Girls' City

A New York Times Bestseller! From the author of Eat, Pray, Love and Sign Everything, this gripping, witty, and adventurous novel about a young woman who discovers you don't have to be a good girl to be a good person. "A riveting novel about love, freedom, and finding your happiness." (PopSugar) "Intimate and sensual, it dazzles with a touch of danger." (USA Today) "Perfectly pairs well with a cocktail... or two." (The Skimmer) "Life is fleeting and dangerous, and there's no point in denying yourself pleasure, or in trying to be something other than yourself." Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to the literary fold with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world of the 1940s. Told from the perspective of an aging woman who looks back on her youth with pleasure and regret (but mostly with pleasure), the novel explores themes of female sexuality and illicit affairs, as well as the attributes of true love. In 1940, 19-year-old Vivian Morris is expelled from Vassar College for mediocre freshman performances. Her well-to-do parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a lavish, run-down midtown theater called the Lilly Playhouse. There, Vivian is introduced to a world of unconventional and alluring characters, from pleasure-seeking showgirls to a charismatic actor, a glamorous actress, a womanizing writer, and a daring stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that leads to a professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that will take years to fully understand. Ultimately, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she longs for—and the kind of freedom necessary to pursue it. It will also lead her to the love of her life, a love that stands out from the crowd. Now, at 89, Vivian finally tells her story, recalling how the events of those years changed the course of her life—and the enthusiasm and independence with which she handled it. “At some point in a woman’s life, you get tired of always feeling ashamed,” she reflects. After that, she is free to become who she truly is. Written with profound wisdom about human desire and connection, *Girls Town* is a love story like no other.