Still Life
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-07 04:53:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sarah Winman
- ISBN：0008283362
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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
Sarah
，
This is going to be a DNF for me。 25% - Chapter three
Laurie
，
I loved this book from its incredible descriptions of Florence over the decades to its lovable， eccentric characters including the amazing Claude， the parrot。 It was hard to see it end。 The vivid writing made the characters come to life。 The only character I did not care for was Peg， the diva， whom all the men seemed to worship despite her bed behavior。 It has many very funny moments as well as some genuine sadness。 I don't know that it will be everyone's cup of tea， but I highly recommend it。 I I loved this book from its incredible descriptions of Florence over the decades to its lovable， eccentric characters including the amazing Claude， the parrot。 It was hard to see it end。 The vivid writing made the characters come to life。 The only character I did not care for was Peg， the diva， whom all the men seemed to worship despite her bed behavior。 It has many very funny moments as well as some genuine sadness。 I don't know that it will be everyone's cup of tea， but I highly recommend it。 If you love Florence， Renaissance art， or eccentric British characters you will love it。 。。。more
Laureen
，
Love。 Joy。
Margie
，
I couldn’t get into this one so quit reading after a few chapters。 Just not for me so not leaving a rating。
Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah*
，
Beautiful， hypnotizing， mesmerizing。
Becca
，
I finally finished this book a few nights ago and it's taken me until now to be able to even think。about how to review this magnificent （add several more superlatives） book。I started it months ago but have been savouring it since， rationing it out so it wouldn't leave my life。 I honestly love this book so much and could read about 10 more books set in this world。Chances are you already know the synopsis so I will skip that and say that this book invites us in to meet this band of interesting cha I finally finished this book a few nights ago and it's taken me until now to be able to even think。about how to review this magnificent （add several more superlatives） book。I started it months ago but have been savouring it since， rationing it out so it wouldn't leave my life。 I honestly love this book so much and could read about 10 more books set in this world。Chances are you already know the synopsis so I will skip that and say that this book invites us in to meet this band of interesting characters who become a found family。 We start in world war 2 in Italy with Evelyn Skinner telling a story of how she met E。M。 Forster and from there the world unfolds in every sense of the word。You get a whistle stop tour of events in history aswell as moments of magical realism that grow into the narrative and leave a mark on you。 Beautifully written with sentences that cloud your eyes with tears， sometimes sadness and more often laughter and moments of love， art and survival。 Oh and a parrot！It's poetic and real and has some of the best characters you will ever meet。 This book was everything I needed this year and I cannot praise it enough。 Buy it for you， for people you love or get requesting it from your library。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
You usually get a feeling within the first page or so for whether you're going to enjoy a book or not。 This was certainly the case with this one。 I did give it til 10% before deciding to write it off。 Books about WWII aren't usually my preference but I'd heard a few booktubers rave about this new Winman novel that I felt I had to try it。 Unfortunately， I found it boring and I just didn't care enough to stick with it。 By the looks of other 1-2* reviews， I am not alone in my estimations of this no You usually get a feeling within the first page or so for whether you're going to enjoy a book or not。 This was certainly the case with this one。 I did give it til 10% before deciding to write it off。 Books about WWII aren't usually my preference but I'd heard a few booktubers rave about this new Winman novel that I felt I had to try it。 Unfortunately， I found it boring and I just didn't care enough to stick with it。 By the looks of other 1-2* reviews， I am not alone in my estimations of this novel as dull and boring！ As ever， if you're not enjoying a book， ditch it， life's too short and there's no bonus points for slogging yourself to finish a book！ 。。。more
Laura
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Found it a slow start but very happy I stuck with it！
Pat Creighton
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Loved this book - the writing brought all the characters alive。 Plus such a great education about Florence。 Must read
Aidan
，
While I really enjoyed this book， I felt it was more like two or three shorter novels that had been stitched together using some common characters。 Years ago， it would probably have come out a a trilogy - perhaps modern readers can’t cope with that。 Still， an enjoyable book from an excellent fluent writer。
