A celebration of the cabaret era and the magical ascent of cinema, set against the rise and fall of Berlin- "a dazzling epic [novel] of survival." (Emma Donoghue, author of Slammerkin)
The orphaned daughter of a cabaret performer, Lilly Aphrodite finds refuge at a Catholic orphanage-and a trajectory of reinvention, seduction, and danger begins. From urchin to maid, war bride to model, Lilly eventually finds her destiny as a famous silent-film star, and enters into a sweeping romance that, crossing decades and continents, becomes inextricable from the astonishing historical events unfolding around it.
"This extravaganza had me from page one."
-Emma Donoghue, author of Slammerkin
"Colin''s heroine, Lilly Aphrodite, is as rich, alive, and dangerous as the city she inhabits; and as the novel progresses, Berlin''s history becomes her own."
-David Ebershoff, author of The 19th Wife and The Danish Girl
"Absorbing...Deftly captur[es] the era''s sense of frenzied invention and seductive promise."
-The New York Times Book Review
Beatrice Colin was born in London and raised in Scotland. She has worked as a freelance journalist, writing for publications including The Guardian, and as a playwright, writing radio plays for the BBC. She lives in Glasgow.
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 07-07-2009
Pages: 432
Measurements: 8.14in X 5.28in X 0.95in X 0.78lb