This sprawling character driven novel is rich and multilayered, Set in London’s East End and Florence it spans three decades in the lives of a group of memorable characters. It relays the stories of ordinary people and the challenges they face and how their lives intersect and connect. Filled with beautiful descriptions, a vivid depiction of Florence and the importance and appreciation of art the story gathers the reader and transports them to this time and place. Ulysses’s connections and relationships to an assortment of unique individuals that he chooses form a devoted and supportive family that reminds us of the connections that bind us to each other. The historical context, including the great flood of Florence, provided interesting insights to these events in history. Although lengthy and slow paced at times, this was a beautifully written transportive experience.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This historical fiction is an epic story full of interesting characters. The book spans several decades and takes place in both Italy and England. It is definitely a character study and at times I felt it a bit slow. But enjoyable overall.

Ulysses and Evelyn lives intersect during WW II in Italy. Many years pass before they meet up again. During the interval, Ulysses inherits a residence in Florence. Slowly his British friends move in and out of the pensione.
The prose is delicious, the food dishes intriguing, the major flood one year is devastating, and the people's stories are enticing.
Read this one!

Listen, I don’t usually go in for hopeful books, but I absolutely loved this one (and thank you @putnambooks for the gifted copy!) and kind of just want to hug it? This story puts the focus on the beauty of human relationships, art, and cities, but it’s balanced by enough grittiness and real feeling characters to not render it saccharine. Sure, there are some too easy coincidences in this book, but they’re painted in a way that says that sometimes life just works out right. Sometimes you really ARE just in the right place at the right time. Wonderfully flawed characters you can’t help but love, the allusions to E.M. Forster, a story that grows and unfolds over decades, and some seriously brilliant prose moments made this an absolute delight to read. In short if you love art, armchair travel, found families, and hope, this is the book is for you.

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.

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.

Stretching from 1944 to 1979, this story traces the charming relationships among a group of friends who are close enough to have formed a devoted and supportive family. The central character is Ulysses Temper, a young British soldier who we first meet in Florence, Italy during WWII. Ulysses, his Captain and 64 year old art historian (and possible spy) Evelyn Skinner spend a memorable evening looking at art, drinking wine and escaping bombs. “When the bombs fell overhead, and he held my hand and shouted against the tumult, not today, Evelyn! It’s not going to be us today. His face was compelling, Dotty. I was young again. I felt young again. I will be forever grateful.” The link between Ulysses and Evelyn lasts for decades.

The book explores the mutability and constancy of love, ambivalent and devoted parenting and the beauty of (and gender biases in) art. The characters are fully fleshed out, including a really delightful talking parrot. Most of the book is set in Florence, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the city. The writing is beautiful, just like it was in the author’s previous book “Tin Man”. Occasionally, it felt like the author was skipping through events too quickly. I suppose that is inevitable when you are trying to cover such a long period. The description of a flood and its aftermath in Florence was very detailed though, and I appreciated that. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and she did an excellent job with the narration. 4.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This is a Mac and Cheese book. A curl up on the couch with a coffee book. Basically, it‘s a comfort read with likable, believable characters who form a chosen family. Spanning almost 40 years, the story takes us from London to Florence, through the many characters heartbreak and joy. This is a definite must read.

Sarah Winman has offered her readers a host of unforgettable characters in Still Life. Each character stands as an individual but each is connected in some way to Peg. Peg’s understated influence on the others drives the various plots. I wanted to learn more about Peg, but some things will be revealed over the course of the novel. Add to this the settings of Florence, Italy along with London and the reader will not be left wanting. One unique aspect of the book features Ulysses carrying on the family business of creating globes. This seems particularly poignant as each of the characters ventures through the earthly ups and downs of life.

Good Morning America has just named Still Life the November pick for book club. A great choice!!

