The Glimmer Palace

June 30, 2008
Covering the life of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite from the turn of the century until World War II, this overly familiar historical novel takes the listener inside the clubs and film industry of Berlin. German accents depict most of the characters; it probably would have been wiser for Justine Eyre and her director to take the Berlin setting as a given, for little attention is paid to class differences. Only an American movie mogul sounds genuine. Eyre portrays Lilly as delicate and sweet; unfortunately, she reads Ilya, Lilly's main love interest, in much the same way, except with a Russian accent. Lilly's best friend Hanna has a gruffer voice that predictably imitates Marlene Dietrich. Though the narrative is clear enough to avoid confusion, most of the women sound exactly alike and boredom is inescapable. A Riverhead hardcover (Reviews, May 5).

June 15, 2008
With her third novel (after "Nude Untitled" and "Disappearing Acts"), Scottish journalist and playwright Colin offers a work of historical fiction about the life and times of the orphaned Lilly Nelly Aphrodite, who grows up in early 20th-century Berlin. Left at a young age without any family, Lilly emerges as a levelheaded, strong-willed, and sometimes compassionate survivor who learns early on how to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances brought on by both personal and societal upheaval. As she moves from the orphanage to life as a live-in maid, a bargirl, a typist, and eventually a film star, Lilly tries to keep her emotions on an even keel and desperation at bay. When things unravel, however, she is not above misleading othersand sometimes finds herself being misled. The characters who intersect Lilly's life for better or for worse are as fascinating as Lilly; they, too, are struggling in a Germany that never seems to regain its stability after losing the first world war. Throughout, Colin deftly weaves into the narrative ongoing observations on cinema as a form of entertainment needed and craved by a bereft populace, and she eventually brings this aspect of the novel to the forefront. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 4/1/08.]M. Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2008
In this engrossing, romantic historical novel, Lilly Nelly Aphrodite is raised in a Catholic orphanage, and her ensuing journey of self-invention is set against the backdrop of Berlins fluctuating fortunes from the early part of the twentieth century to the era of Dachau and Treblinka. Colin depicts World War I, sleazy cabarets, massive unemployment, the Nazi empire, and the even more savage horrors of World War II, all navigated by a strong, determined heroine. Lilly rises from impoverished anonymity to ride the wave of stardom in the new and popular cinema. None less than Joseph Goebbels masterminds the Nazi-produced Queen of Sorrows, whose premier is attended by Hitler himself, but the lovely star soon vanishes in every sense imaginable, driven by her love for the Russian Ilya Yurasov. After a painful separation and an elaborate plan for escape, their love and suffering reflect the lives of millions when the drums of war reverberate, human relationships go up in smoke, and all that is left of love and its past is a single frame from an unseen movie.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)