City of Girls book review

Everyone has a family—you have to come from somewhere. But it's not just your relatives who shape you; it takes a whole community. Today, we're diving into the idea of friends who become family. Keep reading to discover which book I'm reviewing!

We're talking about the book City of Girls written by Elizabeth Gilbert. The genre of the book is fiction. The theme of the book is historical literature. This is set in the 1930s in New York. 

Getting straight to it, would I reread the book? Yes, I will reread this all the time because I absolutely loved Vivian. I can imagine her and Celia running around New York in their cute little outfits, right? It's giving Sex and the City in the 1940s.

As you know, this is a Liz Gilbert fan channel. I reread her book Big Magic every single year. It's one of my favorite books, and it reminds me that the universe is sending ideas to me, and I can do it. Someone recommended this book to me, and I listened to the audiobook and loved it. I picked up the physical book and read it, and I loved it. I recently reread it because you must read this book multiple times to realize the underlying friendships. 

I say that because Vivian has become good friends with her aunt Peg, her dad's sister. You may think that's a blood relationship, but you don't have to be close to your aunt. But Vivian forms her relationship with Peg, and it's great. It's to the point where Peg even comes back and asks Vivian to return to the city to continue working with her. There's the relationship that Vivian had with her grandmother when she learned how to sew, which is cute, but that was a little side story. The relationship between Vivian and Celia, which I have already mentioned. Celia became a sister to her. And even though they didn't talk for several years, when Vivian heard Celia and saw her on TV, she's like, oh my goodness, I know that voice. 

And then, of course, her friendship with Frank is so beautiful. I loved how Vivian ended up having this completely platonic relationship with Frank, but it was one of the loves of her life. And even she has a comment in the book where she says, you know, he never told me he loved me, but I know that one gesture was him saying that he loved me. That was as close as he ever could get to anyone. Right. And then, Vivian's relationship with Frank's daughter comes even from that close friendship. 

Vivian became a bridal designer and ran this business with Marjorie. If Marjorie is not a sister, I don't know what is. Yes, Vivian had blood siblings, but she and Marjorie became sisters. They became confidants. They became parent figures to Marjorie's little boy. But what she creates in New York, the bonds she makes, the friends she picks up, the choices she makes, and the family she has are so beautiful. I wouldn't say that that's one of the book's underlying themes because when I read it, that's ALL that jumps out at me. Bonds, bonds, intentional bonds, deliberate bonds, created bonds, right?

Just because somebody you guys share blood relatives does not mean you'll be close. But Vivian created these really strong relationships, and she had a chosen family that nurtured her and took care of her every step of the way, and I loved to see that. 

Until the next book review, Kyla