Ulysses is a former soldier raising his ex-wife’s daughter in Italy alongside his best friends. A chance encounter with an art historian and the spirit of his former military captain remind him to cherish all that is the Tuscan Hills. Gorgeous scenery, exemplary wr​​iting, and genuine love coat the pages of this beauty.

Loved the book. Absolutely loved it. The characters were beautiful. Each of them unique, quirky, and breathtakingly beautiful. I especially enjoyed Winman’s vivid descriptions of the Italian scenery.

Highly recommended. This one actually came out today, so do yourself a favor and pop over to your local indie bookstore and grab a copy.

Thanks to Sarah Winman, Penguin Group and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This is my favorite book I’ve read this year. I don’t want to say too much about it because that risks spoiling the gift of unwrapping it yourself, but the language is stunning, and if you love character-driven stories, you absolutely must pick this book up. Each person (and also the parrot) featured in Still Life is so fully formed that I find myself missing them every so often. I love Winman’s previous book, Tin Man, which is what made me want to read this, and the length of this novel gives her time to explore all of the things that make life wonderful — the small joys and the big moments and everything in between. It’s written without quotation marks and with sometimes incomplete sentences, but once you get used to the style, it makes the book feel more intimate — like a tale recounted by a friend over coffee. This is a book that makes you remember why you became a reader. It’s out today (I think — the pub day changed a couple times), and I hope you’ll consider picking it up so that you can share in my joy.

Okay, this is a story that begins in WWII and spans decades from there. There are a lot of characters, a lot of life lived. It’s like looking at a painting from many angles, thus the title Still Life is appropriate.

With a large cast of characters, Still Life is historical fiction that spans about 35 years. It takes place primarily in London and Florence and shows the day-to-day lives of Ulysses, his makeshift family, and his friends. The novel tells of various relationships and talks about art and love. Basically, it’s about life with all its ups and downs, heartbreaks and joys. The story unfolds gradually at a leisurely pace; the characters are believable and I enjoyed getting to know them, eager to learn what happens next. Still Life reflects the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It kept my interest throughout and I was sorry to reach the end. A beautiful story.

“Still Life”….is a wonderful - historical novel. (very different from “Tin Man”…but equally differently terrific).

“Two people pulling each other into Salvation is the only theme I find worthwhile”.
….E. M. Forester, Commonplace Book

THE CHARACTERS in ‘Still Life’ are a standout!!!
I loved spending time with them: Ulysses, Evelyn, Peg, Alys, Col, Cressy, Pianist Pete, and a blue fronted Amazonian parrot named, Claude. >
I was easily transported to an earlier time (the end of WWII- with these collective characters — and their fresh-enjoyable (often playful), dialogue with each other.

I read this 464 page book in 2 days. I literally blocked out the rest of the world…. and lived in ‘this’ literary-wonderful world.
2021 has been a fantastic book year ….. ( so many great books),
….and
“Still Life” is one of the TOP GREAT READS - among the very best!
…..historical fiction: beauties of Florence Italy — great characters- story - prose - friendships - love - laughter - heartbreaking & heartwarming moments - wisdom - relatable- and a great tribute to ITALY!!

Lovely excerpts:
“Beautiful art opens our eyes to the beauty of the world, Ulysses. It repositions our sight and judgment. Captures forever that which is fleeting. A meager stain in the corridors of history, that’s all we are. A little mark of scuff.
One hundred and fifty years ago Napoleon breathed the same air as we do now. The battalion of time marches on. Art versus humanity is not the question, Ulysses. One doesn’t exist without the other. Art is the antidote. Is that enough to make it important? Well, yes, I think it is”.

“There are moments in life so monumental and still that the memory can never be retrieved without a catch to the throat or an interruption to the beat of the heart. Can never be retrieved without the rumbling disquiet of how close that moment came to not having happened at all”.

“Eight days it would take. Eight days to cross three countries and countless landscapes”
“They had seen wild boar and falcons and stars falling across the Alps. And they’d come to rely on one another because they were all they had”.

