Still Life
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- Create Date：2021-11-26 00:51:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sarah Winman
- ISBN：0008283397
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Summary
By the bestselling， prize-winning author of When God was a Rabbit and Tin Man， Still Life is a beautiful， big-hearted， richly tapestried story of people brought together by love， war， art， flood… and the ghost of E。M。 Forster。
We just need to know what the heart’s capable of， Evelyn。
And do you know what it’s capable of？
I do。 Grace and fury。
It’s 1944 and in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa， as the Allied troops advance and bombs fall around them， two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening together。
Ulysses Temper is a young British solider and one-time globe-maker， Evelyn Skinner is a sexagenarian art historian and possible spy。 She has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and relive her memories of the time she encountered EM Forster and had her heart stolen by an Italian maid in a particular Florentine room with a view。
These two unlikely people find kindred spirits in each other and Evelyn’s talk of truth and beauty plants a seed in Ulysses mind that will shape the trajectory of his life – and of those who love him – for the next four decades。
Moving from the Tuscan Hills， to the smog of the East End and the piazzas of Florence， Still Life is a sweeping， mischievous， richly-peopled novel about beauty， love， family and fate。
We just need to know what the heart’s capable of， Evelyn。
And do you know what it’s capable of？
I do。 Grace and fury。
It’s 1944 and in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa， as the Allied troops advance and bombs fall around them， two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening together。
Ulysses Temper is a young British solider and one-time globe-maker， Evelyn Skinner is a sexagenarian art historian and possible spy。 She has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and relive her memories of the time she encountered EM Forster and had her heart stolen by an Italian maid in a particular Florentine room with a view。
These two unlikely people find kindred spirits in each other and Evelyn’s talk of truth and beauty plants a seed in Ulysses mind that will shape the trajectory of his life – and of those who love him – for the next four decades。
Moving from the Tuscan Hills， to the smog of the East End and the piazzas of Florence， Still Life is a sweeping， mischievous， richly-peopled novel about beauty， love， family and fate。
Reviews
Christine Dolan
，
Usually I adore Sarah Winman's books， but I was rather disappointed by Still Life。 It has plenty of good points， especially the author's wonderful poetic prose。 I loved the East End pub after the war， and some of her quirky ideas。 I can see why readers are beguiled by her idyllic， but unrealistic descriptions of Florence， which was obviously Sarah Winman's intention。 The lives of the main characters who live there are also like a happy fairy tale。 It's a story of joy and hope， and， as such， it s Usually I adore Sarah Winman's books， but I was rather disappointed by Still Life。 It has plenty of good points， especially the author's wonderful poetic prose。 I loved the East End pub after the war， and some of her quirky ideas。 I can see why readers are beguiled by her idyllic， but unrealistic descriptions of Florence， which was obviously Sarah Winman's intention。 The lives of the main characters who live there are also like a happy fairy tale。 It's a story of joy and hope， and， as such， it succeeds。However， for me it was all a bit too much - too sentimental， too many lucky chances， too much serendipity。 I couldn't relate to the characters very well， especially Evelyn who seemed to me to be an intellectual snob。 Also the story was a bit too long and disjointed。These are purely personal opinions of course。 I am giving it three stars for the luscious prose and for its original ideas， especially the parrot。 Winman's writing could never be a total disaster after all。 。。。more
Christine Rennie
，
Still Life by Sarah Winman is a wonderful glorious read about people who meet in Tuscany in 1944 and whose lives touch and pass in the next four decades。 The storyline covers different countries and different groups of people who become friends。 They all end up meeting and some living together in Tuscany。 It is a book about friendship， love and different people coming together at different times of their lives。 There is Italy， art， love and friendship over a forty year period。Highly recommended
Allison Arsenault
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This book was so stunning and fluid and delightful and thoughtful。 When I first started reading it I did not expect to enjoy it （partially because the lack of proper quotation marks which is apparently a pet peeve of mine and partially because it seemed to be trying too hard。） But then I got so swept up in it - the beautiful people， places and stories。
Virginia
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Fantastic Strangelings Book Club: https://thebloggess。com/2021/11/10/he。。。 Fantastic Strangelings Book Club: https://thebloggess。com/2021/11/10/he。。。 。。。more
Susanne Latour
，
Decided to DNF this one ~50 pages in。 I don’t know why authors make the stylistic choice to not use quotation marks around dialogue。 I can deal with it for shorter books like Sarah Winman’s previous novel Tin Man which I enjoyed but for a book that’s close to 500 pages I can not push through。 My mind finds it difficult to follow the story and I find my self re-reading a lot to understand what’s going on。 It takes the pleasure out of reading for me。
Kelley
