Having not read anything by Sarah Winman before, I dove into reading Still Life completely blind.

Off the bat, I will warn any potential readers that this does not have any speech marks which, whilst an organic way to read, can make it a difficult one when trying to work out who is speaking. However, whilst the separation of text can be frustrating, the text itself is well-written and spans several time periods, focusing on snapshots of time (that Still Life the title alludes to) in East London and Florence, Italy.

It is in Florence, in 1944, that young soldier Ulysses Temper shares a bottle of 1900 Château Margaux in a cellar with sexagenarian art historian Evelyn Skinner (possible spy), discussing art, life and beauty as bombs fall around them. It appears a running theme in other reviews that the first 100 pages can be a slog to get through due to the lack of apparent plot and slow pacing. Whilst I agree the pacing was slow and normally am all for plot-heavy books that drive you forward, I did enjoy Still Life and its approach.

As a queer woman, I am always on the lookout for LGBTQ+ representation and, despite the time period Still Life normalises it incredibly well. Oh, Evelyn isn’t straight, cool beans, moves on - who she loves/sleeps with is central to her as a person and character but isn’t just facilitated as a plot device, which I really appreciated.

However, Claude the Parrot is my favourite character, no I will not be taking questions at this time, you’ll just have to read and find out why he’s your favourite too.

Overall, despite its lack of pace, Still Life creates a richly interwoven story that all starts in a little cellar with a bottle of wine and some gorgeous 16th Century art.

My thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Winman and Fourth Estate for the ARC.

A superb story that will stay with me for a long time. Loved the different characters & Claude the parrot - perfect timing every time!

2,5/5 rounded up

Reading this book was like a journey through time and across Europe. It’s a bittersweet tale of an unconventional family’s adventures in the aftermath of WW2 and the decades after that. Still Life was not a book for me in terms of pacing and I really struggled getting through it, but it has undeniable qualities nonetheless and I could still recommend it to other people depending on what they are looking for. I was not expecting this when I requested the book based on the blurb, but even though I was disappointed, I also found things to love and was pleasantly surprised, especially by the queer representation.

I’d just like to say that it is incredibly satisfying to see lgbtqia+ people of all ages evolve and interact with each other in a historical setting (and in a book that isn't a romance or focused on queerness). It’s not something I’ve seen a lot in literature, but maybe I haven’t read enough yet to find these books. It was really comforting to read about a queer character in their nineties supporting a much younger one, reading about the tenderness and the love between these people of different generations. This novel about love and family explores the various and sometimes unexpected forms of love we can experience in life, be it romantic or platonic. It’s about building your own family and surrounding yourself with people that you choose. If you love the found family trope, this could be a book for you!

Still Life has some beautifully complex characters, a subtle representation of relationships, but it was lacking a little something to make me love its characters completely. Many of them had the potential to become a favorite of mine but ultimately I was left wanting more. My biggest issue with the book and what kept me from enjoying it was the pacing and lack of plot. Still Life is a character-driven and very slow-paced novel. The truth is I was bored the whole time. The writing was interesting, and while some parts were lovely, the overall left me a bit underwhelmed.

I might try other novels by Sarah Winman in the future even though Still Life really wasn’t for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

content warnings: abuse, sexism, alcohol use, mention of war, character death, mention of homophobia, mention of pedophilia, use of slurs

Description
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 and piazzas of Florence, to the smog of London’s East End, Still Life is a sweeping, joyful, richly-peopled novel about beauty, love, family and fate.
Review


I needed a breather after reading this one. This was my first ready by Sarah WInman, having recognised and followed her progress from when God was a rabbit to this sweeping story of family and love. I have to admit the first 100 pages i struggled with, then suddenly i was immersed in Ulysses life and couldnt put the book down. I admit i lost a weekend to this, to needing to see how ulysses and Alys emerged from the story. And i loved it. It was the combination of the war setting, to the art, food, wine and history of Florence that helped immerse me in what is a story of family being not necessarily blood family, of friendship, of love and finding your place with those you love.

