I completely fell in love with this book after being a little resistant at first. There are some slightly magical touches (conversations with trees, a parrot who says meaningful things), that I was feeling a bit cynical about... and then I fell hard for Ulysses, Cress, Evelyn and all the other characters. The book takes place in Florence and London in wartime and the years that follow. Winman is so good at creating a quite lovely story without slipping into saccharine territory. (Bad things do happen and some of the characters are hard to like). This very humane book is about art and love of all kinds and was, for me, the perfect pandemic read.

I wasn't sure about this book when I started but persevered and loved it.
It's a story of love and loss and friendship and relationships. I laughed and cried. The lack of speech marks was distracting at times but I even got used to that. It's first book I've read by Sarah Winman, but I'm going to check out her others.

I started off enjoying the book but after a while I became not only confused but found my concentration waning. Not my kind of read at all. Despite not enjoying it personally I finished the book and think it was well written.

I really thought I was going to love this book but I ended up struggling with it. Whilst it was ok, and some bits were beautiful, it wasn’t what I’d expected, which is fine - I’m sure some people will love it!

Still Life was a beautiful story. It told so many stories really, with something for everyone. I loved Ulysses and Evelyn, Cress, Pete and young Ayls too. It spanned so long and covered so many lives. I wanted to shake Peg so often, she drove me a little crazy if I'm honest. I thought the first 20% was quite drawn out. It took me an age to get through and for me to become invested in their lives. I really enjoyed the next 70% but I thought Evelyn’s own story should have been more seamlessly woven into the main body of the novel. I had thoroughly enjoyed the story of all the friends and how their lives connected before the switch. I also found that the detailed description of the artwork was incredibly in-depth at times. For an art lover perhaps it would be ideal, but for a passive observer I felt it was a little excessive. It was a lovely story though and Ulysses and Evelyn really stood out as memorable characters.

I gave read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Sarah Winman's book so I was really looking forward to Still Life.
Ulysses Temper is a wonderful character and I loved his story from hero soldier to Florence via a dilapidated London pub. The people who help to tell his story are all really engaging. Wonderful Cress who talks to trees and has premonitions about world events. Peg, Ulysses' ex-wife with a great voice. Alys or Kid as he calls her and Evelyn who is the thread that pulls the story together.
I loved most of this book but, although J liked Evelyn, I wanted less of her and more of Ulysses.
Evelyn's story, coming towards the end of the book felt out of place. As did Cress' death which came too early for me and felt unexplained.

I feel rather conflicted all in all about this novel. My thoughts about it were so changeable, and as I read I found my opinion altered.

For the first 20% of the book I kept wondering what is this about?!

It begins in war-time, in Italy and with two woman, one of whom is amusing and interesting, but then fairly swiftly it moves on with no more mention of either for a long, long time. I enjoyed the humour of Evelyn’s responses to Margaret someone (definitely lower case!) The humour and style of writing kept reminding me off Mary Wesley, amongst others.
Then it was whizzing through the early fifties, good things come to those who wait, I wondered?

It took me until at least halfway through (maybe 65%?) to grab my attention. Up until that point it just felt like a huge list going through the decades of this happened and then that happened, and then another thing happened. But my favourite sections were when Ulysses and gang are more or less settled and the care and attention they all took with each other. The characters are sympathetic and have their own voices, which is harder than it seems to portray. Then, of course, the best is at the very end when Evelyn first visits Florence. This ties it all together.

I think what the rest of the book needed was more dialogue. I really, really wanted the characters to talk to each other.

The author’s descriptions really make me want to go to Florence; to eat the food, visit places mentioned in the book and study the art. I’ve Googled so many Florentine pictures, sculptures and buildings things mentioned in this book. As well as so much highlighting and translating of Italian phrases, that I’m sure my finger is flatter than it used to be!

I wish there were chapters. I don’t mind the lack of speech marks, although I know the lack can infuriate others, but I would like some kind of sectioning of book. (This might be addressed when the book is published as I read an ARC.)

In summary: I’ve previously read all the author’s other novels and really liked them all. I didn’t love this book, but I did enjoy it. In the end.

I’m very grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this pre-publication

This is a five star book.

London soldier Ulysses and art expert Evelyn have a brief, none romantic, encounter just outside of Florence in World War Two which binds them together throughout their lives. This is not a romance but this is a love story. It’s about the love of friendship, the love of families that aren’t born through blood but are created by shared experiences and respect, the love of art and language and also the love of Florence.

I loved this book so much that I actually started to slow down my rate of reading it, so that I could savour every moment spent with these characters. Some of the chance connections between some of the characters did become a bit far fetched in one section, but at least the author acknowledged this. The writing is sumptuous and some of the images that Winman created, with her words, will stay in my memory as if I’d actually seen them in real life.