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Beautifully written - wonderful characters。 I felt like the end was too long and I got tired of the final story。 Other than that， this book is like a painting。 It is deep， still and lovely。
Sarah AF
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I can't decide if I'd have enjoyed this more had I not read and loved Tin Man first。 On balance， I think probably not。 While the characterisation was so vivid （Peg and Temps will be in my heart for a very long time） and the split locations of the novel were brilliantly crafted， it just meandered on and didn't really have much in the way of plot。 About 85% of the way through， I came to a chapter which was about Evelyn's past and I inwardly groaned because it just wasn't necessary。 It had been tou I can't decide if I'd have enjoyed this more had I not read and loved Tin Man first。 On balance， I think probably not。 While the characterisation was so vivid （Peg and Temps will be in my heart for a very long time） and the split locations of the novel were brilliantly crafted， it just meandered on and didn't really have much in the way of plot。 About 85% of the way through， I came to a chapter which was about Evelyn's past and I inwardly groaned because it just wasn't necessary。 It had been touched on enough to demonstrate the profound effect it had on Evelyn and I think I preferred it as the wistful memories of a woman in her later years。 Either that or I just was really， really ready for the book to be over。 。。。more
Kim Mossenson
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OK。 easy read
Libby
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If listening to the evening news has ever left you feeling as though you were on an edifice that was starting to crumble into the great abyss…， and made you hungry to remember again the sacred beauty of what it means to be human， Sarah Winman is an author that can satisfy that need。 ‘Still Life’ is a book that caused me to consider the wonderment of friendships， the joy and colors of love in all its forms， and the enduring loyalties of the people we choose to call family。 There is a richness in If listening to the evening news has ever left you feeling as though you were on an edifice that was starting to crumble into the great abyss…， and made you hungry to remember again the sacred beauty of what it means to be human， Sarah Winman is an author that can satisfy that need。 ‘Still Life’ is a book that caused me to consider the wonderment of friendships， the joy and colors of love in all its forms， and the enduring loyalties of the people we choose to call family。 There is a richness in Winman’s prose that is elegant and almost worshipful of soft， still， moments。 Her words are like a camera that captures a moment and holds it out for us to absorb into our senses。 In her fluid narrative， I felt strengthened by her recognition of what is most important in life， the connections that bind us， whether they are biological or chosen。 In this narrative， most of them are chosen， and there’s something very empowering about that。 It tells me， don’t limit yourself to biology。 The people that are meant to be meaningful and connected to your life are the ones you choose。Ulysses Temper is an English soldier in Tuscany， Italy， in 1944 at the beginning of the story。 24-years-old， Ulysses has fallen in love with the Italian countryside。 With his good friend， Captain Darnley， they have sought out frescoes and other gems of artwork。 Ulysses meets Evelyn Skinner， an art historian in her 60s， who is in Italy to help as art that has been looted by German soldiers is recovered。 Evelyn is part of the Monuments， Fine Arts and Archives program。 Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis by Robert M。 Edsel is a book about the history of the Monuments Men。 Another book on the subject is The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes， Nazi Thieves， and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M。 Edsel and Bret Witter。 ‘The Monuments Men’ movie directed by George Clooney and based on the book was released in 2014。 As Darnley shows Evelyn a recovered cache of art， Evelyn ever the teacher， talks about the style of the art， the use of color， then says， “It’s about feeling， Ulysses that’s all。 People trying to make sense of something they can’t make sense of。” Throughout the book， I get the sense that Winman is marrying emotion to art， to music， to food。 Just like the Monuments Men， Winman is returning something that we may have lost while listening to the daily news， our sense of beauty and wonder in the world。 This is not a fast-paced narrative， although it’s not exactly slow-paced， either。 I read it slowly， trying to savor the words and thoughts while immersing myself in the feeling of community。 Themes are art and beauty。 Luck is a thread that runs throughout the novel。 Ulysses is named after a winning greyhound dog。 ‘Place everything on the black，’ are comments made by Ulysses’s father， and a friend of his father’s， Cress。 Cress is such a unique character。 He talks to trees and spouts poetry， and knows how to drug Claude， the parrot， in order to get him through customs。 Claude often quotes Shakespeare and is one more wise bird， but gets upset easily by Col， who runs the bar in London。 Then poor ole Claude has run-on droppings。 While reading this one， I was brought to tears more than once， which is maybe not saying much because I’m the person who can brim during movie trailers。 However， when Winman describes how the community reacted to the 1966 flood of the Arno in Florence， how Ulysses and his neighbors looked out for one another， and Claude flew a candle over the way to a man who was without any light， some hardened surface in my heart cracked a little。 Students poured in from many countries to help Florence。 Young people offering the gift of their youth。。。to help out。 This is not a story where bad things don’t happen。 Bad things happen… and then people help each other out。 。。。more
