City Girl

City Girls #1

by Patricia Scanlan

In the tradition of Maeve Binchy, internationally bestselling author Patricia Scanlan delivers a charming and witty story about the strength and power of friendship.

Whatever life holds, friends come first.

A beautiful blonde, a quiet brown-eyed girl, and a redhead looking for adventure: meet Devlin, Caroline, and Maggie.

Their staunch three-way friendship is born while sharing a house in Dublin and, over the years and their turbulent love lives, soon becomes the only certainty they have. That, and their membership of the city’s most prestigious health center for high-profile women: City Girl. Through bad times and good, this place will be their refuge.

Full of warmth, wit, and wisdom, City Girl is a brilliant family drama from the bestselling author of With All My Love and A Time for Friends.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Ireland, Irish Literature, Contemporary, Book Club

Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

About the author

Patricia Scanlan was born in Dublin, where she still lives. Her #1 bestsellers include Apartment 3B; Finishing Touches; Foreign Affairs; Promises, Promises; Mirror, Mirror; City Girl; City Woman; City Lives; and Francesca’s Party. She has sold millions of books worldwide and is translated into many languages. Patricia is the series editor and a contributing author to the award winning Open Door literacy series, which she developed for adult literacy.

Reviews

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 484

Publisher - Simon & Schuster UK

Blurb from Goodreads



Delivering stories that span generations, and offering warmth, wisdom and love on every page - if you treasured Maeve Binchy, read Patricia Scanlan

Three very different women face heartache, upheaval and reinvention in this romantic drama, which praises the power of friendship to pull you through when life gets tough.

At 21, Devlin is seduced by the suave, sophisticated Colin Cantrell-King, an older married man and her boss. But this affair will leave her with some tough decisions to make.

Caroline is afraid of being left on the shelf so jumps at the chance to marry the cool, detached and very attractive Richard. But, why does he never return her ardour with equal passion?

Married mother Maggie feels trapped in a loveless marriage until she discovers her husband's infidelity. What will she do with her new-found sense of liberation?


My Review

A story about three women, Devlin, Caroline & Maggie. All in very different circumstances and coming from different backgrounds the three form an unlikely friendship. The story goes over several years and looks at how life choices can have a massive impact on their whole lives and how they cope, survive and pull together to get through their experiences.

I have read Scanlan before and to be honest she is becoming an author I really like. I don't think you could call it chick lit because she hits some hard issues in a delicate and sensitive way. This book examines abuse, love, relationships, loss, parenthood, loneliness and hardship, to name a few of the topics covered.

The three main characters are very different, Devlin is beautiful, forceful and a force to be reckoned with but soon learns actions have long lasting consequences. Caroline is almost a slave to her own family looking after the boys, going from "an ugly duckling" to a beautiful young woman, Caroline fails to see her own beauty. Her lack of self worth follows her into adulthood and impacts on many aspects of her adult life. Maggie has always been spunky, never one to allow social attitudes, or her family, to dictate what she should do with her life Maggie makes her decisions to live her life as she wants. Soon realizing, as with her friends, actions have long lasting consequences she seeks solace with her old friends as they pull together to survive their demons.

A thought provoking tale of friendship and real life, I think many readers can identify with one or all of the characters at some point. The book packs some emotional punches as we follow three very different woman into adulthood and survival. How friendships can be broken and some can survive everything life has to throw at them. Carving out strong women who have weaknesses that shine through this is a story about life and the curve balls it throws you but more importantly, coping to get through it. 4/5 for me this time, there are I believe two more stories to follow this one with the same characters, I will be buying them for sure!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read! I loved how it went through each characters individualised stories and how all their stories were brought back together at the beginning and the end of the book. It was beautifully done.

This book made me laugh, cry and ship specific characters!

Patricia Scanlan, this is the first books of yours I've read, but what a great book to start with! 😀

100% recommend!

[Rhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up on holidays, where it had been left in my apartment and I couldn't put it Down. by the pool I laughed and cried out loud, to my friends annoyance. I fell in love with the characters and couldnt wait to read the next book to find out what happened to them.

[Kirst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving it 4 stars because I enjoyed it - the cover makes it sound really trashy and reduces it’s character down to silly headlines- I wouldn’t have gone near but it was in the holiday accommodation and I’d finished my book! In actuality it was a wonderful testament to female friendships and the social, cultural and patriarchal stereotypes women have to navigate in life. Not preachy or dense with these messages, it was an easy read and enjoyable. I think Patricia Scanlan’s publisher sold her short!

[Sheena Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Scanlan's City Girl series of books (not exactly a series, but I think it was followed by City Woman etc.) were so original when first published. Since then, many others have tried to emulate her success, but few have been successful.
I remember reading these books, as I would have read Maeve Binchy novels, in the 1990s. Comparing them, you might say that the Patricia Scanlan novels are lighter in voice, and perhaps a quicker (easier?) read, but that is not to speak negatively of either author, they were simply similar authors/stories/voices, but different. These PS books would perhaps be more suited to a younger reader (under 50) but Maeve Binchy had a knack of appealing to perhaps a more mature audience.
In summary, if you like Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes etc, you will love Patricia Scanlan books too.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the earliest Irish chick-lit books. Three girls come to work in Dublin and stay in a flat. There is no major drama, they just are shown adapting to the then modern life of young independent women and finding their feet in romance.

The author got several rejections before getting this book accepted by an Irish publisher with the cover letter: "Do you want to make a million pounds? Because I do!" From the proceeds of this book she paid off her mortgage. More books have followed.

[Sarah Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these books probably in the late 90’s and loved them then. With the 4th book coming out soon I thought I’d have a re-read. As my memory is shocking I’d forgotten some bits of the story but ultimately it was like revisiting old friends. The 4 star is more an indication of my mood than the story as I’ve struggled to concentrate on anything. Great well rounded characters with interesting stories what more could you ask for?