So if you can’t go to Italy this year and you fancy a trip to Florence then get this book. This is a book that I will re-read, and I say that about very few books. Thank you to @4thestatebooks for gifting me advance ebook access

A beautiful book filled with gorgeous almost poetic prose and vivid descriptions of Italy and the UK.

The main characters are so well drawn and the story spans many years. At times it was deeply moving especially when dealing with grief and loss but there were also gentle moments to make you smile.

A book that spans many years and focuses on friendships and love. Even in tough times there is always hope. And Sarah shows us this through her unique and accomplished writing.

I suffered with 'book grief' when I finished 'Still Life' by Sarah Winman. It is a novel that chronicles the lives of Ulysses Temper, Evelyn Skinner, and a cast of indominatable and quirky characters throughout war torn 1940's through to the 1970's. Half of the novel is set in grimy London and the other is set in beautiful Florence.

For me the essence and hero of the novel, was the multiple forms love can take. Love of friends, superiors, art, books, parents, place and lovers are all included. However, 'Still Life' isn't a romance and instead has some very sharp corners to it, as well as some quirky parts.

If I were to criticise Winman, it would be for the last section of the novel. Here, Evelyn is a young girl in Florence, and is starting to develop the grit and zeal you love her for throughout the rest of the book. However, in its position at the end of the novel, it felt tacked on. Otherwise this felt like a novel written by someone who absolutely knows what they are doing and could write several more with the same cast and I would happily lap them up.

This is SUCH a hard review to write! I finished Still Life a few days ago, and I've spent the time since dithering about what to say. I expected to absolutely love the novel - the blurb mentions Florence, EM Forster, a possible spy, art, London and I was sold on the whole idea! Instead, I just liked it, and even then it was a weird kind of restrained liking. I was expecting to fall in love with it, in the same way that I fell in love with A Room With a View (quite heavily referenced throughout) and it just didn't come together for me. I'm glad I read it, but it's not a book I feel compelled to force other people to read (maybe a good thing?)

The great thing about 'feel-good' fiction is that it... well, makes you feel good. And who doesn't want that? But in the same way that even a dedicated chocoholic might feel a bit sick after eating a giant bar, you can have too much of a good thing.

Sarah Winman is what I would consider an author in the 'feel good' genre - one of the better ones, I should add. Her books have loveable characters and they leave you with the fuzzy sense that human beings are generally good and decent and well meaning. She writes about an idealised world, where people are just that bit better than they are in reality. It's a nice place to visit. But after a while, it begins to jar.

'Still Life', her fourth novel, is probably closest to her first (and probably most well loved) 'When God Was A Rabbit'. The book spans around thirty years, and is set mainly in Florence. It begins in 1944, where Allied forces are in the process of driving occupying German troops out of Italy. A young British soldier with the unlikely name of Ulysses encounters an older British woman, there to identify looted art (which may or may not be a cover story for a spy). During their short meeting, she awakens in him an interest in art and a love for the city of Florence, where he later moves to open a guesthouse together with an eclectic group of characters from his native east end of London.

Winman writes well about Florence and about art and its impact on people. She creates characters who are really likeable or loveable (mostly) and whom the reader will come to care about. Her eccentric, loving set-ups may be ultimately unconvincing, but you'll inevitably wish you could go and join in. Her writing can be funny in places, and very touching in others.

There are a number of factors however that frustrated me and lowered what might have been a five star rating. Firstly, the length. It's a long book, and it can feel like a slog. She could have cut down the dialogue length and trimmed out some of the small subplots to avoid overload. Secondly, the reliance on coincidence - something that irritates me massively in novels. One coincidence is allowable, but several? Thirdly, the fantastical prophetic abilities of one character (why couldn't she have used a mundane way for him to come into money), and on a related note, the parrot's talent for saying exactly the right thing - like an equal participant in a conversation. I also disliked the character of Peg - probably because she was universally loved by the other characters despite displaying nothing on the page that would make the reader feel the same. Having a character adored for her singing voice and physical beauty is not a great idea in a book, given the readers will never appreciate either of those things. I didn't understand her behaviour or choices and the reaction of the other characters to her undermined their judgement to me. These smallish annoyances can get blown up over a long novel. I want to buy into Winman's cosy world, but I just can't quite do it.

I also found the treatment of homophobia - or rather the lack of it - unrealistic. We would all like the world to be tolerant and treat same-sex relationships equally. But it doesn't take an expert to know the mid 20th century was not like that. Even in modern Britain you might expect someone to react with a little surprise or to be slightly wrongfooted as they make the mental adjustment in their knowledge of a friend or relative who has 'come out'. For a number of working class 1950s men to all be utterly unbothered and unmoved by such information does a disservice to what must have been the real experience of gay people in that time. This is just one example of how Winman's world feels like a little bubble - nice but not real.

