5 min read

'City of Girls' by Elizabeth Gilbert - Book Impressions

'City of Girls' by Elizabeth Gilbert - Book Impressions

City of Girls

Elizabeth Gilbert, Bolinda Audio; Format: Audio book; Released: 3 Jun 2019; ISBN: 9780655611899; Date: Completed: Jun 2024

About Elizabeth:

Elizabeth is a journalist and author. She has written many books and appeared on several TED talks.  The book for which she is best known is ‘Eat, pray, love’’ - this was a #1 best seller in New York for over a year.  It was also made into a movie.  She writes fiction (short and long stories)  and non-fiction books. 


My Impressions:

I heard about this book whilst reading ‘Big Magic’ by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I decided to get it on audiobook from my local library. I am so pleased I did. 

"City of Girls'' is an amazing novel by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is initially set in the theater world of New York City (Lily Playhouse) during the 1940s.  It is about love, war, sex, desires, friendships, family dynamics, personal growth, self discovery, human frailties and so much more.  It is full of dramas, awakenings, life, and the devastation of war.  It made me laugh, cry, feel happy, sad, and gasp out loud.  It evokes a roller coaster of emotions. As the world evolves, the behavior of some of the characters becomes more accepted, such as single parent families, lesbian relationships, and single women who prefer to remain this way. 

It is told in such a way that you feel you are standing alongside the characters.  The author paints the image of characters that are all flawed in some way.  Acceptance of such flaws and valuing the good in each other is evident throughout. 

It is told in the manner of a narrative from Vivien, as an older woman, to Angela, the daughter of one of Vivien’s best male friends.  In this format, Vivien tells the story of her younger self (19 years old) arriving in New York after being exiled by her despairing parents.  And so, the story unfolds and evolves.  

A turning point in the story can be seen and felt, when Vivien returns to her parents from New York, subdued by shame.  It is heart wrenchingly sad as she becomes a shadow of her former self, following along like a ‘good girl’ to do what is expected of her.  Thankfully, after narrowly avoiding getting married to the ‘wrong’ person, her Aunt rescues her.  She soon learns to accept her flaws, learn from her mistakes and she starts to blossom again into her own person. 

"City of Girls" is a testament to the power of women's resilience and the coming together of women to support each other.  It is about self acceptance and living your life on your own terms knowing that you cannot please everyone.  There are strong bonds of friendship throughout the book.  Friends being there for each other through thick and thin.  Friends linking together to form strong ‘family bonds’ of friendship.  Friends moving on and becoming fond memories of the past.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot speak highly enough about it.  I think everyone should read it. 

Photo by Belinda Fewings / Unsplash

6 Learning Points:

  1. If you don’t feel connected to your biological family, choose your own family through your friendships

  1. Be authentically yourself, those that love you will accept you flaws and all

  1. No human is perfect.  If you can accept a person’s flaws and appreciate what is great about them, then your relationships will blossom

  1. Support other women by not sleeping with their husbands!

  1. Life is made up of a series of events/circumstances/twists and turns that you could never have predicted - nothing can be pre-planned with any certainty

  1. Life is always changing and we need to learn adapt and move forward with it


Photo by Isabela Kronemberger / Unsplash

My favorite quotes:

“ After a certain age … time just drizzles down upon your head like rain in the month of March.  You’re always surprised at how much of it can accumulate and how fast.” (Vivian to Angela)

“The thought of marriage gave me a hemmed in feeling and I didn’t long for it with anyone.” (Vivian to Angela)

“Sex is so often a cheat, a short cut at intimacy, a way to skip over knowing somebody's heart by knowing instead their mere body.” (Vivian to Angela)


If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy my other book impressions.

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