Historical

Still Life

Still Life

  • Downloads：3197
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-19 10:51:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Winman
  • ISBN：0735241414
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Set between World War II and the 1980s， Still Life is a beautiful， big-hearted story of strangers brought together by love， war， art， flood， and the ghost of E。 M。 Forster， from the bestselling， prize-winning author of Tin Man and When God Was a Rabbit。

In the wine-cellar of a Tuscan villa， as the Allies advance and bombs fall around them， two people meet and share an extraordinary evening: Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier from London's East End; Evelyn Skinner is a worldly older art historian and possible spy。 She has come to Italy to rescue paintings from the ruins and relive her memories of the time she encountered E。M。 Forster and had her heart stolen by an Italian maid in a particular Florentine room with a view。

Evelyn's talk of truth and beauty plants a seed in Ulysses's mind that night， one that will shape the trajectory of his life--and the lives of those who love him--for the next four decades。 Moving from war-ravaged Tuscany to the boozy confines of The Stoat and Parrot pub in London and the piazzas of post-war Florence， Still Life is both sweeping and intimate， mischievous and deeply felt。 It is a novel about beauty， love and fate， about the things that make life worth living， and the things we're prepared to die for。

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Reviews

Renie1964 ，

Loved this book。 It made me yearn to travel to Italy again。

cigno ，

POV: You go outside still in your pajamas， the morning mist is just starting to rise from the grass。 You carry a cup of tea， the steam leaping in the air like a dog that's been let out。 Maybe you live in a cottage by the sea。 Maybe you live in a gingerbread chalet。 You feel safe。 And warm and loved。 You know a piano player and a singer and a soldier and an artist and a professor and a poet。 In the evenings you make gnocchi with fresh potatoes and you wash all the love down with sips of wine。 In POV: You go outside still in your pajamas， the morning mist is just starting to rise from the grass。 You carry a cup of tea， the steam leaping in the air like a dog that's been let out。 Maybe you live in a cottage by the sea。 Maybe you live in a gingerbread chalet。 You feel safe。 And warm and loved。 You know a piano player and a singer and a soldier and an artist and a professor and a poet。 In the evenings you make gnocchi with fresh potatoes and you wash all the love down with sips of wine。 In the morning you laugh over coffee。POV: You're reading Still Life， you're in Italy and then in England and then you close the book and you're at home。 。。。more

Gail ，

Still Life by Sarah Winman as reviewed by Gail M。 MurraySpanning four decades， this novel begins in 1944 as allied troops liberate Italy。 British soldier Ulysses Temper （Temps） meets middle aged art historian Evelyn Skinner there to salvage paintings with The Monuments Men。 Over wine they discuss the beauty and purpose of art。 Years later their lives will intersect。 We shift to post war East End London and a grey， mundane existence as Temp returns to the pub and his unfaithful wife Peg， the lea Still Life by Sarah Winman as reviewed by Gail M。 MurraySpanning four decades， this novel begins in 1944 as allied troops liberate Italy。 British soldier Ulysses Temper （Temps） meets middle aged art historian Evelyn Skinner there to salvage paintings with The Monuments Men。 Over wine they discuss the beauty and purpose of art。 Years later their lives will intersect。 We shift to post war East End London and a grey， mundane existence as Temp returns to the pub and his unfaithful wife Peg， the least sympathetic character， selfish， probably mildly depressed and by her own admission a poor mother。 Temp takes on rearing Alys， Peg’s daughter by American serviceman Eddie。 We encounter a motley crew for this ensemble novel which is character rather than plot driven。 In a work of such length I keep waiting for something to happen。 Winman’s uneven style takes perseverance。 Her prose runs the gamut from sparse， blunt naturalism to philosophical poetry。 Entire scenes are dialogue and Winman eschews quotation marks so it is not always clear who is speaking。 Things pick up for Temps and the reader when he inherits a home in sunny Florence， thanks to a simple act of kindness。 The scenes describing life and art in Florence saved the book for me。 Wise Old Cressy， Temps father’s mate， lovingly nurtures both people and the Japanese Cherry tree in his life。 He becomes a friend/surrogate father to Temps and Peg。 His blue Amazonian parrot， Claude， not only quotes Shakespeare， his antics provide much needed humor and comic relief。 There are complex relationships， same sex couples and Aly’s coming of age。 As the novel unfolds， this disparate collection of characters， become a family。 Though named for a winning greyhound， I see a reference to the Greek hero， Ulysses， who encounters obstacles before arriving home。 “So time heals。 Mostly…。。winter moves to spring， swallows return。 But still life in all its beauty and complexity。” （p434）。Sarah Winman， G。P。 Putnam & Sons， 2021， $27。00， 436pp， 9780593330753 。。。more

