This has such beautiful writing, Really like the writing style and punchy dialogue.
Took me a bit longer to get into it than expected but once I did, I was hooked and (no spoilers) loved the ending.
Packed with emotion and love and loss. Covers a lengthy time frame in which you see the characters journey through.

For most of the book we are on a jaunty ride through three post-war decades - following the fortunes of a group of colourful characters in Florence and London’s east end. Colourful the characters may be, including the Shakespeare-quoting parrot, but I didn’t find them overly engaging. I was more taken with the mass of cultural references, to art and music in particular, and with the descriptions of Florence.

I was glad Evelyn’s early story came last, she being my least favourite character, and found it a tad overblown. All that rapture and innuendo in Florence at the beginning would have put me off and I so much more enjoyed the part with Ulysses and his entourage. I’d have been glad to leave the story there, at about 75%.

So, some of this appealed to me and some of it didn’t. A slight disappointment since I liked one of Sarah Winman’s earlier novels (Tin Man) very much and had hoped to enjoy this equally.

I must admit that there were times that this book moved a little slowly for me.
What got me past that,was this collection of wonderful characters and their relationships with each other. Both individually,and as a group.
Very much heart warming stuff,and an odd pricking of a tear.
Moving through decades,we see what shapes them and how they change.
Winman has once again written a book I'll be telling people they must read.

I really dithered about what rating to give this book. I loved parts of it, loved the words but really hated the lack of punctuation, it's just a style that I couldn't take to. Here's an example picked at random:

Col released a shot of whisky from the optics and raised his glass. To you, mate, he said. Glad to have you back.
Thanks Col.
You know what’s strange?
Go on.
Last thing that bird said before the great moult: the quality of mercy is not strained. Strained. Strange word for a parrot to use, don’t you think? Where d’you think he got that from?
Shakespeare.
You reckon?
I know.
Huh.
They drank in silence, staring at the bird.

I wanted the book to finish because it seemed to drag but at the same time I really enjoyed a lot of the passages. I know this is a really muddled review but I've got a really muddled opinion of the book... I loved the characters and the information about Florence, literature and art (that would get 5 stars) but really disliked the style. So, all in all, a 2-star rating because I was glad to finish it and in my opinion that says it all.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I've never read a book by this author before, and it took me some time to get into it.
The romance was all very sweet, and the story taking place around war times added something extra to the tale.
I did like all the back and forth witty retorts from the characters, and enjoyed the descriptions of the cuisine and art and ambience in Florence. Such lovely vivid imagery!
I couldn't quite love this book, and it didn't sweep me along, but it was an enjoyable read.

This is a really sweet slow burn story. Set during the war and beyond. Set mainly in Italy this is the perfect escape. It's emotional but there are lots of lighter moments. The two main characters, Florence and Ulysses first meet during the war then thy both go back to life before the war. The story follows how their paths were destined to cross again. Beautifully written.

Oh my - already one of my favourite books of the year. This was just what I needed at the moment, and I did not want it to end. It's full of humour (not what I was expecting for some reason), full of emotion, full of wonderful characters (Claude the parrot definitely deserves a round of applause), and full of beautifully evocative writing about the wonders of Florence, Italian food, art - well just about everything is just so damn good!!
Set partly in London but mostly in Florence, and spanning from 1944 through to the 70s,we follow British soldier Ulysses and art historian Evelyn, who meet in Florence in 1944, and we then follow both their lives as they go their separate ways. What follows is a glorious story of the paths they follow over the decades with the people they love, and all the adventures that come with it. We can't go abroad at the moment, but you'll feel like you're in Florence as you read, you become so immersed in it all. I went there about 25 years ago, and now can't wait to return.
Just marvellous.
The only reason I knocked off a star was because the book contains no quotation marks, which bothered me slightly in parts, as it slightly upset the flow when I wasn't sure if someone was speaking or if it was part of a normal sentence.

I loved this book so much! It’s a joyous story of unforgettable characters. The first few pages are so wonderfully written I found myself reading them three times before moving on. The dialogue between Evelyn Skinner and a Margaret someone (loved that!) was witty and hilarious, and there are so many brilliant conversations in the novel, poignant as well as funny. The setting of Florence appealed to me and I loved the descriptions of the paintings, the city and the meals. I felt as though I had travelled there which, in lockdown, was marvellous! It was a joy to feel so close to the characters, to experience the ups and downs of their lives and share in their good fortune. I was desperate for Ulysses and Evelyn to meet again. It’s a substantial book but I didn’t want it to end. The writing is so clever, stylish and original. It’s an absolute treat and I know I will read it again. Fabulous!

I am one of the few who doesn't enjoy Sarah Winman's books and writing like I think I should. This is a story set in Florence during the war years and in that respect, the novel does deliver. I just found the mix of the story and the way of telling is was confusing and didn't flow. It was also far too long which slowed the pace and my enjoyment of it.

