《享受吧！一個人的旅行》伊莉莎白．吉兒伯特最新長篇小說
Oprah.com、Cosmopolitan、出版人週刊、柯克斯書評、書單雜誌一致讚譽，2019年最受期待的作品之一！
曾經有人冷眼斷言，她永遠不可能成為一個有趣、特出的人。幸好他們都錯了。
她犯錯、她去愛、她冒險，擁抱內心的渴望，勇敢面對真實的自己。
1940年，薇薇安(Vivian Morris)啟程前往紐約。
來自富裕家庭的她，對於學業提不起熱忱、不明白這個世界期待她學會什麼。「從小，他們只告訴我必須努力進入這所學院，卻不告訴我『為什麼』。」她因缺席和成績不佳被退學，失望的父母隨後將她送往曼哈頓，與她的姑姑珮格同住。那一年她19歲。
薇薇安很美。而且她知道她很美。她也是個極有天賦的裁縫，但除此之外，天真的她對世界幾乎一無所知。
和丈夫分居後的珮格，獨立經營莉莉劇院，薇薇安因而認識了一群掙脫常規、充滿個人魅力的人物：尋歡作樂的歌舞女郎、性感男演員、貴婦女演員、多情作家、嚴肅的劇院經理......。她和其中一位歌舞女郎希麗亞(Celia Ray)成為親密的朋友，薇薇安在她身上學習到關於男人、性、紐約和生活的一切，以及……一些她沒有預料到的事。
當薇薇安因衝動而做出錯誤的決定，引發了嚴重的性醜聞，她的世界因此天翻地覆。
如今已經九十五歲，一封懇切的來信，促使薇薇安提筆寫下她高潮迭起的人生。
這是薇薇安的故事。這是那些坦然擁抱自己、勇於追求愛及情慾渴望的人們，最終並沒有因此而毀滅的故事。
充滿出色的人物、風趣的敘事者、五光十色的背景與華麗的服裝、1940年代的戰時氣氛，以及對性的精采描寫，本書無疑是吉兒伯特最傑出的作品之一。這部費時六年醞釀出的小說，延續吉兒伯特暢銷作《享受吧！一個人的旅行》的精神，訴說了好好享受人生、聆聽自己內在真實渴望的必要──如果那是去追求愛、享受性，那就去追求吧。那些因此而生的經歷有的時候很棒，有的時候可能很糟，但即使很糟，最終你也都會沒事的。它們會讓你成為一個更有智慧、更有趣的人。
唯有坦然地接受並勇敢為自己而活，我們才有可能擁有真正快樂、獨一無二的人生。而無論這趟旅程何時開始，永遠不嫌晚。
From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things, a delicious novel of glamour, sex, and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don't have to be a good girl to be a good person.
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2019 by Oprah.com, Real Simple, Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan,GoodReads, PureWow, Vulture, The Millions and more.
"Life is both fleeting and dangerous, and there is no point in denying yourself pleasure, or being anything other than what you are."
Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret (but mostly pleasure), City of Girls explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity, as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love.
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." Written with a powerful wisdom about human desire and connection, City of Girls is a love story like no other.
Review
Praise for City of Girls:
"Perfect…a page-turner with heart complete with a potent message of fulfillment and happiness."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Reading City of Girls is pure bliss, thanks to its spirited characters, crackling dialogue, rollicking yet affecting story lines, genuinely erotic scenes, and sexual intelligence, suspense, and incisive truths."—Booklist, starred review
"Delightful…Terrific characters, gorgeous clothing, great one-liners, convincing wartime atmosphere, and excellent descriptions of sex…Don't miss out on her wonderful novels any longer." –Kirkus Reviews, starred reviw
"Gilbert takes us to New York City in the glamorous 1940s, where the sex was plentiful and showgirls just wanted to have fun."—Oprahmag.com
"Gilbert’s fiction—especially as it deals with the unlikely routes women take when the familial mold is shattered—is where it’s really at…City of Girls, about young women in the sparkling and salacious theater world of 1940s New York, looks to be another story about the barriers women face—and catapult—while pleasure-seeking."—Vulture
"The perfect summer read."—Hello Giggles
"[R]ich with memorable characters."—BuzzFeed News
"A new book from [Gilbert] is a major literary event. And this novel is an event—a sexy, scandalous love story set in the 1940s NYC theater world. Can’t wait."—LitHub
"City of Girls is the beautiful, poignant story of what it takes to live the life you truly want."—Bookbub
"A novel exploring themes of female sexuality and promiscuity in the 1940s, written by the author of Eat, Pray, Love? Sign me TF up." –Cosmopolitan.com