Rachel ，

this morning i finished my favorite book of 2021 （just under the wire！）i cannot believe the amount of heart and humor packed into these 400 odd pages。 this is a story about love and healing and the families we choose。 it begins at the end of world war two and carries us through the 70s。 the motley crew of characters we meet along the way are some of the most vivid and endearing i've ever read。i'll be carrying this one around for a good long time。（technical note: the fact that this book is writte this morning i finished my favorite book of 2021 （just under the wire！）i cannot believe the amount of heart and humor packed into these 400 odd pages。 this is a story about love and healing and the families we choose。 it begins at the end of world war two and carries us through the 70s。 the motley crew of characters we meet along the way are some of the most vivid and endearing i've ever read。i'll be carrying this one around for a good long time。（technical note: the fact that this book is written entirely without the use of quotation marks and i loved it anyway speaks volumes。） 。。。more

Kim ，

Excellent， beautifully written and now I really want to go to Florence！

Nancy Orrison ，

Not one of my favorites。

Lizzy ，

A tender， beautiful novel about love， friendship， humanity， food， art and connection。 This was a slow burn for me but it will stay with me for a while。

Lori ，

How can you resist a book with a sentence like this: She had class。she may have stolen it but she had it。 A book that has dialogue from a tree and the thoughts of a parrot。 Where the postman delivers your mail where you’ll be， not where you live。 I’m only on page 157 and I’ve already given it twenty sticky notes and five stars。 Don’t care how it ends。 Just enjoy hanging with these characters， every single one。 Best book I’ve read all year and I read millions。 Don’t rent it。 Buy it。

Anne ，

I describe this book to my friends as joyful。 Love the story and the writing。 Don’t have many books on my bookshelf these days - just special ones - like this。

Kenneth Godsey ，

A bit fantastic and delightfully so， I slowed down reading this book。 Relishing witty banter and googling unfamiliar references。 I tried to immerse myself in various periods of 20th century Florence。

Tanya ，

I really didn’t enjoy this book， too arty， trying to hard。The author lost me on page 222 when a 9year old was asked whether she enjoyed a film and her response was “yes i did。 A nice change from neo realism”I instantly thought to myself this writer has not had a child and i dare say has spent little time in the company of 9 year olds and quite frankly i am surprised this wasnt picked up as a flaw by the publisher。 Not sure why it annoyed me so much。 I could have given up on this book at any poin I really didn’t enjoy this book， too arty， trying to hard。The author lost me on page 222 when a 9year old was asked whether she enjoyed a film and her response was “yes i did。 A nice change from neo realism”I instantly thought to myself this writer has not had a child and i dare say has spent little time in the company of 9 year olds and quite frankly i am surprised this wasnt picked up as a flaw by the publisher。 Not sure why it annoyed me so much。 I could have given up on this book at any point。 Wont be rushing to read any more Winman。 。。。more

Chelsea ，

All about love， in its many forms。 Such an affirming and hopeful story。

Rachel Andrews ，

Fabulous book。 Listened to it read by the author on Audible。 Loved the interweaving of characters through the decades and through their lives。

Kim Holland ，

I enjoyed this book so much that I have read it twice and am also listening to it on audible。 I can see the characters and places come to life

Nicholas Calderon ，

4。5

Jj Grilliette ，

I know some people that would really enjoy this book。 I read it for a book club and not really my thing， but I read it， and it was ok。 That is saying a lot for me and this genre。

