Searching the shelves of my local libary i stumbled upon The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite. I'd never read anything by Beatrice Colin before and must admit the only reason why i decided to read this book was simply because it had a sticker with Richard and Judy's Book club and a bar of Galaxy chocolate on the front cover, my mind immediatly went, Cup fo Tea, bar of Galaxy and i'll read a page, any excuse to eat chocolate i'm afraid. I wasn't expecting much from the book, i was in for a surprise when i found i could not put this book down. Lilly Aphrodite is the illegitmate daughter of a Cabaret dancer, set in early 20th Century Berlin. Orphaned in a ...  Read the complete review

I purchased this book purely by chance, it was one of my recommended titles on Amazon and I thought the front cover looked really interesting. This is also a book recommended by the Richard and Judy Book Club. This book is also published by another publisher and under a different name (Glimmer Palace) which I found out when I ordered it from Amazon thinking it was another book by Beatrice Colin, but when I started reading it, I had some strong feelings of deja vu. Just a little warning! .::The plot::. The book follows the a young girl called Lilly Nelly Aphrodite who is in an orphanage in Berlin, we stay with her throughout her life and ...  Read the complete review

This is my first "grown up" book review - so please bear with me if the standard is not as you would like from a book review, but please give me any pointers you feel fit so that I can make future reviews better! I bought this book as part of a BOGOF offer in WH Smith ahead of my holiday. I hadn't seen any review of it in the past, so was attracted by the title alone. Well, almost alone - the book had the added "draw" of carrying the "Richard & Judy Book Club" sticker, as well as the BOGOF one.... This book is set in the first half of the 20th Century. Lilly is born as the century breaks, in Germany. She is the ...  Read the complete review

I'm quite a fan of the Richard and Judy Book club, and have read some fantastic books I probably wouldn't have had they not been one of their recommendations. Working my way through the 2009 list, I have just finished The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin. The book tells the story of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite, illegitimate child to a cabaret dancer, born in Berlin at the turn of the twentieth century. Quickly orphaned she is took in by Sister August at a catholic orphanage, where she meets Hanne who will become a life long friend. We follow the struggles Lilly faces as she leaves the orphanage to go into domestic service, ...  Read the complete review

I just finished reading 'The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite' by Beatrice Colin so thought I'd review it here. The front cover and title are quite tantalising I think so I picked it up on that alone. It wasn't really as explicit as I expected it to be but it was a better storyline than I expected so the two balanced each other out! It's a 2009 paperback and I have never read anything by Beatrice Cole before so I went in with a totally open mind. The story is set in Berlin at the turn of the 20th Century and follows the life of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite - surely someone with a name like that is destined for fortune and fame! Lilly ...  Read the complete review