Elizabeth Gilbert: City of Girls, 9781594634734, Riverhead Books, Penguin Random House US, hardback (also available as EBook)
(No German publication date yet)
 

Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book “City of Girls” is pure entertainment, uplifting  yet serious, a story you like to sit down with in your beach chair and to be carried away into the theater world of 1940-ties New York with a cast of colorful, eccentric characters.

An aging 89 year old Vivian Morris writes to a mysterious Angela unfolding the story of her exceptional life and what a colorful one it was! The only time I felt slightly critical was in the middle of the book where the story got a little repetitive but the narration soon picked up and never let down.  With “City of Girls” Liz Gilbert proves how many facets as a writer she truly has.  This book is sheer entertainment and fun reading, with a feminist subject at the heart, completely different to “Big Magic” (Non-ficition) or “The Signatures of All Things” which read like a classic. 

After having failed her parent’s academic expectations at Vassar, Vivian Morris is sent to live with her aunt Peg in New York who owns the Lily Playhouse.  She feels right at home with this tribe of actors, showgirls, writers and misfits who put on a show every night for the less affluent viewers in their crumbling playhouse.  Swiftly her talent as a magician with needle, fiber and thread is detected, making her the costume designer and seamstress of the Lily Playhouse where she creates stunning costumes from old discarded clothes.  Celia, the most seductive of the showgirls, becomes her best friend and introduces innocent Viv into a world of wild partying, sex, drinking and men.  When London is bombed, her aunt Peg’s best friend, the famous actress Edna Watson and her husband find refuge in the Lily playhouse. With Edna's arrival Vivian gets a first taste of what a true Grande dame is spurring her on to create her best outfits yet.  Her carefree existence takes a shocking tumble when poor judgement on a drunken night lands her in a terrible situation altering her life course once and for all. As so often with fate, it ultimately leads her to the rich, fulfilling and unorthodox feminist life the 89 year Vivian recollects – and to the very unexpectedly love of her life.  

Liz Gilbert hasn’t written a novel for some time but this is a great chunky page turner which I loved. I can absolutely recommend “City of Girls” if you are looking for a rollicking trip into the wild New York of the 40ties.