Debbi ，

This is my favorite book of 2021。 I was completely drawn into the setting and the characters。 I felt like a time traveler in the best possible way。 I listened to the audiobook and in addition to falling in love the story， I was enchanted by the author's narration。 This may have been perfect timing for me， coincidentally one of my children was in Orbetello， Italy when I started the book。 It is such a pleasure to become acquainted with characters over a span of almost 40 years。 There is all sorts This is my favorite book of 2021。 I was completely drawn into the setting and the characters。 I felt like a time traveler in the best possible way。 I listened to the audiobook and in addition to falling in love the story， I was enchanted by the author's narration。 This may have been perfect timing for me， coincidentally one of my children was in Orbetello， Italy when I started the book。 It is such a pleasure to become acquainted with characters over a span of almost 40 years。 There is all sorts of motion in their lives but none of it felt sensational。 Simply an account of a group of friends that I would have loved to be a part of。 Beautiful writing。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more

Jennifer Percy ，

DNFStopped around page 50。 I just wasn't enjoying it and have a lot of other books to read。 Maybe I'll try it again sometime。 DNFStopped around page 50。 I just wasn't enjoying it and have a lot of other books to read。 Maybe I'll try it again sometime。 。。。more

Jenny Lawson ，

My pick for November's Fantastic Strangeling Book Club。 One of my favorite books of the year。 Takes a minute to get started but then I couldn't stop because I fell so in love with the characters。 Beautifully written， hopeful， real。。。like a warm bubble bath of a book。 I missed the characters as soon as the book was over。 My pick for November's Fantastic Strangeling Book Club。 One of my favorite books of the year。 Takes a minute to get started but then I couldn't stop because I fell so in love with the characters。 Beautifully written， hopeful， real。。。like a warm bubble bath of a book。 I missed the characters as soon as the book was over。 。。。more

Tripfiction ，

4。5*During WW2， two people’s lives intersect – perhaps on some kind of clandestine mission – in the Tuscan Hills and post war they return to their more ordinary lives in very different parts of London。This is the story of how life pans out for them， their families and for their circle of friends， drawn out over 4 decades as the world changes and evolves around them。Ulysses， now having once tasted all that Florence has to offer， eventually sets off with a friend （Cres） and a friend’s young daught 4。5*During WW2， two people’s lives intersect – perhaps on some kind of clandestine mission – in the Tuscan Hills and post war they return to their more ordinary lives in very different parts of London。This is the story of how life pans out for them， their families and for their circle of friends， drawn out over 4 decades as the world changes and evolves around them。Ulysses， now having once tasted all that Florence has to offer， eventually sets off with a friend （Cres） and a friend’s young daughter in tow （referred to as the ‘Kid’ or Alys）， oh， and not forgetting the parrot。 Ulysses has come into some money and they decide to set up a pensione in anticipation of attracting guests from far and wide。Cres has done what all newcomers to the city need to do in order to get under the skin of the city – he reads E M Forster’s A Room with a View， to get a sense of the place， and go down to a deeper level （now， there a good idea， a kind of trip fiction don’t you think …）。 He even consigns his Baedecker guidebook to the floor， where it becomes a satisfactory doorstop。 They name their new enterprise Bertolini， after the pensione in the novel， but that soon morphs into Il Papagallo in homage to the parrot。It’s a book about life and getting stuck in as best you can。 Sarah is a gifted writer who brings her array of mis-matched characters to colourful life and sets them in situations， with just enough whimsy to bring a smile to the readers’ face。Interestingly she has a lot of dialogue but uses no speech marks which I thought might be an irritating device but actually gives the narrative a stream-lined flow which proves to be very readable。 Also the sprayed edges （“spredges”） on some editions are worth a mention！You will get your fix of Florence with art and food and just the general ambience！ 。。。more

Nancy Lukas ，

I loved this book。 It’s a love letter to Florence written by a master storyteller。 The characters are so well developed。 They are flawed and lovely。 Highly recommended！

Olivia Mohtady ，

A vivid， immersive， lovely novel with a great cast。 It could have been a play it was so theatrical。 It had an epic feel， spanning nearly a lifetime， and I felt like something more had happened than me just reading a book when I finished it。

Bonnie ，

What a gorgeous story。 Thanks to Sarah Winman， I have a new favorite toast - "To this moment"。 What a gorgeous story。 Thanks to Sarah Winman， I have a new favorite toast - "To this moment"。 。。。more

