Ever since I watched the German silent film Metropolis last year, I've been deeply fascinated with the early film industry. This novel follows Lilly Aphrodite from the dawn of the 20th century to the eve of World War II and gives readers an intimate glimpse into the world of Germany in the throes of World War I and the decadence of the 1920s German film industry.

An interesting facet of the novel that sets it aside from other historical fiction is the structure. At the beginning of every chapter, the author opens with short unconnected stories about the German film industry and an accompanying photo from turn of the century Germany. I love historical fiction because it is an imagined story based on real events. These vignettes and photos help connect the reader with the era and the characters.

Besides All Quiet on the Western Front, this is the first book I've read set in World War I. Reading about the complete devastation of the citizens of Germany in a textbook is one thing, but reading about it from the standpoint of Lilly personalizes the loss and poverty that was so widespread and gives the reader a glimpse as to how these circumstances led to the rise of Hitler in the '30s.

For fans of historical fiction as well as the history of cinema. ( )

Don't tell me someone is fascinating. Fascinate me. ( )

The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite is a bestselling literary novel by Beatrice Colin. It is a paperback published by John Murray and its ISBN is 1848540310. It is so well written it is a pleasure to read and it is full of historical content of 20th century Germany and the history of the movie industry. It is a sad and touching story rich in characterisation and highly evocative. Through a lovers quarrel Lilly is orphaned and sent to a Catholic orphanage. It is a poor and depressing time in Berlin and Lilly is befriended by Hanne. Hanne is street wise and looks out for Lilly, they form a sisterhood and bond that survives love affairs and wartime. Lilly and Hanne move from the night clubs to the film motion pictures. Lilly is strikingly pretty and sings beautifully and so she becomes a success in the movies in Germany. Then she meets a man who could ruin everything, will she risk her success and future? This story is a sad historical fictional story of 20th century Germany. There is no happy ending but such is life we are born into a period of time and live the deck of cards we are handed. There is depth in this story and great detail and it is obvious a lot of historical research has been done by the author. I highly recommend this beautifully written tale. Reviewed by Annette Dunlea author of Always and Forever and The Honey Trap. ( )

The Glimmer Palace takes place in Berlin and spans the decades from the turn of the century right up the eve of WWII.Lilly Nellie Apphrodite (dubbed Tiny Lil as a child, known as Lidi during her acting career) is the main character in this novel. The plot centers on Lilly's early years in a Catholic orphanage and her improbable rise to fame as a silent film star. While the action is fast paced, the story is full of improbable twists and turns. I also thought that the ending was extremely disapointing. While I was underwhelmed by the overall story, Colin's writing will keep you turning the pages. ( )

A Rare Glimpse into the Collapse of Berlin between two World Wars
A most in-depth book that takes the reader from the birth of our heroine Lilly Nelly Aphrodite at the very beginning of the 20th century through her years in an orphanage and the poverty of the people of Berlin over the next few decades beginning with WWI. Lilly is orphaned shortly after her birth. The closure of the orphanage leaves the girls vulnerable to all kinds of situations on the streets and in the clubs. Although this book is fiction, it seems so real with an unusual glimpse of a major city’s downfall, it’s wild debauchery, the fight against starvation and finally the fear of being discovered as the wrong ethnic background as WWII begins. The stories are told with the conviction of truth.

Don't get me wrong, the book is not about the wars, they are background, but you will not find battlefield hands on fighting as such; this is very much Lilly's story but one cannot be told without the results of the other.

Lilly attempts to remain aloof from these methods of obtaining money or food, but eventually is discovered as a potential “true” actress. Her history eventually leads her to America but there is an ongoing love story throughout the book that is much of a “star-crossed” lovers story, which brings her back to Germany around 1940. My interest was held as much by the history of Berlin in these terrible times as it was by Lilly’s story. It is not often you will be taken on such a trip through life and I found the book fascinating because of it. I would certainly recommend this book for several reasons and on several levels. The research done is amazingly thorough, and the plot an eye-opener. These were turbulent times in many countries, but we rarely get to see the life on the opposite side. Very well written. ( )

In the first few minutes of the year 1900 Lilly Nelly Aphrodite is born in Berlin, Germany. Her mother is a volatile, unmarried cabaret performer. By the time Lilly is two her parents are dead and she is placed in an orphanage where she will remain until she is in her early teens. Lily does not make friends easily and it is not until the age of about twelve when she makes the one friend who will remain a part of her life in the future, Hanne Schmidt.

Hanne is a new arrival at the orphanage and is a couple of years older than Lilly. She shows Lilly the seedy world of nighttime Berlin, home to cheap cabaret bars called "Tingle-Tangles". The girls begin sneaking out of the orphanage at night to sell flowers in the clubs. When the orphanage is suddenly shut down shortly thereafter, Hanne deserts Lilly and disappears.

As the build-up to World War I begins, Lilly tries to make her way in the world. She finds a job as a maid for a difficult Countess but it is not long before she is assaulted by the husband and must eventually leave. She encounters Hanne again as the deprivations that the war brings begin to set in.

The necessities of life become scarce during the war and especially in it's aftermath, so the residents of Berlin throw themselves into the seedy nightlife of cabaret bars & cinemas. Any escape is preferable to the misery of daily life. It is at a cinema that Lilly meets Ilya Yurasov, a Russian who came to Berlin after the war and plays piano at the theater. He falls in love with Lilly and, with his contacts in the film industry, gets her a job typing film scripts.

