Specify Of Books The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite
| Title | : | The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite |
| Author | : | Beatrice Colin |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 404 pages |
| Published | : | January 8th 2009 by John Murray Publishers (first published July 24th 2008) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. Germany. War |
Beatrice Colin
Paperback | Pages: 404 pages Rating: 3.71 | 1800 Users | 267 Reviews
Narration As Books The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite
The original title of this book was "The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite" but I can see why it was changed -- there is nothing luminous about either the book or the character. The novel follows Lilly from her birth in 1900 Germany through the 1930s - and we experience every single second of it.This book has a LOT of flaws that kept me from becoming engaged in it. The writing style is bizarre - we often go down little plot cul-de-sacs with characters we'll never see again, and there's an abundance of overcomplicated similes and metaphors that gunk up the descriptions instead of making them clearer. The book feels as if it's a fictional biography of Louise Brooks written in the style of Slaughterhouse-Five.
The style also almost makes the book feel as if it's written in iambic pentameter - da DA da DA da DA da DA. There's no ENERGY to the book, no hills or valleys; no matter what's happening we just feel da DA da DA da DA da DA. It sucks any possible emotion out of the story. And it's such a shame - post-WWI Germany is bursting with drama and craziness, but unfortunately while it's technically portrayed in the book, the feel of it is just lacking.
I struggled with the rating of this book because, while I didn't LIKE the book, I didn't NOT like it either. I just found it dull. I didn't mind it when it was in my hands but the moment I put it down I practically forgot about it. So ultimately I think 2 stars captures it best - not a monstrosity but nothing special either.
Mention Books During The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite
| Original Title: | The Glimmer Palace |
| ISBN: | 1848540310 (ISBN13: 9781848540316) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | British Book Award Nominee (0) |
Rating Of Books The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite
Ratings: 3.71 From 1800 Users | 267 ReviewsCommentary Of Books The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite
For some reason, this book stayed on my unread shelf for a long time. Perhaps the name and cover put me off (I actually prefer the American version's name and cover, The Glitter Ball, though the life of Lilly Aphrodite seems more appropriate). So when I finally got around to reading it, I was very pleasantly surprised! Colin's writing style is rich and evocative and she certainly crafts a beautiful sentence. She manages to switch between small detailed and conversational sections and wider timeKind of surprised to see how bad some of the reviews for this are, as I enjoyed it a lot. I'm trying to be more sparing with my five-star ratings (I'm quite generous with my ratings tbh) but couldn't think of anything I disliked about this enough to knock off a star. It was a page-turner. Oh yeah, it's also been published as The Glimmer Palace, I guess because The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite is a bit of a mouthful. I found it lurking in a discount book place for a couple of quid and, never
Historical fiction about an orphan in World War 1 and her survival and success as a film star in Hitler's Germany. I finished this one with absolute astonishment about how a Germany so decimated in the first World War could deliberately start another one.
I struggled with this a bit at the beginning but went on to discover that it is in fact a fantastic read - very atmospheric and assiduously well-researched, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or is even remotely interested in the history and culture of Germany (specifically the city of Berlin). Although I found the author's use of language captivating from the start, my main issue with the early part of the book was that I found it very hard to accept that so many grown
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
This is one of those books where I fall completely in love with it, give it 5 stars, yet still want to scream FUCK THIS BOOK. This book was beautiful, stunning, and above all, HEARTBREAKING. And sad. So much sadness. The writing is, as I said, stunning. The descriptions of that era, of WWI and the lead-up to WWII, the suffering, the lifestyles and struggles, the beauty, the ugliness, everything. It's lyrical, magical, perfect. Well, almost. That ending. I cannot not forgive it....yet, how else
This book was a great finish to 2010. It takes place in 20th century Germany and has a lot of historical content as well as a lot of personal stories. The main character is Lilly Nelly Aphrodite, whom we follow throughout the book, starting from the day she was born. I can sum it up like this: she grows up in an orphanage, then she has to leave when the orphanage is closed down, and then she becomes a movie star. And, of course, there are quite a bit of people who walk in and out of her life
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