Still Life
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- Create Date：2021-11-18 02:21:28
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sarah Winman
- ISBN：0593330757
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Summary
Tuscany， 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages， a young English soldier， Ulysses Temper， finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa。 There， he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner， a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her own youth。 In each other， Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amongst the rubble of war-torn Italy， and set off on a course of events that will shape Ulysses's life for the next four decades。
As Ulysses returns home to London， reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parrot -- a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics -- he carries his time in Italy with him。 And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began， Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate， and returns to the Tuscan hills。
With beautiful prose， extraordinary tenderness， and bursts of humor and light， Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family， and a richly drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms。
As Ulysses returns home to London， reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parrot -- a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics -- he carries his time in Italy with him。 And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began， Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate， and returns to the Tuscan hills。
With beautiful prose， extraordinary tenderness， and bursts of humor and light， Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family， and a richly drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms。
Reviews
Lizandri De Merwe
，
Feeling like I lost interest。 The story doesn't feel like it has progressed much。 Struggling to finish it。 Not sure if I'm the only one？ Feeling like I lost interest。 The story doesn't feel like it has progressed much。 Struggling to finish it。 Not sure if I'm the only one？ 。。。more
Jodie
，
Overall this is a good story with some lovely characters and some great history。 I just found it dragged at times and while I am happy to read a variety of writing styles， the lack of quotation marks detracted from the flow。
Carol
，
Thank you to NetGalley， Putnam and Sarah Winman for an advance digital copy of this book。 This novel is beautifully written and filled with emotion。 Sarah Winman is a brilliant writer and thorough researcher。 Still Life is historic fiction at its’ finest and one of this year’s best works。 The story spans the years from 1944 until 1980 and does an outstanding job of portraying the changes taking place during those decades。 The reader is transported from Florence， Italy to the gritty East End of L Thank you to NetGalley， Putnam and Sarah Winman for an advance digital copy of this book。 This novel is beautifully written and filled with emotion。 Sarah Winman is a brilliant writer and thorough researcher。 Still Life is historic fiction at its’ finest and one of this year’s best works。 The story spans the years from 1944 until 1980 and does an outstanding job of portraying the changes taking place during those decades。 The reader is transported from Florence， Italy to the gritty East End of London and back to Florence。 The story follows the lives of a diverse cast of primarily expat British who are struggling with love， loss， identity and purpose。 They come together as acquaintances and ultimately end up as family。 For those readers who are looking for an immersive novel filled with the art， history， cuisine and beauty of Tuscany， this is a must read。 I cannot recommend this highly enough。 。。。more
Jeanette Lewis
，
This is a mesmerising and beautiful read。 The author has gone that little bit extra in creating an extraordinary story， romantic but not in the sense of everyday romance but romantic in the sense of history and place。 The reader is introduced to the two main characters， Ulysses Temper （Temps， Tempy） and Evelyn Skinner。 Poles apart in age and sexuality， Evelyn is an older gay art historian and Ulysses is a young non gay soldier。 They meet during WW2， the Germans have retreated from their position This is a mesmerising and beautiful read。 The author has gone that little bit extra in creating an extraordinary story， romantic but not in the sense of everyday romance but romantic in the sense of history and place。 The reader is introduced to the two main characters， Ulysses Temper （Temps， Tempy） and Evelyn Skinner。 Poles apart in age and sexuality， Evelyn is an older gay art historian and Ulysses is a young non gay soldier。 They meet during WW2， the Germans have retreated from their position in Italy and fortunately for Florence， Hitler through visiting the city， a lover of fine art and even as an unrewarded artist himself has ordered that certain areas not be destroyed。 Ulysses and Captain Darnley are involved with moving artworks and it's during this event that Evelyn comes into their lives。During this time Temps becomes involved with the rescue of an older Italian man in a poor emotional state standing on his roof ready to jump。 The small community in the area appealed to Temps to rescue the man。 This incident will have a future impact on young Ulysses' life and whom the story mostly centres on。The war is over and Temps returns to his home， with the carnage caused by German bombs he discovers he's lost his home due to the shortage of housing。 He takes a room at the pub， his old watering hole where the same people are holding up the bar in the same position before the war; locked in a moment of time。 