Never has an ugly duckling turned into such a beautiful swan… years that follow, as her dreams of attaining friends and beauty are realised, others join her on her journey to becoming Lili. She realises, even when you seem to have everything, sometimes, the one thing you really want, is the one thing you just can’t have.
Becoming Lili is an epic, heart-warming tale of aspiration, friendship and love set against a backdrop of the vibrant 90’s, and is packed full of unforgettable characters you will instantly fall in love with.
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An inspirational tale that will touch your heart.
I loved Becoming Lili, the story of a young girl unloved and neglected by her parents and bullied by her schoolmates—a young girl who chooses to reinvent herself and travel the long and brave journey alone towards creating the future she hoped for. Becoming Lili is an epic tale of an ugly duckling who ultimately lives out her wildest wishes and her most secret of dreams come true.
Julia Blake’s writing is beautiful and thoughtful, not only in the way she crafts the details but also in how she weaves the reader through the characters’ lives, colorful characters she brings to life on the page. I found myself falling in love with and rooting for them throughout each of their life struggles. And I adored how despite Lili’s challenging and sorrowful past, she brought people of all walks of life together, nurtured them with kindness and empathy, opened their eyes to their heart’s desires, and helped light the way towards them living out their destiny. I particularly enjoyed how Blake connected the ending to the beginning, with a poignant deja vu, bringing Lili full circle showing how far she’d come and how with hope, love, and kindness, happiness will prevail.
I look forward to reading Blake’s second book in the Perennials Trilogy, Chaining Daisy, to learn what happens to Lili and her friends, characters whose lives I’ve become fully immersed in—I can’t wait to see where they all end up! Becoming Lili is a beautiful story of hope, self-discovery, love, sacrifice, friendship, and family—an inspirational tale that will touch your heart. Unputdownable!
Phyllis becomes Lili – clever title. The lonely, ugly ducking grows up to be a swan and makes a group of eclectic friends; people who become very loyal to her because of her good heart. I enjoyed reading their stories, too.
All the things I was taught over the years about writing were thrown out of the window. You weren’t supposed to jump into different character’s heads when you have one main character. You’re also not supposed to have blocks of text telling what happened, you’re supposed to show it. So I admire the author for doing her own thing, and it works. There was nothing wrong or confusing, just entertaining, as it should be. So the advise here is to always challenge the norm and do things your own way.
The only thing I wasn’t too keen on was the guy that Lili fell in love with, Jake. I just didn’t like him from the start. Don’t they say that? You can’t help who you fall in love with, and this was Lili’s story. There were enough interesting people and liaisons for it not to matter too much..
A lot happened at once as we reached the end of the end of the story. A few years were all crammed into a few pages. If the author pursued every storyline to its end, this book would have been even bigger. Instead she told a story, and by the time she reached the end, she knew there was more to come. That turned into Chaining Daisy, which having read this, I just have to read that at some point.
Becoming Lili is what I would describe as a blockbuster, and if you want to lose yourself in the pages of a good book, then look no further. This is it.
If you have ever been bullied as a kid, or moped around at school wishing you had friends to sit with at break time, this book will grip you from the very beginning.
A feel-good story with good twists and turns.
A Most Becoming Story!
Poor Phyllis Goodwin is an only child of unloving, neglectful parents who deem her ugly and unintelligent. She’s bullied at school. A near-fatal circumstance, a tragedy, and a chance encounter with a complete stranger at a deli profoundly affect her life in this coming-of-age, metamorphosis where an ugly duckling transforms into a graceful swan—becoming Lili.
This most becoming story becomes so due to the author’s storytelling prowess in creating a cast of fully-fleshed characters, all of whom serve a higher purpose in the novel. The dialog between them is refreshingly witty and realistic. Ms. Blake also interweaves intricate plot threads which are integral to the entire story. There were many heart-stopping moments along this literary journey as the author toyed with the reader.
A most becoming story for many reasons, I highly recommend such a thoroughly engaging book.
It’s a lovely story of growth and hope, of overcoming the past and becoming the person one longs to be