From the typing pool, Lilly is discovered. She begins to appear in movies and is an immediate success. But success does not bring the happiness that she thought it would and she is not able to enjoy her new life.

I found this book difficult to get through. The author did a wonderful job with the historical setting of Berlin from 1900-1934, from the glitz and glamour to the starvation and despair. Unfortunately the characters were not very likable. They consistently made poor choices that contributed to their misery and kept them in the bad situations that they found themselves in. It made for a very dark, gritty, depressing novel. I'm sure that this was the author's intent, not all stories have happy endings, after all. But I did not enjoy it, though it was well written and the story was interesting. ( )

Lilly Nelly Aphrodite is born in Berlin at the turn of the 20th century. The daughter of a cabaret performer, Nelly becomes an orphan at a young age. Early on she learns that life can be unfair and cruel, but also surprisingly rewarding when least expected.

Set against the rise and fall of Berlin, Nelly is forced to reinvent herself as she copes with life’s harsh realities. She goes from being a poor orphan, to tingle-tangle bargirl, to ultimately becoming a celebrated film star. Spanning various decades, the author takes the reader on a remarkable journey as she explores friendship, love, and fate.

This is a well-told story with interesting characters and a strong storyline. The unpredictable events will keep you turning the pages. ( )

“The Glimmer Palace” is the story of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite, a young girl born illegitimately to a cabaret performer and a Bavarian count in Berlin in the first minutes of the year 1900. Orphaned before her second birthday, Lilly would have to figure out how to survive Berlin during World Wars I and II.

I thought that Colin portrayed Germany from the first half of the century very well. I felt that I could see Berlin, from its glory before WWI; to the deprivations during the war; to the devestation wrecked by reparations; to the build up of hatred, scape-goating, and Nazi power before WWII.

I would highly recommend this book to people interested in a good story, or wanting a representation of Berlin between the wars. The information about period movies did end up tying in very well towards the middle of the book, so I would also recommend this novel to those who have an interest in early film.

For the full review:
http://www.devourerofbooks.com/2008/0... ( )

The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin is one of the most engaging books I’ve read in a long time. From the first twenty pages I knew this was going to be a book I was going to want to read slowly, soaking in all of the details.

Lilly Nelly Aphrodite was born in the final moments of the nineteenth century in Germany. The book follows her life from a Catholic orphanage in Berlin and brings to life in fine detail her life over the course of the next thirty four years.

Poor Lilly constantly struggles with love, employment, poverty, and friendships while Germany struggles with it’s own problems. Lilly’s sweet innocence is eclipsed by the harsh world she lives in. Not having any family to help her out of difficult situations, she always finds a way to solve her problems, and maintains a long term, but sporadic friendship with another orphaned girl throughout the book.

I felt the first three hundred pages of this book were very well written, but the last quarter of the book becomes almost of summary of success mirrored by tragedy, written more as an accounting of events rather than a story. Regardless, the entire book is very well written.

Overall, this should be a very enjoyable book for readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially early twentieth century Germany, or for fans of the cinema, as much of this book revolves around the cinema. ( )

Not a bad book. It had a decent story and the characters were actual people instead of caricatures. That said, it seemed the lives of Lilly and Hanne were just one miserable, terrible event after another. I get that it was a difficult time, but some more happiness would have been nice. I would probably recommend this to a book group or reader that would be OK with the seriousness and the lack of a happy ending. ( )

The Glimmer Palace is one of those rare, immersive novels that fully transports the reader into a place and time far removed from this modern twenty-first century. Beatrice Colin’s book took me back to Berlin at the beginning of the twentieth century, when that legendary city was blossoming and its film stars and cabaret performers were the most sought-after flowers of the entertainment world. At the dawn of this new world is born Lilly Nelly Aphrodite, the illegitimate daughter of a cabaret performer. Within a few months the little girl is orphaned, and she begins a life of restless transition and searching. Never sure of her identity, Lilly constantly reinvents herself as she seeks her place in the world: orphan, maid, poet’s muse, bride, widow, barmaid, typist, and star of German film. Lilly’s growth and happiness are implicitly tied to the city she calls home: as Berlin’s star rises and falls, so does she.

Colin brings drama and bubbling, breathing life to every page. Lilly’s flashing, lovely eyes are witness to some of the greatest changes the world has ever seen. She proves herself to be as delicate as a hothouse flower and tenacious as a weed as she survives a childhood in an orphanage and slow starvation in post-WWI Germany, yet rising to live the life of a glamorous film star in Berlin and Hollywood. Throughout it all I rooted for her. I wanted her to win. It is clear early on that she becomes a huge star (references are made to interviews conducted after she’s “made it”) but when she’s fighting in the streets for horsemeat I was just dying to know HOW she was going to get through. Knowing that Lilly would be OK did absolutely nothing to dispense the tension and suspense. I just could not put this book down. As Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha brought Japan’s floating world to life, The Glimmer Palace brings the mysterious world of Berlin and cabaret back from the hazy past like a shimmering dream. ( )

This is the sad and epic tale of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite, born on the eve of the 20th century in Berlin. Her life spans what can only be described as an era of hardship and poverty in Germany. Yet Lilly always manages to survive through a series of events that would leave a lesser person broken. The Glimmer Palace is well-written and moving to the very last page. If you are looking for a tearjerker, this is the book for you. ( )