After ordering his first pint he looks for long time girlfriend Peg （they married before he left for war more of a financial back up if he didn't return） she is now working in an office， her encounter with a US soldier Eddie has left her with a daughter， Alys now being cared for by a neighbour。 Peggy is what could best be described as lacking empathy due mainly to her upbringing。 She is also a sometime singer at the pub owned by Col。 Ginny is Col's daughter， Pete is the piano player always looking for that special gig， old Cressy， sometime tree talker of small ornamental Japanese Cherry that survived the carnage of German bombing and after the last act of destruction has taken it upon himself to nurture the tree。 These characters are all topped off by an Amazonian talking blue parrot Claude。 Claude， a wonder of knowledge and with a repertoire that would put most performers to shame。In due time Temps is informed that the Italian man he saved through not having any living family has left his entire estate to him which includes a house and cash。 From here on the real adventure and change of life greets young Temps and those that decide to follow him to the wondrous， magnificent city of Florence。Evelyn's story moves to the background until almost the end of the read， travelling again and again to Italy with her famous artist partner her path many times so close to Temps， just that breath away from crossing paths。 It's not until Evelyn now in her eighties sees a newspaper article and photo of Temps holding up one of his beloved "globes" from flood waters that she returns to Florence the void of her wartime experience with this young soldier about to be filled。 。。。more
Kym
，
My home library， with ample shelf space， contains only a few volumes of fiction。 There are shelves of poetry， art books galore， gardening books， cook books， and my husband’s non-fiction collection。 For fiction， I rely on my local library， and it all works out。 But after reading Sarah Winman’s Still Life （from the library， of course）， I’m going to have to make an exception。 Because I want this book to have a permanent spot in my home library！ （Hmmmm。 Shall I shelve it with poetry？ Or with my art My home library， with ample shelf space， contains only a few volumes of fiction。 There are shelves of poetry， art books galore， gardening books， cook books， and my husband’s non-fiction collection。 For fiction， I rely on my local library， and it all works out。 But after reading Sarah Winman’s Still Life （from the library， of course）， I’m going to have to make an exception。 Because I want this book to have a permanent spot in my home library！ （Hmmmm。 Shall I shelve it with poetry？ Or with my art books？）All that to say 。 。 。 Still Life is a wonder！ It’s engaging and fresh and a little bit magical。 Delightful characters。 Snappy dialog。 Picture-perfect Florence as a backdrop。 Art and poetry。 Love and loyalty。 Kindness and hope -- with just enough introspection to make you sigh now and then。 Sarah Winman draws her readers in 。 。 。 and then makes sure we all feel like we have a spot at the table。 I loved every word。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Jim Bobs
，
I loved this book in many ways and some might say it was the epitome of a good read - a long， multi-faceted narrative over time， which really took you into the lives and histories of characters you began to love。 Some characters stand out for me - Cressy， who lived and loved in the ways many of us would aspire to; Alys， for her youthful wisdom and zest for life; Evelyn for her sage intelligence and for living her life exactly as she saw fit; Dotty for her fun-loving spontaneity and lust for life I loved this book in many ways and some might say it was the epitome of a good read - a long， multi-faceted narrative over time， which really took you into the lives and histories of characters you began to love。 Some characters stand out for me - Cressy， who lived and loved in the ways many of us would aspire to; Alys， for her youthful wisdom and zest for life; Evelyn for her sage intelligence and for living her life exactly as she saw fit; Dotty for her fun-loving spontaneity and lust for life's experiences; Col for his cockney humour， bravado and whiff of danger。。。 I was slightly disappointed in the end by Ulysses， the book's central character， who didn't feel well developed， despite the length of the novel， and suffered （to me） from the strength of others' characterisations - in other words， his character fitted to other， not vice-versa。 I also found him slightly unbelievable。 The middle section is the strongest and the one where the main star of the book comes to centre stage: Florence。 This was a tale of an English family， through trials and tribulations， settling into the post-war Italian city， getting to know their neighbours， the language， food， wine and local country。 The whole book was worth reading for this alone。 I was less sure about the last third of the novel， which felt overly sentimental and saccharine。 It included accounts of various friends and family from all parts of the book getting together - even if they only tenuously knew each other - for love， work， reunions， trips across Europe， and generally making merry。 It was often nice to read， but unlike earlier sections it didn't feel real or true to the difficult nature of many character's lives and circumstances。 The last part， Evelyn's story， also jarred with me。 It was a very long， interesting digression just as the book was about to wrap up， and for me， sat in entirely the wrong place。Not flawless by any means but the shortcomings in this book were more than made up for by the lasting impressions it's characters and love letter to Florence will leave on me。 。。。more
Paul Welford
