CITY OF GIRLS
City of Girls
A celebration of female desire, resilience, and the glitter of a bygone era
Published in 2019, City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert is a dazzling, big-hearted novel about female sexuality and the importance of being true to oneself. Narrated by an 89-year-old Vivian Morris, the story is a long letter to a young woman named Angela, recounting Vivian’s life after being kicked out of Vassar College in 1940 and sent to live with her eccentric Aunt Peg in New York City.
Living at the Lily Playhouse—a crumbling midtown theater populated by showgirls, actors, and writers—Vivian discovers a world of glamour, freedom, and excess. Gilbert masterfully captures the atmosphere of wartime New York, from the sequins and feathers of the stage to the smoky jazz clubs. However, the heart of the novel is Vivian’s journey of self-discovery: a path that includes a life-altering scandal, the hardships of the war years, and the eventual realization that you don't have to be a "good girl" to be a good person.
With its witty prose and vivid characterizations, City of Girls is a love letter to the theater and a profound meditation on the complexities of human relationships. It challenges traditional notions of regret and morality, arguing that life is meant to be lived fully, mistakes and all. It is a joyful, poignant, and ultimately liberating read that celebrates the resilience of the female spirit.
The Rules of the Game
"The world is not a straight line, but a series of circles." Vivian’s wisdom reflects the novel’s philosophy: that we are constantly reinventing ourselves and that our worth is not defined by our past errors, but by how we carry ourselves forward.