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lindsey_bear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow! I enjoyed every word of this one—Gilbert so eloquently wove historical fiction themes of feminism, WWII, NYC showgirl culture in a way that made it feel relevant to you. This book is for any woman who wants to read a strikingly honest and believable, but also adventurous coming-of-age story. A huge theme was female friendship, and this was emphasised in the end as Vivian reflects on the many friendships we get engulfed in throughout the novel. It genuinely feels like you’re learning Vivian’s lessons with her, in real time. I cannot recommend this one enough, and am so glad I took the chance on a book that normally isn’t my preferred genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Abortion, Addiction, Sexism, Sexual assault, War, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Outing, and Sexual content
val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Death
Minor: Blood, Classism, and Cursing
m4rtt4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Didn't expect to like it as much as I did! Time travelling through books has always been nice, and this time it was genuinely FUN and addicting as well. But why the f was the book written in the form of a letter? That was completely unnecessary, and I don't think the story would have been any less interesting had it just been about Vivian (as it already was), without the constant remarks to "Angela". I mean, NOBODY writes letters 500 pages long to explain anything, let alone something like this. I didn't really like Vivian either, sometimes she was painfully insufferable. However, I did like her story, and that's what matters. I might have fallen in love with the dusty, cigarette-reeking yet compelling Lily Playhouse as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and War
Moderate: Medical trauma, Infidelity, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Minor: Biphobia and Antisemitism
thepretentiouspoet's review
By the time I was 10 pages into this book, I was certain that I would adore it. It had everything I had been hoping for, plus many other wonderful qualities, and I was fully expecting to race through to the end in a few sittings.
However, when I reached near to the 100 page mark, an event happened which horrified me and completely ruined all of my faith in the story. I continued on for a further 10 pages in the hope that the characters would acknowledge how awful what had happened was, but instead it was justified and laughed over and completely forgiven/forgotten.
For a story that is praised for its portrayal of female friendships, I was shocked that nobody else seems to have taken issue with this moment in the story, and that none of the many reviews that I skimmed through mentioned this. The moment in question (with no spoilers) is when Vivian loses her virginity, for reference of those who have read it, and below I will discuss why I felt it was so irredeemable for this story within the spoiler markings so that you can go into it without spoilers if you should still want to read the book.
Fair warning though - there is bullying, peer pressure, minimising, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, an adult/minor sexual relationship, infidelity, and one of the most mortifying sex scenes I have ever read.
I could not believe that a story supposedly celebrating female friendship could very early on show Celia and the other show girls to pressure Vivian into becoming "one of them" by coercing her into believing that she had to lose her virginity now that she was associating with theatre folk in New York. I understand the time period of the story, but Vivian tells this in retrospect. At no point does she acknowledge what an awful thing this is for an older girl to do to someone young and new to a city, who idolises them - pressure them into sleeping with a cheating older man who routinely pays for the other show girls to be his personal set of prostitutes. Vivian adores Celia for no real reason, and so it is abhorrent for Celia to then manipulate Vivian in this way. I was expecting for there to be some ramifications for Celia within the plot, or that Vivian would at least temporarily dislike her for treating her like this, but as soon as Vivian has finished losing her virginity to the awful Doctor, the girls are laughing about it and encouraging her to move on from the experience. I was horrified to read about the experience, firstly, and even more horrified that it was so trivialised within the plot. This would be less of an issue had Celia and the other showgirls then had any form of backlash for their actions, but Vivian still dotes on them, still thinks they are wonderful people, after they have pressured her, at the age of 19, to be prostituted for the sake of losing her virginity. How can this truly be a story celebrating female friendship when there is such a betrayal of trust within the first few weeks of Vivian becoming infatuated with this vain, manipulative woman? I couldn't bear to read more after this.
However, when I reached near to the 100 page mark, an event happened which horrified me and completely ruined all of my faith in the story. I continued on for a further 10 pages in the hope that the characters would acknowledge how awful what had happened was, but instead it was justified and laughed over and completely forgiven/forgotten.
For a story that is praised for its portrayal of female friendships, I was shocked that nobody else seems to have taken issue with this moment in the story, and that none of the many reviews that I skimmed through mentioned this. The moment in question (with no spoilers) is when Vivian loses her virginity, for reference of those who have read it, and below I will discuss why I felt it was so irredeemable for this story within the spoiler markings so that you can go into it without spoilers if you should still want to read the book.
Fair warning though - there is bullying, peer pressure, minimising, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, an adult/minor sexual relationship, infidelity, and one of the most mortifying sex scenes I have ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
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