“We’re embarking on a world as a new language and new systems. A world of stares and misunderstandings and humiliation‘s and we’ll feel every single one of them, boy. But we mustn’t let our inability to know what’s diminish us. Because it’ll try. We have to remain curious and open”.

“Even those whose usual avocations are of the most ‘prosaic’ nature unconsciously become admirers of poetry and art in Italy”.

“The parrot was wearing shorts?”…… you betcha! 🦜🩳

Many thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Sarah Winman - 4 stars!

Spanning decades, we first meet Ulysses, an English soldier, on the battleground in Italy. He has a chance meeting with an older woman, Evelyn, an art historian, who has come to see if she can salvage any paintings. The two will cross paths over the next decades until finally meeting again. Ulysses has developed a family of sorts with a group of people he meets at a local pub in London,. When Ulysses inherits a home in Florence, he ends up gathering these friends with him as they navigate life and love.

This is wonderfully written with a group of characters I won't soon forget - including a parrot! I loved the way the book followed these characters through chance meetings and over decades, giving us an opportunity to see how they grew and changed. It's also a love letter to Florence, art and food, with a study in feminism and women's roles through this time period. But it did drag a bit for me in parts, especially the ending which takes us back to Evelyn's early story. Maybe I was just missing the rest of the characters at that part though!

Sarah Winman's Still-Life is a perplexing novel. It features all of the ingredients of a great novel: interesting character, a wonderful setting (Florence), and even a bit of E.M. Forster. However, it lacks tension and it lacks plot. For me, that was the hardest part to get past and why it took me so long to read (though the lack of quotation marks didn't help). I really wanted to love this, but I think it's for a different kind of reader than I am. If you like sketchy, impressionistic writing, this could be the one for you.

This book is exactly like a still life painting - everyone is going to get something different out of it. For some, it may not resonate. But for others, it may be the story that speaks to them.

For me, I'm on the fence. While I don't mind character-driven novels, especially ones that have a large cast of amazing characters such as this, I do want some sort of plot. And considering how many decades this story spans, as well as the chunky physical length of the book, I was expecting a bit more on that front.

I am also not the type of reader who appreciates when authors make certain stylistic choices, such as not using quotations marks. There's soooo much dialogue in this, so that drove me up the wall.

That being said, I did enjoy the descriptions of Europe and how the different cities changed over the course of the characters' lives and history. And again, I do think the characters are pretty note-worthy, even the ones who weren't my favourite. Ulysses is a great main character and the primary reason why I kept picking this book back up.

But as with art, I know there are going to be some readers who will immediately fall head over heels in love with this, while others might quickly move onto the next book without a second glance back. And being the indecisive person that I am, I'm somewhere in the middle.

Sometimes you cannot say goodbye to certain people because deep inside you know that your parting is only temporary and you will see each other whether it’s 2 days later or 20 years later. When Ulysses and Evelyn went their own ways on that night during WW2 after “special viewing” of an impressive art work in Italy, both knew that they could not say goodbye and wouldn’t be forgetting each other.

War was over and it was time for everyone to go home. Ulysses was back in London only to find his wife had a kid and asking for a divorce. He wasn’t surprised how everything turned out after his absence and he had no intention of breaking his relationship with his wife and friends that he had to leave behind. Divorce went through but Ulysses kept his crew together. One day a man arrived with some interesting news from Italy that shook everyone and changed their lives forever. You would never guess when karma will do its magic and throw all the good (and bad) deeds you have done back at you.

Karma took Ulysses and his crew back to Italy and gave them an enormous house, which they decided to run as a pensione, as a gift. They created a life divided between Italy and England adding more people to their crew while going through life’s typical hurdles. At the end, everyone ended up living a life that they never imagined. And that goodbye that was never said 20 something years ago came back and found Ulysses…

This is a story that takes place over a lifetime, and while the situations and circumstances that transpire are important, memorable, and achingly beautiful even in their tragic moments, it’s truly the lives of the characters themselves that make it so moving.

