Book Review | City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
An electrically charged tale about love, loss and scandal, narrated by our 19 years young protagonist Vivian Morris; City of Girls invites you to the city that never sleeps, inviting you to follow the learning of a young girl trying to make her way through the whirlwind of a 1940's New York City.
Vivian is young, gorgeous, and of course she's as naive as they come. Excused from Vassar College, ''on account of never having attended classes and thereby failing every single one of my freshman classes'', Vivian's parents cast her off to live with her Aunt Peg in New York City. Sure enough, Vivian finds herself on the Empire States Express to the city in which she truly belongs, with a curious mind her blessed sewing machine at her feet. Aunt Peg, your typical rough around the edges, chain-smoking, long lost Aunt owns a rather run-down theater company called the Lily Playhouse. Luckily for Vivian, a talented seamstress she is, she finds a job in creating fun flamboyant costumes for the plays.
We meet some more vibrant characters by this point, the most dazzling of all for me has got to be Celia Ray, the epitome of glitz and glamour, head turner by day, and even more so by night as she rips through the city's nightlife like a hurricane with her protege Vivian in tow. The two find a friend in each other and this is where we see the City of Girls really come to life.
Prior to picking this book up, I had read a few reviews and felt pretty confident that this book would be the perfect ''here for a good time, not a long time'' kind of read. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the fast pace, racy characters that danced through these pages as they danced their way through New York City. You can't help but fall in love with Vivian and Celia regardless of their naivety!
For me, it's an easy 4.5 stars. Thank you, Elizabeth Gilbert, for an uplifting and upbeat page turner!