Tracy
，
I loved this book - but it took me a while to get into it。 I found it confusing and slow at first and had to start over。 It was a tapestry of characters and lives woven together by circumstance。 Well written and original although the lack of quotation marks irritated me。
Lorraine
，
Another brilliant book by Sarah Winman。 I loved the characters， each one with their own story to tell。 I will definitely read this book again。 Highly recommend。
Brooke，
，
Superb。 Divine。 Gorgeous。 I love this book so much。
Amber
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Ok fine I will move to Italy and eat lunch at the cafe whilst discussing fine art。 This was very good—an exploration of all the different ways we love people and things and places， and how people manage grief and loss in different ways。
Shannon
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3。5 - quite funny in parts， but rather longer than necessary
Kat
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Absolutely loved this beautiful book。 The characters and their relationships。 The moments that are captured and the fates that intervene。 The number of times that serendipity came into play worked in a way that I enjoyed。 The literary and artistic references and the role that Florence takes are brilliant。 Evelyn Skinner， ulysses， Peg， Col， Cress， Massimo， kid and the rest will remain in my thoughts。 Had to slow down reading this as I did not want it to end。
Leslie Zemeckis
，
Beautiful prose - follows a whole mess of quirky characters from WWII to the 70s most of whom will love and fall in love in Florence Italy - there is the old gay woman Evelyn- Ulysses - peg a singer who mostly abandons her daughter - a talking parrot named Clyde -
Isabel
，
This is one of the best audible books I've listened to in a bit。 It took a little while to get into but once you get to know the characters of this makeshift family you'll be laughing and crying along with them。 It was a beautiful， heartfelt book。 I also loved that it was a period piece that began just at the end of World War II and went through the mid-century。 I will say that it did get pretty smutty in places which is not always my vibe， but there were beautiful love stories in the book that This is one of the best audible books I've listened to in a bit。 It took a little while to get into but once you get to know the characters of this makeshift family you'll be laughing and crying along with them。 It was a beautiful， heartfelt book。 I also loved that it was a period piece that began just at the end of World War II and went through the mid-century。 I will say that it did get pretty smutty in places which is not always my vibe， but there were beautiful love stories in the book that I really enjoyed。 I'm still not sure how I feel about learning Evelyn's coming of age story so late in the book。 I really wanted to know more about her at the beginning。 The book is so long that I'm not sure that it works having it so late at the end。 。。。more
MaryBeth's Bookshelf
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I may never recover from reading this book。 My words are inadequate to describe the beauty and impact it had on me。
Ron Charles
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I’m not promising too much by claiming that Sarah Winman’s “Still Life” is a tonic for wanderlust and a cure for loneliness。 It’s that rare， affectionate novel that makes one feel grateful to have been carried along。 Unfurling with no more hurry than a Saturday night among old friends， the story celebrates the myriad ways love is expressed and families are formed。That may sound suspiciously sentimental， but the joys of “Still Life” are cured in a furnace of tragedy。 The action begins in Italy du I’m not promising too much by claiming that Sarah Winman’s “Still Life” is a tonic for wanderlust and a cure for loneliness。 It’s that rare， affectionate novel that makes one feel grateful to have been carried along。 Unfurling with no more hurry than a Saturday night among old friends， the story celebrates the myriad ways love is expressed and families are formed。That may sound suspiciously sentimental， but the joys of “Still Life” are cured in a furnace of tragedy。 The action begins in Italy during World War II。 As bombs fall around them， a young British soldier named Ulysses runs across Miss Evelyn Skinner， a 64-year-old art historian。 She’s been commissioned to help identify masterpieces hidden in the Tuscan hills to protect them from theft and destruction。 When Ulysses questions the relevance of her work amid the human carnage of war， she’s ready: “Beautiful art opens our eyes to the beauty of the world， Ulysses。 It repositions our sight and judgment。 Captures forever that which is fleeting，” Evelyn says。 “Art versus humanity is not the question， Ulysses。 One doesn’t exist without the other。”Ulysses， an unusually thoughtful and compassionate man， will never forget that lesson， but he has no reason to think he’ll ever see Evelyn again。 The war， after all， is a great scrambler of human beings， a calamity as adept at forging relationships as breaking them apart。 Indeed， the rest of “Still Life” — some 400 pages spread over several decades — takes place in the shadow of that common trauma of missing someone。 。 。 。 To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/entert。。。 。。。more
Sharon
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A beautiful book about love and friendship。 Taking place with magnificent Florence in the background。 Makes you want to get on a plane and fly to Italy！
Barbara Cook