[Isobel Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

One for the girls.

[Cheryl Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book,the first of a series.
Full of friendship, ups and downs of life,tragedy. Every time I finished a chapter I wanted to start the next one. Read it a few times and it's still great.

[Maxine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes I just want to read a book that is not going to challenge my brain cells in any way . This book meets that criteria. It really is just another three women, mixed up lives, enduring friendship kind of story. It doesn't have the humour of Marian Keyes or Binchy, nor the depth. By the time I got to the last five or six chapters I was skipping paragraphs as it was all a bit repetitive. This isn't edge of your seat stuff. I think there are better books out there that would more adequately fill the 'easy read' requirement.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely my kind of book; although I did find myself quite bored at times and I was struggling to stay enthusiastic, but that was only in small sections. Overall fantastic.
I'm currently Reading the second in the series, City Women and am finding I'm loving that book even more and i haven't been bored thus far; have a feeling I won't be either.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't love it. Have read this author before and liked, but this felt too long and I was skimming by the end. Decent characters and storyline but the confusing switching around of time got confusing and tiresome.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this while I was travelling because someone had left it behind in the hostel. Typical fluff, put-downable.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book for any age especially teenagers on holiday, very easy to read, hard to put down. Characters interesting and believable. About three friends all with different lives and problems.

[Evelyn Mathershaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better clear the decks before you start reading because once you've started you won't want to put the book down until you reach the last page.

[Lynda Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. A nice series of three, great for some holiday reads

[Anna Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, a flash back to the chick lit novels I used to read in the late 90s. A nice beach holiday indulgence.

[Eleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Maeve Binchy I was keen to read this novel, recommended to me by someone. It was a lovely story of friendship; life challenges and grief. Makes you laugh and cry in equal measures

[Vidisha]

Loved it..It kind of connects

[Margaret Mary Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story but I found it a little difficult to keep the threads of all the different stories together It is divided into six distinct sections, one each for the beginning of the story of the three friends and then another section each to continue their stories. It is the only book I ever had to go back and read the Prologue to get the complete story tied together.
It was published in 1990 and in some ways it has a slightly "old fashioned" feel to it. We have almost forgotten the naivety of young girls then. Two of the three friends were in their early twenties. Caroline's ambition was to get married "before she was left on the shelf" and Devlin was infatuated by her handsome, older married boss. He was a gynecologist and a "ladies man" who openly flirted with her. She did not question him when he prescribed her a contraceptive pill and then pressurise her to have sex with him - because she had no reason not to! Women today are far more worldly wise at a much younger age and no one is rushing into marriage especially in their twenties.
There is a lot of sadness for all three friends, single motherhood, abortion, affairs, adoption, physical abuse, homosexuality and tragic accidents but even though they are slow to confide their deepest secrets, their friendship remain constant.
I probably would give it a 3 and half star.

[Ell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a blessed gift, to read a such a book, such a story.
The story covers 3 lovely women, reminiscing to their earlier formative years, their history of meeting and current friendship. Challenging and smoothing times. Their characters are not insipid and twee. I look forward to the next 2 in the series.
Following ruination due to a male, I do not want to read romance, horror or thriller genres.
I had thought that "chick-lit" was going to be a genre for women, about women and life type of stories, so was relieved to discover a new genre. However there seems to be more romance, love etc to it. Not what post abuse survivors want at all, particularly the survivors who have decided to remain single.
So, discovering authors who birth real people stories; and discovering a penchant for Irish authors is a gift. Patricia Scanlan, I humbly thank you for helping my life be better 😊🌟🌷

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every word of this and devoured it in one day.
A brilliant tale of friendship. Three women who go through all that life can throw at them but the constant that keeps them going is their friendship.
Not only is this a wonderful read it’s a piece of modern history as it accurately describes the Dublin of the time it’s set in, the attitudes, the laws, and even places that are no longer in existence.

[Sharon Norrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Patricia Sanlan book for me and wont be the last! Brilliant read about Life, Love and Loss. Superbly written and takes the reader write into the heart of the Irish.

I loved the characters of Devlin, Caroline and Maggie - lots of action and many surprises good and bad along the journey.

Fantastic Read !

[Therese Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysig chickflick! 80-talet i Dublin var allt annat än jämställt och en blir riktigt frustrerad stundvis. Så fin vänskap mellan tre tjejer som lever olika liv och har olika problem. Hade varit en perfekt strandbok men jag kunde inte vänta tills jag var på en strand för att läsa ut den haha.

[Gillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

One and a half stars. Unsatisfying, predictable Chick Lit. I think that Patricia Scanlan's work is nowhere near the standard and quality of that of Marian Keyes, no matter what the person who wrote the cover blurb says. Being Irish doesn't automatically equal brilliance.

[Martina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely superficial book. The author touches difficult topics of losing a parent, lack of self-esteem, unwanted out-of-wedlock pregnancy in Ireland, yet she only touches them and dashes off to irrelevant topics. I gave up on it after 130 pages.

[Liz Pozar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are brilliant, the storyline keeps you reading. I couldn't wait to get onto the second book and learn what happened next. It was a ride to learn about their lives, emotions running high, both happy and heartbroken. I'm reading about lives and feeling it.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little read but was put off slightly by the "aquamarine eyes", "amber eyes" and "liquid gold eyes".
I couldn't wait to finish it and skimmed through the last few pages. I haven't been enticed to read the rest in the series.

[philomena barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Devlin, Caroline & Maggie became my friends before I finished this. I loved the bond between the three of them, they were there for each other no matter what. Highly recommend.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*