Book review: New ‘City Girls’ outing leaves a warm feeling

Patricia Scanlan captures the tribulations of womanhood. Picture: Anthony Woods

• City Girls Forever 
• Patricia Scanlan 
• Simon and Schuster, €14.99 

Many readers will know Patricia Scanlan, a legend of Irish fiction whose writing career stretches well over three decades. 

She pioneered women’s fiction when City Girl and its sequels were released. Now she’s back and better than ever with the long-awaited fourth instalment in the series.

City Girls Forever reintroduces readers to Scanlan’s iconic trio — Devlin, Caroline, and Maggie — for the first time in over 25 years. 

Since we’ve last seen them, the women have built successful careers and seemingly settled lives. That is until the events of covid throw everything off course.

Trendsetter Devlin is forced to close a branch of ‘City Girl’, the gym and spa company she founded 35 years ago. 

She also receives a strange phone call from a distraught woman seeking justice, which transports her back to a painful past she has tried to leave behind. 

As if that weren’t enough, she faces an uphill battle with male doctors who refuse to listen to her about an endometriosis diagnosis. 

Her doting husband Luke constantly worries about her, placing a strain on their otherwise perfect relationship.

Caroline, a highly successful therapist, finds herself slipping back into harmful old patterns with an eating disorder. 

After a series of failed relationships, she also begins to question the life she has built, growing lonely as she realises her dream of having children has passed her by. 

Just when all seems lost, an old friend returns from abroad, bringing with him his pregnant teenage daughter. 

Caroline begins to wonder if it’s not too late after all to have the life she has always wanted.

Studious writer Maggie is thrilled when her eldest daughter Shona announces her wedding, but she is forced into the role of peacemaker between Shona and ex-husband Terry, who cheated on Maggie years ago.

Meanwhile, a shocking discovery about her mother’s finances leads back to her selfish brother who has been taking advantage of the elderly woman.

Together the trio are pushed out of their comfort zones and forced to confront the ghosts of their past before they can finally move forward. 

One thing is certain — they will always have each other’s backs.

The character-driven novel strikes the perfect balance between sharp-witted banter and a deeply relatable portrayal of womanhood that readers will carry with them, much like the series’ legacy.

Scanlan’s powerful prose does a wonderful job of bringing an idealised and cozy Irish setting to life on the page, as her characters dine in bustling Dublin restaurants and explore the dazzling Wicklow countryside, creating a best-of-both-worlds dynamic.

“The evening sun still had warmth; the scent of lavender and orange blossom wafted around her on the soft breeze. The birds sang in full-throated chorus in the trees and hedgerows surrounding her garden. The fields in the distance, with their tapestry of green and gold, were bathed in a soft ethereal light that brought balm to her fraught spirit.”

City Girls Forever is a heartwarming and nostalgic catch-up for longtime fans who saw themselves in its well-crafted characters. 

It’s the equivalent of a warm hug from a long-lost friend.

It’s also the perfect read for newcomers to the series. 

With perfectly-placed context clues and just the right amount of background information. There’s no excuse not to dive in.