I could not put this down- I needed Ulysses and Evelyn to find each other again and again throughout this beautifully descriptive novel. Set on the whole in Italy but with its feet firmly entrenched in the East End of London the book sweeps through the post war years and the changes wrought in both locations following Ulysses and Evelyn as they keep bypassing each other by pure chance. The other main characters are equally as interesting and unique and almost step off the pages. The descriptions of the art and the music and the characters themselves are exquisite.

I just could not get into this novel, despite trying several times, because of all the five star reviews. I was unable to get a hold on any of the characters and their relationships to each other. I could not discern any plot progression - the art thing seemed to be forgotten as soon as it was mentioned. The speech was unpunctuated so it merged into the narrative, which added to my confusion. DNF. Of the author's other work, When God was a Rabbit is one of my favourites, so she does not always write in this style.

A slow moving story set in 1944 in Italy about the search for hidden art.
Unfortunately this book failed to hold my interest and just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
Firstly, I should say that this book is very long. That said, when I finished it, I felt like I had run off the edge of a cliff.. I wasn't ready for it to end, even though the story had concluded beautifully, I knew that I was going to miss the characters so much, and it had occupied my mind so fully, I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to them.
This is a beautiful book, the people in it are so finely drawn, that even despite some of the situations being comedic and larger than life I believed in them totally. Ullyses, Peg, Alys, Cress, Col, Evelyn and all are wonderful.
I can't recommend this book highly enough, it's something to fill your mind with positivity during these challenging times. If I could give it 10 stars I would.

I adored this book. It's a beautiful exploration of love and friendship, and the characters are both endearing and memorable. I enjoyed the descriptions of post-war London, and the contrasting depictions of Italy, which made me want to return to Florence. The book is also a reminder that money is extremely useful to enable people to live a dream life!
I will definitely be recommending this wonderful book.

I’m a great fan of Sarah Winman and always look forward to reading her new work - Still Life does not disappoint. Sarah writes with great care and love about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and with a deft, poetic touch transforms the everyday into something memorable. Ulysses Temperley’s life changes dramatically after a chance encounter in Florence at the end of WW2 leads to him inheriting a house there and ultimately forging a new life in Italy. Surrounded by a cast of supporting characters, we are transported from grey, dismal , war-scarred London to the bright, warm and colourful embrace of a Florence rising from its ashes and from the austerity of the fifties through the landmark moments of each decade caught in freeze-frame clarity.
Still Life is a warm and generous novel, as welcome in these times as a hot bowl of soup on a cold winters day, teaching us that friendship is as important as love and that accepting everyone for who they are is the most important lesson of all.

Sarah Winman is an author I will always look out for. When God was a Rabbit was an astonishingly good novel and one that stayed with me for many years. I loved Tinman too so I had high expectations for Still Life. It took me a while to work out the characters and where they all fit into the story. The author allows you to form your own mental picture of the people through dialogue more than description which is a clever ploy.
The story builds and spans decades and is a very satisfying read. The reference to art interested me too.
I would recommend this book but there are no chapters so I tended to read way into the night!

Ulysses Temper first meets Evelyn Skinner when the Allied troops are making their way through Italy in 1944. He’s a young soldier from a poor part of London, she’s an art critic and Italophile, desperate to help restore Italian works of art to their correct homes and also to escape a tediously dull, ex-lover who has tracked her down and doesn’t want to let go. Temper’s superior, Captain Darnley, is also an art lover and the three bond over fine wines and paintings in an abandoned villa. After the war Temper returns to London and tries to pick up the pieces of his old life but never forgets his time in Italy and the redoubtable Miss Skinner so when the chance is offered to return to Florence he seizes the opportunity taking some of his nearest and dearest on an amazing adventure.
Winman’s books just get better, the descriptions of both London and Italy after the war are so real you feel as if you were there with them. London is drab and grey with tins of spam, Florence is bright and warm with fine wines and flavoursome foods all against a backdrop of fabulous art. The characters are flawed as people are, but Winman’s gift of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary draws you in to a magical world. Perfect reading for a rainy afternoon in pandemic lockdown this is the next best thing to actually being in Florence.

A novel to savour and fall in love with, Sarah Winman has a delightful ability to bring characters alive on the page, then they slowly weave their way into your heart as you grow to love each and every one.

The writing is beautiful, poetic and the descriptions ofFlorence so vivid with imagery of food, smells, colours and scents that transports the reader to Florence. As with her previous novels, Sarah Winman creates characters that come to life and we would all love to know.

Sarah Winman’s writing gets better with each book she writes

Evelyn Skinner has led an amazing, unconventional life, now as World War II draws to a bloody end, she’s back in an Italian villa. She’s there to save some of the artwork there and to remember the great love of her life, a maid she met there years before. In the wine cellar of the villa she meets British soldier Ulysses Temple and the two form an immediate bond. Ulysses is so moved by Evelyn and her story that it changes his life; that meeting impacts him and everyone he comes into contact with for the next forty years. This is a beautiful story full of wisdom, truth and beauty and readers will need their tissues nearby