The writing style is perhaps one you need to get used to and some have mentioned the lack of speech marks. Whilst that allowed the story to flow for me, i also laughed out loud at the humour, and Claude the parrott and Cress, it was all beautifully written. I particularly love the photographer taking photos, the click catching a moment in time, and that this was crucial to the wrapping up of the story. There was a very strong sense of place, of London post war, of Florence and having missed travel for 12 months it is what we all need.

This is a novel that will fly off the shelves, it will be reread by Sarah Winman fans, and i expect to see it on the best sellers lists for some time.

4/5
#StillLife #NetGalley

This book is simply a masterpiece. Spanning three decades in the lives of its cast of colourful characters, the scope is epic. However, as the name suggests, it focuses on fleeting points in time. Winman paints moments with words, capturing the light and shade of human experience, like the artworks and photographs that are a motif throughout. It is this vivid detail that makes this book such a delight to read.

One fateful afternoon in 1944 a young soldier, Ulysses Temper, meets bohemian art historian Evelyn Skinner somewhere in the Tuscan Hills. They share a bottle of wine and their views on Portormo’s Deposition from the Cross. It is a brief encounter but one that will link the rest of their lives.

The story shifts between the East End of London, centred on The Stoat and Parrot and its regular drinkers, to the sun drenched beauty of Florence. An act of kindness links the two places and alters the course of the East Enders lives.

With an expert hand, Winman illustrates the characters in such detail they jump from the page. They are warm and vibrant and flawed and human. I adored ‘facts man’ Cressy, who finds a love of poetry and art late in life, and Claude, the Amazonian parrot with a penchant for Shakespeare, who provides some delightful moments of comedy. His quote from Much Ado just about broke my poor heart though.

The theme of art, in its broadest sense, is ever present, with each character finding their own form of artistic expression. There’s also a delicate exploration of love and the emotions that are felt as keenly from one generation to the next.

While I admit to knowing very little about art history, I was entranced by Evelyn’s explanations of the lineage of artists and the influence they had on each other. In the same way I can see a rich literary heritage in this book. There’s a touch of modernism in the style, and a definite nod to Woolf and Forster, the later even makes a brief appearance, and his Room with a View is referenced throughout.

Overall, this book feels like a love letter to Florence, the city that has inspired so much art and literature. I’ve never visited myself but after turning the last page, I found myself checking train schedules to see how to make the journey Evelyn loved so well. Maybe...

I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating read by Sarah Winman. It's a brilliant exploration of love, sacrifice, and humanity. Thanks for the ARC!

Like other reviewers, I struggled to get into this book, finding it confusing and having no sense of it going anywhere. However, I am glad that I persisted as I found myself settling into it and finally enjoying it tremendously. When the story moved from London to Italy the writing became exuberant and full of vitality. Characters with whom I had been unable to engage came alive and it was interesting to see them separating and reuniting at different times.. Some seemed just a bit too good to be true, Ulysses especially, but there seemed to be something very special drawing them all back to each other again and again.

A big irritation for me was that Alys was referred to as 'kid' throughout a whole chapter. Suddenly in the next chapter she was considered old enough to be called by her name. I didn't understand this at all.

There were some vividly described scenes, particularly the flood in Florence which came alive before my eyes.

I apologize if this review seems a bit muddled, but that really reflects my response to this book - disliking it at first, warming to it, and finally loving it. A strange but ultimately satisfying novel. I will read more by Sarah Winman.

I absolutely loved this book. It pulled me in from the first page and has stayed with me long after I finished it. A must read!

This book is pure joy. I absolutely loved it and did not want it to end. It is beautifully written and at times laugh out loud.funny You will fall in love with all the characters and the history and art of Florence. It is at times whimiscal, hilarious, and extremely moving. After I finished it, I went back and read the beginning again. It is a must read for 2021.

A beautiful, evocative book, masterfully written. Definitely lived up to expectations - and mine were high as I liked Sarah Winman's other books especially When God was a Rabbit. Will be recommending this one.

