Ratings61
Average rating4
In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves - and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest. Now eighty-nine years old and telling her story at last, Vivian recalls how the events of those years altered the course of her life - and the gusto and autonomy with which she approached it. "At some point in a woman's life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time," she muses. "After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is."
Reviews with the most likes.
Oh, that was charming! I loved this book way more than I expected to. It felt so genuine. This was fun, and funny, and I am glad to have read it.
I don't know why I thought this would be anything other than peak chick lit (not a term I love but it's all I can think of that perfectly sums up the book). There were some nice sentiments towards the end (which was rushed and horribly imbalanced compared to other parts of the book) but on the whole I'd deem this more or less mildly entertaining and a bit disappointing. Still love Liz Gilbert though.
i cried from the beauty that this novel is. not my favourite writing but the story itself makes up for it.