Paige
，
Lovely。
Annagrace
，
Completely enjoyable and fairly brimming with heart and humor。 Nearly too many perfectly romantic characters and too many perfectly resolving storylines and so much goodness and beauty and probably a fair amount of historical license （because， um， fiction） and you know what？ I loved every single minute。 Well， right up until the last bit， which even I had to admit was a bridge too far。 Sarah Winman writes like she still believes in the essential goodness of humans。 She writes the complications of Completely enjoyable and fairly brimming with heart and humor。 Nearly too many perfectly romantic characters and too many perfectly resolving storylines and so much goodness and beauty and probably a fair amount of historical license （because， um， fiction） and you know what？ I loved every single minute。 Well， right up until the last bit， which even I had to admit was a bridge too far。 Sarah Winman writes like she still believes in the essential goodness of humans。 She writes the complications of grief and love like she never bought into binary *anything*。 Of course this will ring false to many readers， friends included。 Sometimes I need sturdier stories， too。 That’s fine。 There are plenty dark， heavy， and perfectly correct books to choose instead。 Sometimes the spoonful of sugar is also the medicine。 。。。more
Sharon Payne
，
I loved this book so much！ The light and the dark， the humor and sadness， but mostly this fallible， imperfect characters that come together to make a family。
Samantha // fictionfigurine
，
Entirely way too long。
Michael Sanderson-green
，
Her best book by far。 Wonderful characters through to the parrot and Florence itself。 I can’t say enough about this book ， I hope they make a 10 part tv series from it ， which doesn’t mean wingman hasn’t brought the characters alive ， in fact the opposite and I’d like to see them on the screen ， The whole book makes one evaluate our own lives and choices 。
Sarah Kalis
，
An utterly beautiful and wistful journey through the years of a charming found family。 The writing was atmospheric yet subtle。 Reading this book was a leisurely stroll through the complex lives of our many characters。 So much heart， and so many glimpses into the bittersweet quality of loving and living。 Of note， this book does lack that enrapturing factor that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat。 I think the meandering pace is the point， though。 This may not resonate with those looking fo An utterly beautiful and wistful journey through the years of a charming found family。 The writing was atmospheric yet subtle。 Reading this book was a leisurely stroll through the complex lives of our many characters。 So much heart， and so many glimpses into the bittersweet quality of loving and living。 Of note， this book does lack that enrapturing factor that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat。 I think the meandering pace is the point， though。 This may not resonate with those looking for intense plot and action。 。。。more
Carol
，
3。5
Erin
，
Rounding up。 Slow to start， but then the most heartwarming story filled with quirky and lovable characters。 Set in post war Florence and filled with food and musics。 Didn’t love the last section， as was less interested in Evelyn and it felt abrupt and separate- wanted to return to the expats in the pensione！
Paula Bryant
，
DNF halfway through
Debbie
，
Maybe 4。5 because I loved this book。 Probably one of my favorites of the year。 Honestly， I would’ve been happier if the book ended before the last section。 I did find the Evelyn sections slower。 I felt the last 60 pages of the book didn’t have the same momentum as the rest of the story。 Why not include that section earlier in the book？ I enjoyed reading about Ulysses and his friends and how their lives were progressing。 The friendships were special， unique and heartwarming。 The setting of Tuscan Maybe 4。5 because I loved this book。 Probably one of my favorites of the year。 Honestly， I would’ve been happier if the book ended before the last section。 I did find the Evelyn sections slower。 I felt the last 60 pages of the book didn’t have the same momentum as the rest of the story。 Why not include that section earlier in the book？ I enjoyed reading about Ulysses and his friends and how their lives were progressing。 The friendships were special， unique and heartwarming。 The setting of Tuscany was lovely to read about。 This is one of the few books that reminded me of another favorite of mine- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society。 。。。more
Aletha Pagett
，
For me， Still Life was a long and tedious journey。 I could not relate to the setting， the story or the charaters。 This book was received from Goodreads。
Laura Jane
，
The most stunning book I have read in years。 Transformative， lovely and human， about love and loss， pain and heartbreak， all in a stunning landscape。
Fictionophile
，