Thank you for this arc, although I could see some nice elements and the themes interested me, but unfortunately I couldn’t finish due to the lack of punctuation and the writing style.



I will definitely try another book from this author in the future.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this when it started in war torn italy and then moved back to London, but it turned into a wonderful tribute to friends and relationships, with a love of Florence running in the b@ckground. I loved all the characters and thought they were extremely well described, you could picture them all. You could also picture there surroundings. I only dropped a star, as I was slightly disappointed with the ending, I feel that chapter could have been placed earlier in the book to aid the characters understanding

I absolutely loved this book! Loved the characters, the settings, the story. I didn't want it to end and felt as though I had left friends when it did. Amazing, beautiful and evocative novel. I have pre-ordered for my bookshop

It felt like a difficult decision on how to rate this book. If I'm honest, some of it dragged. And the lack of speech punctuation drove me a little bit mad at times (though I was reading an ARC so perhaps this will be fixed in the final version?) but then, for so much of it, I loved it! I felt I couldn't give it the full 5 stars, however, because at the beginning I did wonder where on earth the story was going.

Still, it had a parrot who made me laugh out loud, a man who dates women alphabetically by first name, and the whole segment where our little band of characters settle in Florence was so delightful, so charming, that I really didn't want it to end. I did like Evelyn's character, but her story at the end seemed to sit a little strangely, and I was just longing to get back to everyone else. I would have moved it earlier in the book, I think.

Anyway, the characters all seemed very real to me - Ulysses and Cress were my favourites - and they lived on in my head after I'd finished. It made me want to go to Florence again and, especially, eat some real Italian food. The Room with a View comparisons only really come in towards the end, with Evelyn's part of the story, but that was okay...I stopped looking for them after a little while and so when they cropped up finally it was a nice surprise. On balance, a really good story, but it could have been so amazing.
With thanks to Net galley for my copy.

I have read about 22% of this book and am struggling. I have found it slow to develop and I am confused by the storyline it is not at all what I had expected from the blurb. At the moment I have given up, but looking through other comments made in the feedback I will revisit the book in a couple of weeks when I can perhaps focus more carefully on the story.

I enjoyed this book, with memorable characters, Ulysses Temper, Captain Darnley and Evelyn Skinner and a lot, lot more. The writing is strong and descriptive with wonderful & witty dialogue. The novel is filled with descriptions whereby you feel you are there in the moment! This story is beautifully written and is funny and deeply moving at times, This is a story of love, fate, family, friendship and life and so much more.

I recommend this book and give a 4 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

I love Sarah’s books and this is such an elegant and heartwarming cast of characters. The sense of place is brilliant, drawing up both the dreariness of post war England and the warmth and beauty of Florence. Funny and heartbreaking often at the same time, it’s a very enjoyable read.

Italy in 1944. In a ruined villa two extraordinary strangers meet. Evelyn and Ulysses. He is a soldier and she tries to save the paintings from the ruins. They start to talk and reminiscence their lives, all the interesting moments - with truth and beauty and to Ulysses a decades long impact.

Italian atmosphere, poetic narrative and a story full of wisdom.

Beautiful read.

I am a huge Winman fan so was thrilled to get the chance to read this. I found the first 25% of the book very hard to get into however as the chapters and different character storylines went on I became engrossed, by the end I felt bereft to finish. Wouldnt highly recommend, stick with it.

Still Life - wow. What a book.

Of course, I know that Sarah Winman is much admired, and yes, I have had When God Was A Rabbit sitting on my shelf for at least ten years, but I hadn't actually read her work before. Gulp.

Are they all this good?

Still Life is the kind of book you never want to end. It's about family and friendship, about art and Italy and London, about war and circumstance, and yes, about life. I love how the story follows the intertwining lives of the central characters, from 1901 through to the 1970s. I was truly emerged in their story, and I laughed, cringed and cried along with them.

I cannot put into words just how much I cherished the experience of reading this book. I am still in its world. Perhaps the words will come to me later and perhaps they won't. Why don't you read it and see what I mean?