City of GirlsCity of Girls
Score Modern
What it's about
Told by an older woman looking back on her youth in New York with both pleasure and regret, but mostly pleasure, Elizabeth Gilbert's novel explores women's sexuality and freedom, the world of the theater, and the idiosyncrasies of true love.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 29 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It's a glamorous, funny novel about freedom, sex and love, from the author of Eat Pray Love.
You'll love it if you liked
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Rules of Civility
Daisy Jones & the SixGood to know
It's frank about sex. It's told as a long letter, which pays off at the end.
By the numbers
- Readers50 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #81 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #170 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #758 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1424 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Elizabeth Gilbert
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All the Light We Cannot See
The Help
Pachinko
Shuggie Bain
The Nickel Boys
HamnetExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is City of Girls worth reading?
Yes. It spent 29 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #1,424 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 68.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is City of Girls about?
Told by an older woman looking back on her youth in New York with both pleasure and regret, but mostly pleasure, Elizabeth Gilbert's novel explores women's sexuality and freedom, the world of the theater, and the idiosyncrasies of true love.
How long does it take to read City of Girls?
About 12 hours (480 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after City of Girls?
If you liked it, try The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles or Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.