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    City of Girls: A Novel
    Unavailable
    City of Girls: A Novel
    Unavailable
    City of Girls: A Novel
    Audiobook15 hours

    City of Girls: A Novel

    Written by Elizabeth Gilbert

    Narrated by Blair Brown

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the number-one New York Times best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things, a delicious novel of glamour, sex, and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don't have to be a good girl to be a good person.

    "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, 19-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 89 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.

    Editor's Note

    Editor’s pick…

    “City of Girls” is set in New York in the early 1940s and follows well-to-do Vivian, who’s flunked out of Vassar. The doey-eyed 19-year-old sheds her naivety quickly in the big city — that is, until one false move threatens to end her life in New York. But as with most coming-of-age stories, her missteps lead her to something greater, and this turns out to be a story that’s less about how girls are, and more about what girls can do.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 4, 2019
    ISBN9781984888471
    Unavailable
    City of Girls: A Novel
    Author

    Elizabeth Gilbert

    Elizabeth Gilbert is the Number One New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and several other internationally bestselling books of fiction and non-fiction. Her story collection Pilgrims was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award; The Last American Man was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her follow-up memoir to Eat Pray Love, Committed, became an instant Number One New York Times bestseller. She has published two novels, Stern Men and The Signature of All Things, which was longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. She lives in New Jersey. www.elizabethgilbert.com @GilbertLiz

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    Reviews for City of Girls

    4.5/5

    409 ratings32 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I felt like I lost a friend when I finished reading this book. I didn’t want it to end, and yet like all well-lived lives, it must. It’s been a long time since I openly wept during the final few paragraphs. The narrator brought depth to all of the characters, and kept a pace that pulled me along, keeping me in my car longer than necessary just to get to the next chapter. I may just have to listen again, after I pull my own sewing machine out. Brilliant book. I miss these people already...
    • 5/5
      What a treasured story of life, individuality, realization, pain and love!! Beautifully written!!
    • 4/5
      A fun historical fiction about NYC. Great character building.
    • 5/5
      A simply amazing book!!!
      Going through all those conflictual issues about stereotypes in society that touch each of us and showing a fulfilling and happy way to navigate through it all!
      I felt it touch several of my inner struggles and celebrated so many of my personal choices of being different and true to myself.
      Beautiful writing and living ?
    • 5/5
      A very colorful book! I loved this story - the descriptions of life I the 1940s was vivid. I could truly feel what Vivian was experiencing throughout her life. Touching and heartfelt.
    • 4/5
      The character was a fully formed woman. Great book.
    • 5/5
      What an Interesting and incredible story, Vivian Morris is a star, so captivating, thoroughly enjoyed this book.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the story. I loved each character. Not the best book I've ever read but glad I've heard the story.
    • 5/5
      One of the best books I have listened to. The story line was so good and the narration from Blair Brown was unmeasurable! The combination was spectacular!
    • 5/5
      A truly well-written book! One of my favorite reads this year for sure
    • 5/5
      This was an amazing book with a lot of good bits of advice. Blair Brown also did a phenomenal job reading.
    • 5/5
      It is beautifully read, and it goes through all the emotions and ups and downs that a life can bring. A must listen or read as the case may be. Love Elizabeth Gilbert.
    • 5/5
      What a great story! And read beautifully by Blair Brown.
    • 5/5
      I’m so happy I listened to this on audio. I really loved how it was portrayed as a letter and felt memoir in form watching her grow up and see the different impacts that she had on peoples lives. The irony of who Frank was and becomes to her. I laughed and smiled and just adored this book! ?
    • 5/5
      Oh my gosh! What a lovely story. I devoured this novel and I’m madly in love with every piece of it!
    • 5/5
      It was absolutely amazing!!!
      I couldn’t stop ! And I finished it sobbing as if it was my own real life story .... I can’t remember when I last cried even at a movie . Waw....perfect!!!
    • 5/5
      Brilliant narration. Lively storytelling, lovely characters, beautiful setting. Loved it
    • 5/5
      Such a wonderfully written and narrated book. I was captivated to the end.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoy stories of people who share a life story. I think it was interesting and seems like a real life story. The element of sexual content that was added to the story. Also the way this story was told.
    • 4/5
      Wow I hadn’t finished a book this fast in a long time. I’m happy I picked it up. I loved Evelyn Hugo and for the most part I thought this book was similar but Vivian was waaay less “interesting” (Man, that was ROUGH... *spoiler name* destroyed me and I wasn’t even the one at fault)... Privileged as she was, I really appreciated the fact that Vivian was good at something and that she was well aware of that (We stan a self aware person). God knows there are tons of main characters like Vivian who mess up and then something “convenient” happens to the plot that they are fine. Not our hard working Vivian, no.
    • 4/5
      Excellent narration. Great story but went in too long. The word “moreover” was used way too much
    • 5/5
      I loved this book, it's so vibrant, lively and fun. I love Elizabeth's style of writing, so easy and smooth. The characters are so lovable and logical. The narrator is amazing her voice is so gentle and her ability to change voices for each character is very good. I would definitely love to listen to other books read by her!
    • 4/5
      I’m still not sure how I feel about this book. Need to let it sink in and come back to this.
    • 2/5
      Apart from a section around 19th chapter I found the book rather boring and superficial, unfortunately. I'd skip it the next time.
    • 5/5
      Every woman should read this. Amazing. Left me feeling emotional and satisfied.
    • 5/5
      Bravo Elizabeth Gilbert! This is the first novel that I have "read" of hers. I found the story to be captivating. The writing is intelligent. The characters are interesting and true to life. There are many lessons to be learned from the wisdom of the protagonist. I throughly enjoyed this book. I felt as if I were listening to an autobiography. So much so that I almost had the urge to Google the characters, hoping to see what they looked like. I highly recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful journey of a life well-lived and touched by love.
    • 5/5
      Love it, as much as eat, pray, love. I Great storyteller, great story of compassion and empathy
    • 4/5
      Book really had my attention when the meeting of Angela’s father and Vivi met which was around chapter 29. Otherwise there definitely were other parts that had my attention.
    • 4/5
      Liz Gilbert has such a beautiful way of capturing the complexities of the relationships people have with one another. I don’t typically enjoy historical novels but I rather enjoyed this one. Vivian is a complex character and at times difficult to empathize with but I appreciated the vivid and very real characters who populate the book. Some may not like the letter form of the novel; Vivian frequently speaks to Angela, whom she is writing to, throughout the story, but I found it kept me from being too critical of the writing. As much as I love Eat pray love and Liz Gilbert’s social media posts she is definitely not one of the best writers I’ve come across. Still, I think most anyone who enjoys books about relatable flawed humans and the complicated ways we love and hurt one another will enjoy this book. My only sadness was that Vivian did not find forgiveness with the one person I wished would have forgiven her but not finding it makes the story so much more real.

      1 person found this helpful