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How does Sarah do it？ How does she get me to love the characters and their relationships so much that I couldn't wait to pick up this book and read more， but I couldn't bear to finish it， knowing they'd no longer be part of my life。 I loved the utter acceptance of diversity in kinds of people and styles of relationships。 I loved the warmth of the bohemian lifestyle and the evocation of the essence of Tuscany and the Italian way of life。 The art， the style， the quirkiness， the history， the hospit How does Sarah do it？ How does she get me to love the characters and their relationships so much that I couldn't wait to pick up this book and read more， but I couldn't bear to finish it， knowing they'd no longer be part of my life。 I loved the utter acceptance of diversity in kinds of people and styles of relationships。 I loved the warmth of the bohemian lifestyle and the evocation of the essence of Tuscany and the Italian way of life。 The art， the style， the quirkiness， the history， the hospitality， the flawed characters， the love， all made me feel like I was settling onto a comfy sofa in my fluffy dressing gown。 It was so beautifully written that it made me laugh and sigh with appreciation at the beauty of expression。 。。。more
Janettef
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Absolutely loved the book - magnificent， kind and funny characters including beautiful Florence - if only we could travel。。。。One of my favourites of 2021
Lisa Mayer
，
Very hard to judge why this wasn’t a five star for me （given all the enthusiastic reviews）。 It could be that I started reading it just as I embarked on a big house move， it could be that I didn’t pay enough attention at the beginning and therefore missed bonding with the main characters， or it could be that it just didn’t grab me enough。
Alva McDermott
，
The book was perfection。
Barbara
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A beautiful， beautiful book。 Every page was shear pleasure。 Characters are unforgettable。 You will fall in love with Ulysses， Peg， Alys， Evelyn， Pete， Cress， Col and the parrot Claude。 And above all Italy。 One of my top ten reads for 2021。
Len
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The first thing a person should know going into reading Still Life is that this isn't a book one rushes through to find out what happens at the end。 In fact， the ends just kind of rolls on。 So if you are a person that hard-line needs a What happened at the end then this book isn't for you。I would say I'm 90% of the time enjoy books with that what happened？ but many of my favorites are in that 10%。Still Life builds upon a chance meeting toward the end of World War II between Ulysses a 24-year-ol The first thing a person should know going into reading Still Life is that this isn't a book one rushes through to find out what happens at the end。 In fact， the ends just kind of rolls on。 So if you are a person that hard-line needs a What happened at the end then this book isn't for you。I would say I'm 90% of the time enjoy books with that what happened？ but many of my favorites are in that 10%。Still Life builds upon a chance meeting toward the end of World War II between Ulysses a 24-year-old British soldier and a 64-year-old art historian who is salvaging artwork in the Tuscany region of Italy。 They find within each other a kindred spirit for love， history， and beautiful things。It really embodies the phrasing where it is not necessarily the life one imagined but damn it was a beautiful life。 Where ordinary things become extraordinary in hindsight and with age。 Where family is more than the one you were born into。Lovely。If you feel that the beginning is slow then I challenge you to push beyond the 25% mark。 If after they have been in Florence for a bit and you still haven't tapped into the magic， then feel free to move on。 。。。more
Pam Ostdahl
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I could not get to this book so only read 1st chapter。
Terri Pilate
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Still Life is the perfect title for this book。 The author has painted a masterpiece of words depicting the everyday lives of a group of characters bringing the reader into their world。 This is a book that I will reread with my iPad close by so I can look up each of the Florentine locations。 I now want a second book that focuses on Evelyn’s life during the two World Wars。 Please Sarah Winman， a sequel？
Nic
，
Still Life by Sarah Winman is exceptional。 Ulysses encounters Evelyn in Florence in the last days of his WWII。 Evelyn is an art restorer， poet and so enigmatic she may well be a spy。 Opening his eyes to another world Ulysses never fully settles when he returns to the East End and his colourful ensemble of family and friends。 When the opportunity presents itself to return to Italy， so begins the next stage of his life as Ulysses， Alys， Cressie and Claude embark on a journey across a continent and Still Life by Sarah Winman is exceptional。 Ulysses encounters Evelyn in Florence in the last days of his WWII。 Evelyn is an art restorer， poet and so enigmatic she may well be a spy。 Opening his eyes to another world Ulysses never fully settles when he returns to the East End and his colourful ensemble of family and friends。 When the opportunity presents itself to return to Italy， so begins the next stage of his life as Ulysses， Alys， Cressie and Claude embark on a journey across a continent and transpose a world。 The characters are utterly fantastic and their dialogue is razor sharp and often both touching and hilarious。 I loved Cressie and Claude is a lovely touch。 Perhaps a little too long （I’m not sure we needed the final reminiscing back to EM Forster） but a highly recommended 4。5*I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author。 Probably the best narration I have ever listened to。 。。。more
Angela Kelley
，
Marvelous
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