Ulysses was a soul to remember. He went into the war a boy and came out a changed man, but in all the right ways. He cared deeply, still saw the hope in humanity, reached out a helping hand to those in need with no thought as to how it would be repaid, and just generally had a heart the size of the globes he eventually creates. It was this heart that saw him through the bad times. It was this heart that forged a connection with a passing stranger in the midst of battle that would carry forward with him all his days, and turn into a friendship most cherished. It was this heart that even while breaking, carried on, staying strong for those that needed him. My own heart broke for him when tragedy struck time and time again, but it was his desire to see things through, to move forward from those dark times that made you believe it would all work out in the end.

Alys we get to know and love as small child through tumultuous teen years and into her young adulthood. She had a rough start in life and was given every reason to feel ultimately rejected, but I truly believed what saved her at every turn...was love. She had an old soul, and understood so much more than someone her age would normally, but the love that surrounded her, no matter how nontraditionally woven, was her safety net. It was what she felt deep down and knew even in those questioning days that she could fall back on without glancing back to be sure of its presence.

Cress was oddly enough, another heart at the center point of this tale. You don't expect it, in fact, he comes off as rather unusual and eccentric, with no particular background to speak of, but experience in life has a lot to say for itself. He reminds us that we all have roots, and the world is constantly trying to show us that fact, while telling us in its own subtle ways, which blow of the wind to follow; if only we'd LISTEN. He listens. He listens enough for them all at most times, and from the moment he ran after them as they drove out of town, two bags and a smuggled soul in his hands, his impression was made on me. In Italy, his presence takes time to accept, but once he cracks through the veneer, he's at home. When time eventually catches up with him, you see it coming, but you FEEL it so much more...and his bow out of this world was marked with another loss that will shake you to the core, but leave you knowing it couldn't have been any other way.

Evelyn we meet once upon a war mission, but she is such a lady of stature, such a woman of heart, such a force for the art world that even though there are bombs flying through the air, she, Ulysses, and the Captain are able to make a moment that will live on in time. Their story's part ways for many years, and we get to know them apart in their own worlds as time ticks by, but when the moment is finally right, their reunion is that much more precious, that much more appreciated, and cherished. You can see how the puzzle pieces fit together to make such a masterpiece, something to be gazed upon and contemplated as to how we can achieve those types of relationships in our lives.

Claude was the mouthy parrot that never said die. He lived quite an adventurous life, and accomplished well more than any parrot I've ever known, including the ability to understand random human conversations, and dole out advice befitting the situation. Peg was the girl that got away, and yet she and Ulysses had their moment...scattered through time, but there nonetheless. It was obvious she trusted him with her soul, but her heart was always on the tear for something bigger, better, out there in the great wide world...which makes the lessons she learns inadvertently along the way, that much more heartbreaking. Col could've just been the local bar owner, but he was such a big presence, along with his gentle souled daughter, Ginny. He was there when they needed him, and despite his easily raised temper, and unusual mode of transportation, he could always be counted on.

In the end, this is a story very fitting its title...still life as observed in art, but also in the sense of even after everything happens, still life unfolds. I know I pretty much wrote a detailed "who's who" for the story, but there are still so many people you have to meet, so much more to learn about the ones I've mentioned, I promised I've overshared nothing. If you're looking for a story that checks all the boxes, makes you think, laugh, love, and cry over a silly old bird that wasn't quite so silly, don't imitate a still life portrait; add this title to your wish list today!

The author of the bestselling novel Tin Man returns with this sweeping historical fiction novel of Italy, war, and the beloved author E.M. Forster. Still Life was the novel of 2021 that caught me by surprise as I did not expect to fall in love with its characters and beautiful themes about life, art, and love so quickly. Be prepared to have your stomach in knots over descriptions of war and to smile as your read about the triumphs of humanity in times of despair.