"Still Life" is a novel that is best to read slowly， to savour every poetic word。 The scenes in Tuscany make the reader experience the languid pace of a hot Tuscan summer。It is a story about family - two men， a young girl， and a parrot。 And no， they are not related by blood， but by affection。 It is a story of conversational trees， and a parrot who does not mimic， but has meaningful discussions。 Odd you think？ Yes， but this just adds to the book's tender magic。 It is also a novel of loss， love， k "Still Life" is a novel that is best to read slowly， to savour every poetic word。 The scenes in Tuscany make the reader experience the languid pace of a hot Tuscan summer。It is a story about family - two men， a young girl， and a parrot。 And no， they are not related by blood， but by affection。 It is a story of conversational trees， and a parrot who does not mimic， but has meaningful discussions。 Odd you think？ Yes， but this just adds to the book's tender magic。 It is also a novel of loss， love， kindness， friendship， kismet， serendipity， human resilience， and connections to both people and places。 A novel that reinforces the notion that 'home' is more the people in it， than any one place。 It is a tribute to the majestic and historic city of Florence。The novel also spoke to the devastation of the 1966 flood in the city when the banks of the Arno overflowed。When I read that the novelist Joanna Cannon wrote "Sarah Winman" is why I write"， it affirmed why I love both these literary writers。This is beautifully written fiction that tenderly warms the heart， while occasionally tearing it out of your chest。 What more can you ask for？ 。。。more
Marissa Tarnosky
，
A charming tale of life， love， and friendship。 We should all be so lucky。
Kidlitter
，
Awfully good and would be a lovely trip for when someone wants to go to Tuscany， or learn about Renaissance or glass blowing， or plumb the hearts and souls of some rather nice English and Italian people。 Kudos all'autore！ Awfully good and would be a lovely trip for when someone wants to go to Tuscany， or learn about Renaissance or glass blowing， or plumb the hearts and souls of some rather nice English and Italian people。 Kudos all'autore！ 。。。more
Claire
，
I rarely give 5 stars and I don’t want to give anything away about the book。 I’ll simply say I was immersed in Italy with fascinating characters and a talking Parrot。 It’s a MUST read。 Anytime I was reading in a public space people asked for the name of the book， because it made me constantly chuckle。 If you like Amor Towels stories you’ll also like Sarah Winman。 Can’t wait to read more of her books。
Jacqueline T
，
I couldn’t finish it。 I got 210 pages in and just couldn’t take it anymore。
Joanne Williams
，
This book was not what I hoped it would be。
Megha Khaitan
，
“And they couldn’t believe how so many roads had either lead to him or led to her。 And for Evelyn， there was equal sadness as there was delight at hearing how close they’d been to one another， how touchable， if only- the preciousness of time， you see。”~ Still Life， Sarah Winman。Sarah Winman is an author extraordinaire in all the true sense。 The beautiful constellation of words and the originality of sentence construction in her book is par excellence。 “Words as gold dust” ， her phrase in the boo “And they couldn’t believe how so many roads had either lead to him or led to her。 And for Evelyn， there was equal sadness as there was delight at hearing how close they’d been to one another， how touchable， if only- the preciousness of time， you see。”~ Still Life， Sarah Winman。Sarah Winman is an author extraordinaire in all the true sense。 The beautiful constellation of words and the originality of sentence construction in her book is par excellence。 “Words as gold dust” ， her phrase in the book and I genuinely felt her words likewise。 Still Iife is an endearing story of people entwined with love， art， kindness， longing and the trajectory of life after the remnants of the war。 Set up in aristocratic London and passionate Florence。 There’s an art here in enticing through ordinariness。 If only her characters were real， the world would be a much better place。 Stella Rudolph， an esteemed art historian outlined the character for Evelyn in the book。 Evelyn， richly characterised， youthful and lively in her golden years and forever looking ten years younger， something she would put down to cod liver oil and cold water swimming and being loved。That got me curious abt Stella Rudolph and I had to google her。 （ another heartfelt life story there） I am ending my year with one of the finest novels that made my heart soar more than often。 “Cress said， We’re embarking on the world of new language and new systems。 A world of stares and misunderstandings and humiliations and we’ll feel every single one of them， boy。 But we mustn’t let our inability to know what’s what diminish us。 Because it’ll try。 We have to remain curious and open。 Two words for: ley lines。”~ Still Life， Sarah Winman。 。。。more
Sharon Greenall
，
Loved this story， the audio version read by the author is a delight。
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