A love story taking place in New York City during the 1940s, with a unique perspective of an older woman looking back on her life. A mix of female sexuality, love, and tales of a life lived by an independent and outspoken woman, you don’t want to miss the hilarious and honest novel, City of Girls.
1. What initially drew you to read this book?
McCall: “An employee in the office highly recommended it, she said it was risqué and funny. So I said, “sounds great”.
Katie: “A friend recommended the book, stating that she laughed out loud while reading. I was also drawn to the 1940s era when women weren’t allowed to be independent and needed to act a certain way, and I always love a good story of breaking the rules!”
2. Would you recommend this book to someone else? Why or why not?
McCall: “YES. It’s hysterical, but not in an in your face sort of way. The voice that Gilbert developed for Vivian is so unique and really written well.”
Katie: “Yes, I would recommend this book! Not a book for the younger crowd as the story reveals a threesome sex scene. I love the way the novel begins with a letter written from Vivian (main character) to a woman named Angela. This is a story that will leave you laughing and emotional touched by the end.”
3. Who would you recommend reads this kind of book?
McCall: “Women, looking for light-hearted and interested reading.”
Katie: “Anyone that is looking for a fun read about Broadway theater life and a scandalous story about a young lady finding her way in New York City during the 1940s. It is marvelously written with controversy among the backstage lifestyle of show girls.”
4. What do you believe is the correlation between the book title and the story?
McCall: “Without telling too much, the book is based in NYC out of a theater house in the 40s. One of the skits/plays that they put on is titled ‘City of Girls’. I also think that NY is a super special place for Vivian. There she learned to live, lose and become herself, and it was mostly done with her girl group, in a city she loved.”
Katie: “Elizabeth Gilbert wrote this at the beginning of the book, and I believe correlates the title of the book and story very well: “I’ve longed to write a novel about promiscuous girls whose lives are not destroyed by their sexual desires”.”
5. Were there any quotes from the book that really stuck out to you?
McCall: “When women are gathered together with no men around, they don’t have to be anything in particular; they can just be.” “Let us not become so cautious that we forget to live.” “Anyway, 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.”
Katie: “You must learn in life to take things more lightly, my dear. The world is always changing. Learn how to allow for it.” Life is too short to stress or worry as much as we do when getting caught up in the everyday rat race. Enjoy the moments in life and roll with the bunches as we are unsure what tomorrow brings!”
Overall Score:
McCall: 4/5
Katie: 4.5/5
At the end of each month, check out our reviews for each book that we read that month! Up next? All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
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