45 pages 1 hour read

Elizabeth Gilbert

City of Girls

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 18-22

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 18 Summary

In March 1941, Edna and Anthony are invited to perform together at a fundraiser. Just before they depart for the event, Arthur has a tantrum because Edna is leaving with another man. Vivian tries to calm everyone down, but Anthony angrily says that Vivian isn’t in charge of him. Both Arthur and Vivian are hurt at being rebuffed, and Arthur tells Vivian that Edna is having an affair with Anthony. Vivian is shocked by the betrayal and asks herself, “What else did I not know? When would I stop being surprised by people and their lust, and their sordid secrets?” (251).

Impulsively, Arthur insists that Celia and Vivian accompany him for a night on the town. After they’ve had too much to drink at the Spotlite, where Louis Prima is playing, Vivian infers that Celia is sleeping with Arthur. The two women go outside to discuss the matter. Vivian feels betrayed by everyone, and she collapses in Celia’s arms in tears. Arthur joins the two in a group hug that turns into a group kiss. He then suggests all three move their activity to a hotel room. Vivian participates awkwardly in a ménage à trois before walking back to the Lily alone.

Related Titles

By Elizabeth Gilbert

Study Guide

logo

Big Magic

Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Elizabeth Gilbert

Study Guide

logo

Eat Pray Love

Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Elizabeth Gilbert

Plot Summary

logo

The Last American Man

Elizabeth Gilbert

The Last American Man

Elizabeth Gilbert

Study Guide

logo

The Signature of All Things

Elizabeth Gilbert

The Signature of All Things

Elizabeth Gilbert