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A beautifully written AND READ by the author book （I had the audiobook）。 It absolutely transported me to Italy （and occasionally to the East End of London） where I basked in the memories of fabulous food， wine， people， architecture， art， countryside， etc。 The characters are wonderfully developed。 At one point the continuing cat and mouse between the two main characters gets stretched a little thin， but otherwise a perfect book。
Kerry Powell
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Loved this book - rich in the description of Italy post WW2 。
Megon
，
I simply adored this book。 The characters feel like old friends。。。 the kind you don't get to spend much time with but whom you love deeply。 Bravo to Sarah Winman！ I simply adored this book。 The characters feel like old friends。。。 the kind you don't get to spend much time with but whom you love deeply。 Bravo to Sarah Winman！ 。。。more
Cynthia
，
This is a great big-hearted character-driven historical novel with a lot of memorable characters， especially Claude， the parrot。 Totally different from Tin Man and A Year of Marvellous Ways。
Veronica Freeney
，
I loved Still Life。 It is a gem of a book filled with wonderful characters， some of whom broke my heart and Claude is unforgettable。 The book is full of magic and I liked the way it was laid out in segments。It is such an uplifting read that I was sad when I turned the last page。 The dialogue is moving and witty and just like real life， not everybody gets what they want but adapt to what they get。
debra
，
4。5 I loved these people - the main characters， the supporting characters， and even the ones on the periphery。 I am very disappointed that I can't continue to spend more time with them just because the book is over（reality， obviously， not my strong suit）。I was truly delighted with everything about Florence when I was lucky enough to spend time there。 That being said， for me， the book had too many too long teachable moments that caused me to zone out。 I found them so annoying that I don't know if 4。5 I loved these people - the main characters， the supporting characters， and even the ones on the periphery。 I am very disappointed that I can't continue to spend more time with them just because the book is over（reality， obviously， not my strong suit）。I was truly delighted with everything about Florence when I was lucky enough to spend time there。 That being said， for me， the book had too many too long teachable moments that caused me to zone out。 I found them so annoying that I don't know if this is 4 *s or 5 （ the shorter lessons were so much less distracting and interesting） I am aware that others found these long digressions to be the most enjoyable parts of the book。 。。。more
Benjamin Robinson
，
Sarah Winman is simply incredible。 This may very well be my new favorite book of all time， but I won't be sure until I reread it （which I will absolutely be doing） and see how it hits in revisiting。 I listened to the audiobook and the author reads it brilliantly。 Highly recommend for people who enjoy slow， reflective books as I do。 Sarah Winman is simply incredible。 This may very well be my new favorite book of all time， but I won't be sure until I reread it （which I will absolutely be doing） and see how it hits in revisiting。 I listened to the audiobook and the author reads it brilliantly。 Highly recommend for people who enjoy slow， reflective books as I do。 。。。more
Patricia
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the story has very beautiful prose。lovely tenderness， with a burst of humor。
Lisa
，
I did not love this book & im surprised because it’s got SUCH high ratings。 It felt so choppy to me & the characters not well fleshed out。
lori pennington
，
DNF。 Wanted to read this and love it but found the story very disjointed。 A lot of the dialogue was not period correct and odd。 Could not get pulled into this one despite being my favorite， historical fiction。
Julie
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I really enjoyed the characters and the way their lives intertwined across time。 I also liked the historical perspective that spanned the years of the story。 What was missing though for me was any solid plot line。 I still enjoyed it but wouldn’t highly recommend to friends。
Sarah Benjamin
，
What a truly beautiful masterpiece this book is 。I had to keep stopping to savour the shear poetic magicOf the language The story a sort of revolving doors of history where friends pass each other through the years so closely they can feel each other but equally unaware of the others prescience has a circular symmetry that is really very lovely It’s a book about enjoying life for what it is not for what you want it to be ，a book about clasping loved ones to your side and enjoying time spent in y What a truly beautiful masterpiece this book is 。I had to keep stopping to savour the shear poetic magicOf the language The story a sort of revolving doors of history where friends pass each other through the years so closely they can feel each other but equally unaware of the others prescience has a circular symmetry that is really very lovely It’s a book about enjoying life for what it is not for what you want it to be ，a book about clasping loved ones to your side and enjoying time spent in your company 。It left me feeling bereft and optimistic in equal portions 。I adored the authors writing style which is so perceptive and showed such awareness of the importance of the minutiae of life ，the sound of a friends foot steps ，the light of early evening in the summer ，cherry blossomAnd the smell of food and sewerage 。The author paints vivid pictures with her words small still lives and vast landscapes and adds music and song to the page to pad it to complexity It’s not often that I’m left knowing that I shall remember a book for ever but I know this book in its magnificence and it’s tiny moments of humanity will be with me evermore How I missed this book for so long I don’t know but I’m sure this will be one of my top books this year 。。。more
