"City of Girls" is the newest novel by author Elizabeth Gilbert, a woman whose writing is claimed to be "… so smart and richly drawn that it does what all the best books do: it sweeps you up" by Entertainment Weekly.

The story begins with nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris, who cares more about cosmetics and fashion than doing well in college, which results in her being kicked out. Although many would think being kicked out of college would put you on a downward path, it did the opposite for Vivian, who embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. Her parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg who owns a Playhouse. There is a wide range of flamboyant and charismatic characters, from showgirls, actors, actresses, writers, and many more. Like all coming of age stories, Vivian comes to a halt in all the glitz of her partying in 1940s New York, making a huge scandal that makes her understand the kind of life she wants.

The story is written from the perspective of eighty-nine-year-old Vivian, giving a unique perspective on a life filled with vivaciousness, that hardly lacks luster and appeals to those who love reading about a heroine's quest to fulfillment in love and career.

"At some point in a woman's life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time," Vivian muses. "After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is."

This quote rings true with coming to terms with what a person wants in life, going against the grain, so to speak, to achieve ultimate happiness. This story is refreshing, not only in its ability to make the reader get utterly transfixed in this time period and characters but also the modernity of a time period that is deemed today as iconic.

The modernity of the novel comes from how relatable it is despite the historic setting because the characters learn how to move past obstacles and accept who they are even if it is not deemed acceptable in society. Explore the wild and tumultuous novel "City of Girls," and you will not be disappointed. In fact, you might even be surprised to see how hard the book is to put down!