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City of Girls

by Elizabeth Gilbert

★★★★☆ 4.04 (324 439 ratings)
2019 · 480 pages · ~8h 0m read · Fiction

Set in the 1940s New York City theater world, the story follows Vivian Morris, a young woman sent to live with her unconventional aunt at the Lily Playhouse. After a scandalous mistake upends her life, Vivian embarks on a journey of self-discovery, exploring female sexuality and the enduring power of friendship. Gilbert's prose captures the glitz and grit of mid-century Manhattan, offering a vibrant, nostalgic look at a woman finding her place in a world that is rapidly changing.

A popular book with millions of readers worldwide.

Atmosphere: HistoricalVibe: LightPacing: Relaxing
historicalromancecoming-of-age

Notable Quotes

"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."
"The world ain't straight. You grow up thinking things are a certain way. You think there are rules. You think there's a way that things have to be. You try to live straight. But the world doesn't care about your rules, or what you believe. The world ain't straight, Vivian. Never will be. Our rules, they don't mean a thing. The world just happens to you sometimes, is what I think. And people just gotta keep moving through it, best they can."
"In my experience, this is the hardest lesson of them all. After a certain age, we are all walking around this world in bodies made of secrets and shame and sorrow and old, unhealed injuries. Our hearts grow sore and misshapen around all this pain - yet somehow, still, we carry on."

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