Anne
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4。5 stars
Anna
，
at times charming， at times just long
Melissa
，
I adored these characters。 Four stars instead of five only because the final section on Evelyn dragged a bit， and there was a little too much use of dialog to preach。 I’m so in love with Ulysses and Cress， though， that I’m setting out immediately to see what else Ms。 Winman had written。
Carol Griffiths
，
This was a delightful story of various people whose paths crossed and re-crossed over the years between World War 2 and the 1970s。 It is mostly set in Florence and involves real people （E M Forster） and real events （the 1966 floods）， but the great enjoyment is in the wonderful characters and their relationships。
Michelle
，
A feel good read。 In all honesty， I wasn’t captivated by the storyline and I really struggled with the insanely long chapters
Diana （Reading While Mommying） Dean
，
This book is astounding。 Easily one of my favorites of the year。An epic tale of history， art， love， loss， and life， this novel felt like a lush， expansive movie。 Author Winman crafts a vivid， mesmerizing narrative that covers 40 years of history， both big moments and everyday occurances。In 1944， Ulysses Temper， an Allied forces soldier， has a chance meeting with an older art historian named Evelyn Skinner。 As bombs fall， they hide out in a wine cellar in Florence with Temper's Captain。 The brief This book is astounding。 Easily one of my favorites of the year。An epic tale of history， art， love， loss， and life， this novel felt like a lush， expansive movie。 Author Winman crafts a vivid， mesmerizing narrative that covers 40 years of history， both big moments and everyday occurances。In 1944， Ulysses Temper， an Allied forces soldier， has a chance meeting with an older art historian named Evelyn Skinner。 As bombs fall， they hide out in a wine cellar in Florence with Temper's Captain。 The brief moment in time stays with both Ulysses and Evelyn even after they say farewell。 After the war ends， Ulysses heads back to his hometown of London to a rag-tag group of pub-goers who are family more than friends and his estranged wife Peg， who， in his absence， had a baby named Alys with an American man。 Evelyn continues to teach art history and enjoy spending time with several female lovers。Ulysses and Evelyn eventually find one another again， yet during the 40 years they are apart， the narrative focuses on Ulysses's life with his friends in London and his eventual move to Florence。 Each character is richly drawn， making you laugh， cry， and cheer， as they navigate the highs and lows of the day-to-day and the occasional "big" event that affects them。 While the bulk of the narrative focuses on everyday events， it still enchants and engrosses。 Even when the setting switches to Florence， the lives of the new characters we meet and Ulysses's experiences （and those of Cress and Alys， who go with him） are engaging and enlightening。 When Ulysses and Evelyn meet up again， the story moves to its inevitable and thoroughly satisfying conclusion。 I loved every part of this （big！） novel。 The commentary on how art heals and reveals our humanity。 How the true-to-life 1966 Flood of the Arno is described and how Ulysses and his friends navigate the damage and devastation。 Evelyn's rich sapphic love life and her encounters with famous artists and writers， especially E。M。 Forester。 The charming A Room with a View homage that enhances the historical chronology。All in all， this sweeping saga is a gloriously rendered historical fiction novel that enchants with vivid writing and a historical timeline that highlights some truly momentous occasions。 Yet， it still makes quite a case for the beauty， humor， and heart of the quiet， day-to-day moments。 Under the frozen， "perfect" image of a still-life painting， lies the "messy" components that went into making it。。。but even in them， there is beauty。 Similarly， the major challenges and conflicts of life are underscored by the tedium and pattern of the everyday。 And even in those， there is beauty。 。。。more
Sophia
，
Still Life by Sarah WinmanPublished November 2nd 2021Good Morning America Book Club Pick #GMABookClub~YAWNFESTA captivating， bighearted， richly tapestried story of people brought together by love， war， art， flood， and the ghost of E。 M。 Forster， by the celebrated author of Tin Man。Tuscany， 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages， a young English soldier， Ulysses Temper， finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa。 There， he has a chance encounter with Evel Still Life by Sarah WinmanPublished November 2nd 2021Good Morning America Book Club Pick #GMABookClub~YAWNFESTA captivating， bighearted， richly tapestried story of people brought together by love， war， art， flood， and the ghost of E。 M。 Forster， by the celebrated author of Tin Man。Tuscany， 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages， a young English soldier， Ulysses Temper， finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa。 There， he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner， a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her own youth。 In each other， Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amidst the rubble of war-torn Italy， and set off on a course of events that will shape Ulysses's life for the next four decades。As Ulysses returns home to London， reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parot—a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics—he carries his time in Italy with him。 And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began， Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate， and returns to the Tuscan hills。With beautiful prose， extraordinary tenderness， and bursts of humor and light， Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family， and a deeply drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms。 。。。more
