“…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.”
I still want to know why goodreads won't allow us to give half stars? This is the perfect example of 3.5 star read. I enjoyed it .5 more than a 3 star read. I reserve 3 star reviews for books I enjoyed, finished, but didn't feel "wowed" by. But 3.5 stars? I felt some wow and some attachment to these characters... and a book set in the 1940s theater scene in NYC. I mean, come on! That is magic!
This is a "coming of age story" in the sense that there is a naive character (Vivian) who grew up more or less sheltered in a small town. Vivian moves in above a broken down theater that her aunt owns, and eventually a group of rowdy showgirls take poor, naive, virginal, Vivian under their very glittery showgirl feather-boa-wings. That goes about as well as anyone would expect it to go.
The descriptions of this broken down theater made my heart throb. As an ex Thespian, the idea of LIVING ABOVE A THEATER IN NEW YORK CITY was so exciting to read about. This endearing, broken down little theater, only shows little dinky, safe-for-the-whole-family plays. Eventually, with a lot of elbow grease and a lot of drinking, Vivian's aunt and theater family bring a show to the stage that puts them on the map. It is appropriately named City of Girls. *side note* - I want to knock an additional star off this book just because this play is fictional and I will never get to see it or listen to the songs performed live.
I love stories about groups of people that don't seem like they belong together at face value, but that fall into a sort of dysfunctional "found family" unit. Those are some of my very favorite types of stories and I think this book showed how found families can shift and bring you down as much as they can help you succeed. Vivian experiences a very assorted amount of found families over the the course of this story and I loved and hated each of the families at times.
City of Girls started out with a lot of glitzy fun and slowly as Vivian matured more and more, so did the story. This story started out about a woman learning to find her voice and sense of morality in a "found family" that didn't hold either of those things in high regard, and it ended in such a beautiful and endearing way. It was like getting lured into a trashy Vegas show by all the lights and cleavage only to find that the showgirl did in fact have a heart of gold, and a very long and sorted backstory that only made you love her all the more.
In this review I have used the words "coming of age", "showgirls", "virginal" and "the theater scene in 1940s New York" so I feel like that is all the content warning anyone needs, but in case you aren't connecting the dots here, just know there is some sexual content. I only include that because I know that is not every readers cuppa, and that is okay! I did my job so you can decide if this book is for you or not.
If you, (not unlike me) have written Elizabeth Gilbert off after Eat Pray Love and never looked back until the City of Girls cover art stopped you in your tracks, you are right to reconsider. If this review didn't sway you enough, just know that Glennon Doyle endorsed this book. Despite the fact that I KNOW Doyle and Gilbert are friends IRL, I just read whatever she tells me to read because I adore her.
3.5/5 Stars
Kommentare