2020: I liked this fun romp through historical New York City! This is my second Gilbert novel of the year (and third of her books) and I feel that she really overextended this story, very similar to how I felt after I finished The Signature of All Things. I understand that the premise was a retelling of Vivian's whole life, but there was so much detail in the denouement that I really didn't care about. The plot and climax and all the interesting stuff was over before Chapter 30, so the last three were a slog that left a boring taste in my mouth.

The pop culture references were (of course) from before my time (I needed to Google who Jean Harlow was), and I really felt like my mom is the target audience of this book. I did love Gilbert's inclusion of Vivian's chosen family as a major part of the story, as well as her lesbian aunts. I also had a blast listening to all of her time spent working in the theatre, which was right up my alley. Overall, an enjoyable novel that tried a little too hard to include an overabundance of details about one woman's life.