Carrie Munro
，
I was lost at the beginning of this book - didn’t know where it was going or why。 The characters developed and the story came together。 Beautifully told 4。5*
Lisa
，
3。5 ✨
Elizabeth La Lettrice
，
"A captivating， bighearted， richly tapestried story of people brought together by love， war， art， flood， and the ghost of E。 M。 Forster， by the celebrated author of Tin Man。"I loved this audiobook so much that I got about 1/3 into the book and had to go to the bookstore to buy a physical copy in the midst of running around for my brother's wedding celebrations。 I just knew I needed to possess it （and I wanted my mom to start reading right away）。 Granted， I'll be the first to tell you I'm a bit b "A captivating， bighearted， richly tapestried story of people brought together by love， war， art， flood， and the ghost of E。 M。 Forster， by the celebrated author of Tin Man。"I loved this audiobook so much that I got about 1/3 into the book and had to go to the bookstore to buy a physical copy in the midst of running around for my brother's wedding celebrations。 I just knew I needed to possess it （and I wanted my mom to start reading right away）。 Granted， I'll be the first to tell you I'm a bit biased because much like a few characters in the book， I too have fallen in love just a few times in my life and one of my Great Loves is not a person， but a place called Florence。 A place， but also a character， or a persona， and anyone who has lived there understands what it means to feel Florence with all five senses of your being。 Winman's book is so much of that。 It awakened all of the senses and certainly all of my feelings。 I laughed out loud， I smiled （a LOT） while listening， and I cried。 I saw life's inevitable occurrences coming and loathed them on behalf of the characters that felt like family in a place I call home。 This book may not be for someone that is looking for action and constant movement， it's about people， and family， and the people that become our family。 The audiobook was SO WELL narrated and it wasn't until I finished did I realize it was the author herself narrating。 Cress and his voice will live in my head for a long while。 <3 I wrote this review in my head so many times as I was still reading and it doesn't feel good enough but I also haven't written a proper review on here in a while so I think it gets across how truly special this one was for me。 。。。more
Kate
，
Quite Simply The Best Novel I Hace Ever Read I haven't aven't given this acalqde since AM Home's dark work of conic genius May We Be Forgiven back in 2014。 However I have decided to now re assign the crown ro Still Life as ir is beautiful and not just comic。 in fact over the course of 16 hours of listening I think I explained every single emotion known to humankind。 which stands ito reason as it spans from 1944-79 and tells the story of a group of friends at various different life stages in life Quite Simply The Best Novel I Hace Ever Read I haven't aven't given this acalqde since AM Home's dark work of conic genius May We Be Forgiven back in 2014。 However I have decided to now re assign the crown ro Still Life as ir is beautiful and not just comic。 in fact over the course of 16 hours of listening I think I explained every single emotion known to humankind。 which stands ito reason as it spans from 1944-79 and tells the story of a group of friends at various different life stages in life。 Oh and a Parrot。Set partly in London but mostly in Florence during a turbulent rime in history。 Winman takes your mind on holiday like nothing I have read before。 For better or worse it's still life so let's live it。 。。。more
Karen Mace
，
I listened to the audioversion of this book - exquisitely read by the author！！ A must listen！！Simply superb！！！ The most wonderful story！！ This was everything I love in a book！ Endearing characters， amazing settings and historical backdrops！ All blended to create a world you get sucked in to and you're bereft when the book finishes！ I want to be back in the East End。 Back in Tuscany and Florence！ And back with the most wonderful creation of characters that enchant you with their lives！The start o I listened to the audioversion of this book - exquisitely read by the author！！ A must listen！！Simply superb！！！ The most wonderful story！！ This was everything I love in a book！ Endearing characters， amazing settings and historical backdrops！ All blended to create a world you get sucked in to and you're bereft when the book finishes！ I want to be back in the East End。 Back in Tuscany and Florence！ And back with the most wonderful creation of characters that enchant you with their lives！The start of the book is the meeting of a young English soldier in WW2 meeting with an elder art historian， and their connection is instantaneous。 What follows is their lives over a number of years and how those war years stay strong in their minds。 In both their lives their friends become family， and you are taken along for the ride through their private and professional lives， their loves and losses， their highs and lows。。。both in England and in Italy。 They all endure so much throughout their lives but that sense of community and support never goes away and you really connect with the passion they all show - be it for art， their surroundings， or for one another。 It was all so spellbinding！ I laughed （ a lot！）， tears were shed and I just couldn't stop thinking about it。 Still can't！！ Glorious！！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Still Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Still Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Still Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0