Teresa A。 Mauk ，

I had trouble getting into this book and eventually gave up。 The writing doesn't have punctuation and so the reader has to pay attention to understand what is spoken vs。 what is thought。 I enjoyed some of the eccentric characters at the bar but couldn't muster any tender feelings for Peg。 Perhaps I'll try reading it again in the future。 I had trouble getting into this book and eventually gave up。 The writing doesn't have punctuation and so the reader has to pay attention to understand what is spoken vs。 what is thought。 I enjoyed some of the eccentric characters at the bar but couldn't muster any tender feelings for Peg。 Perhaps I'll try reading it again in the future。 。。。more

Angie Ward ，

One of the most beautifully written novels I have had the pleasure of reading。 Colourful， lovable， eccentric characters ， with a fascinating storyline。 Sarah Winman's books are a delight to read。 One of the most beautifully written novels I have had the pleasure of reading。 Colourful， lovable， eccentric characters ， with a fascinating storyline。 Sarah Winman's books are a delight to read。 。。。more

Heather ，

This story is horrible。 First let’s start with the lack of quotation marks。 I’m not sure why the author decided to omit them， but it causes the reader to have to reread in many pleases。 Second the story jumps around a lot in the beginning and then stops within one story line for a large chunk before skipping around again。 Third there really is no larger story it is a daily life type story rather then something that will catch and hold the readers attention。 I struggled to get through this book…

Elaine ，

It was okay。

LindaJ^ ，

This was an enjoyable， character and place driven novel。 It opens in WWII with art expert Evelyn Skinner encountering English Private Ulysses Tempor outside of Florence。 Evelyn is 64， Ulysses is in his 20's。 Along with Ulysses's Captain they enjoy a couple of excellent bottles of wine in a German hideaway full of stolen art。 Evelyn insists that Ulysses spend some time in Florence and the Captain makes it happen。 The Captain reminds Evelyn of the young E。M。 Forester， whom she met in Florence when This was an enjoyable， character and place driven novel。 It opens in WWII with art expert Evelyn Skinner encountering English Private Ulysses Tempor outside of Florence。 Evelyn is 64， Ulysses is in his 20's。 Along with Ulysses's Captain they enjoy a couple of excellent bottles of wine in a German hideaway full of stolen art。 Evelyn insists that Ulysses spend some time in Florence and the Captain makes it happen。 The Captain reminds Evelyn of the young E。M。 Forester， whom she met in Florence when she was in her early 20's。 While Ulysses is in Florence， he convinces a man called Arturo not to jump to his death， something that many years later results in Ulysses return to Florence。Post-war， Ulysses returns to London and his wife Peg， who has a daughter， Alys， by an American soldier， Eddie， who promised her he would return for her， but doesn't。 Ulysses is cool with that。 Peg insists on a divorce but remains close friends with Ulysses。 Ulysses works in Col's bar where he worked pre-war。 Pete plays the piano there when not writing songs and appearing in plays。 Cressy， a friend of Ulysses dad （who died young）， gets a premonition that a Dutch woman will win 4 events at the London Olympics and bets a boodle。 She wins！ A year or so later， he and Ulysses head to Florence。 Peg insists he take Alys and gives him custody of her， so Alys （and the parrot Claude） make their way to Florence and their pensione。 It takes a while to fit in， but soon they are in good stead with the neighbors and have many friends。 Meanwhile Evelyn is teaching art and vacationing with a good friend。 She has never forgotten Ulysses。 She doesn't know he has move to Florence but while in Florence one year， meets Alys。Eventually Evelyn， in her 80's， learns Ulysses is in Florence and after a few years moves there herself。 On Evelyn's 99th birthday there is a party where Evelyn tells the story of her first visit to Florence when she fell in love and met E。M。 Forester。 The author does a nice job of filling in the backstories of the major characters。 Once in a while， she describes what would have happened if someone had turn right instead of getting on the bus。 Cressy has more premonitions that always turn out to be true。 Everyone ends up pretty content with their lives， although there were some rocky moments， like the 1966 flooding of Florence。 The author reads the audio。 She does a fine job， although her British accent had me struggling at times。 。。。more

Annette Morris ，

A delightful book。 Quirky and quaint， warm and whimsical， very， very funny and achingly sad。 An absolute joy to read。 If only real life were like this。。。。

Melissa ，

delicious melancholy。gentle reader warning- not for the prudish。 Quite a bit frank depiction of sex， both gay and straight。

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