For every musician on a stage, there is likely a hardscrabble story of sacrifice and determination. But it’s hard to imagine a more raw—and beautifully written—account than the one Amy Rigby serves up in Girl to City ... the precise beauty of Girl to City...documents Rigby’s slow, frustrating climb to relative obscurity ... Girl to City is a tale of a suburban girl from 'nowhere' who transferred herself from vague to powerful and takes us all to that 'magical place.' It would make an excellent read for any artist struggling to make their way and find their voice.
Fans of singer/songwriter Amy Rigby love her honesty, her sense of humor, her pathos, and the clear-eyed intelligence and perceptiveness that run through her songs. Not surprisingly, those same qualities shine in Rigby’s new autobiography, Girl To City: A Memoir ... Rigby brings to life the glamorous, grungy, desperate, manic and altogether fabulous Manhattan of the late 1970s, a nearly bankrupt metropolis bursting with creativity, talent, music and art ... Rigby’s memoir meticulously reconstructs her odyssey through Manhattan’s nightlife.
The glimpses of late 1980s-early 1990s New York are clear and wistful; her struggles with life balance and choices are relatable. Rigby mingled and played with many famous musicians, and her wide-eyed appreciation (of most) is appealing but not cloying ... Rigby vaults readers back to a scarier but glamorous time in New York. Watching her grow up and pursue her dreams is gratifying. Fans of she-punk memoirs and stories of success on one's own terms will enjoy this.
