About this item
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.
About the Author
Beatrice Colin was born in London, raised in Scotland and lives in Glasgow. She is a novelist/radio dramatist and has written seven novels (two for children) and numerous plays for BBC Radio 4.
Her new novel, To Capture What We Cannot Keep, is set against the backdrop of the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Other novels include The Glimmer Palace (2008) which was a Richard and Judy pick and short-listed for several awards including a British Book Award, Pyrates Boy (2013) , a novel for children was shortlisted for the SBT Children's Book Award 2015 and My Invisible Sister (2010) was made into a film for TV by Disney.
A former journalist, her writing has been published in newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Scotsman, Black Book and The List. She teaches creative writing at the University of Strathclyde.
She is inspired by new places and old books, snatches of conversation and boards on Pinterest (seed catalogues from the 19th century!) She is a list-maker, a grower, on a good year, of fruit and vegetables, a walker of old paths and a mother of teenagers. Writing novels helps her to discover something new - about the world, about history, about herself.
Her new book has its own website: tocapturewhatwecannotkeep.com. Here you can read about ideas behind the novel, look at pics and sign up for the newsletter.
