth every word！Refreshing writing unlike any other。 Love that I have grown a new perspective from reading City of Girls！ Well done！
Randi
，
I very much like this book - it was like listening to your great aunt recount her days as a young girl and all the crazy and unpredictable encounters she experienced。 I related to her naivety and crazy， wild， whirlwind 20-something years。 It touches on the reality of how your decisions affect your future， and how you learn and grow from each experience you have。。。learn who you truly are， and what is most important to you。 This story is about loving yourself and others， in every way possible。 It’ I very much like this book - it was like listening to your great aunt recount her days as a young girl and all the crazy and unpredictable encounters she experienced。 I related to her naivety and crazy， wild， whirlwind 20-something years。 It touches on the reality of how your decisions affect your future， and how you learn and grow from each experience you have。。。learn who you truly are， and what is most important to you。 This story is about loving yourself and others， in every way possible。 It’s a great read， and I think every woman can relate to Vivian， at some - or multiple - points along her story。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=City of Girls
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=City of Girls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,City of Girls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0