Overall, 'Still Life' is a well written and ultimately life-affirming book. If you enjoy 'feel-good' fiction, you're likely to love it. It would be a good choice to read for someone visiting Florence, as the sense of place is very strong. It made me want to visit again one day. If you can't abide books that aren't completely realistic, I would not recommend it.

This is a hard review to write as on finishing this book I feel utterly bereft, I really, really did not want it to end, I could quite happily pick it back up and start it all over again and that is a rare feeling for me. This is a book that will stay with me, I think I will find myself wondering how the characters are doing whilst I'm stood in a queue or in a quiet moment, and I know that if I ever go to Florence I will be looking for them out the corner of my eye. I adored every single character, from quiet and kind Ulysses to brash and bold Peg, deep thinking and soul feeling Cress, and erudite and wise Evelyn. Each has their story to tell and their part to play in each others and the novel flows along like a river drawing the reader into their lives and immersing them in their loves. This is a story about love, and friendship and families given and families found, it's a story about finding your place in the world, about finding your people and your passion. It a story about loss and grief but also about great great joy. The writing is unique and beautiful, at times I laughed out laugh and other times quietly wept, and the descriptions of Italy are enough to make you feel like you've been. Covering four decades this novel passes in the blink of an eye and four decades more would still not be enough time in this world, with these people. Sarah Winman is an awesome writer and I have loved her previous books but this really is the cream of the crop and although it is only April I think this will be a hard book to beat for my book of this year.

4.5 rounded up

This is a wonderful character driven story of kindred spirits which takes us on an emotional journey from Florence to the East End of London. In 1944 Evelyn Skinner and Margaret Somebody or other meet Private Ulysses Temper of the 8th Army in the Tuscan Hills. Evelyn and Ulysses form a connection and a bond that will remain for many years. Meanwhile in London, Uly’s wife Peg is enduring the war years as best she can with some ‘comforting’ from Eddie an American soldier. Post war the action alternates between the two areas - in London it centres on The Stoat and Parot with landlord Col and wonderful customers like Cress and Pete.

Where to start?? I adore the way Sarah Winman writes, her descriptions are so lovely that the quality of the writing makes my heart sing!!! There’s humour some of which is burst out loud laughter it’s so original, some of the phrases, thoughts and asides the characters make absolutely crack me up! The art, the richness of the Florentine heritage, the wine, the food, the glorious characters with lively conversations that make you feel as if you’re a welcome guest at their table and they are also your friends. It’s hard to pick out the characters as they’re all fantastic with some traits towards the eccentric which always resonates with me but if I have to pick one apart from Uly then it has to be Cress and Claude the parrot is hysterical. Who knew a parrot read Shakespeare!? There are some colourful sections such as two men, one attired in shorts, a girl, a parrot, a car named Betsy and an ancient Baedeker journey from the East End to settle in Florence. As it turns out, all roads lead to Florence for the characters in the book. This wonderful book is about love, deep and lasting friendship, complex relationships, beauty in the simple things as well as wondrous ones, there’s kindness, compassion and some sadness. I confess to the occasional tear but it’s mostly full of joy. I like how the story is set in its historical context with real events referenced such as the disastrous floods in Florence of 1966. My only reservation is how the book backtracks at the end to Evelyn’s first encounter with Florence which I didn’t find as enjoyable as being with the east end crew, in spite of the colourful ‘portrait’ of EM Forster!

Overall, an emotional, moving, hilarious, joyous, clever and beautifully written book which I love. I’ll always want to read anything by Sarah Winman as she creates magic with words.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to 4th Estate for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review

Do people become part of your life for a reason?

This is a story of how people come together in the good times and the bad. How family does not always mean blood relations but those special people who become part of your life when you’re broken and they become the glue which holds you together. The story starts during WW2, when an unlikely friendship forms between a young British soldier, Ulysses Temper and a sexagenarian art historian and possible spy, Evelyn Skinner whose lives cross paths in Italy, and are taking shelter from bombs in a wine cellar which is also hiding a treasured piece of stolen art, a painting which Evelyn has come to salvage. This is the beginnings of a great friendship, but as the years go by after the war, although they have never forgotten each other, their paths never quite meet until a great Flood in Florence reunites them again.

As the reader is taken on the journey of Ulysses life following on from the war and back in East End London, we come to meet an array of characters with vibrant personalities. They are his family and his friends and they do not hold back from brilliant sarcasm and wit. Each character is a bit broken as the war took its toll, but they are there for each other in their own broken ways and they are all in search of the brighter side of life.

This is a beautiful historical saga that is brilliantly written as you become immersed as part of this family, you feel as if you are there listening to their conversations. The conversational style in which parts of this story is written takes the reader into the minds of each character, and there are a lot of different personalities. Although it did take me a while to figure everyone out, I don’t think there was a single one that I disliked. None of them were perfect, they all have their issues and different ways of handling situations and life in general, but that is reality. Everyone is different. However, my favourite character has to be Claudie the very profound, Shakespeare quoting parrot. He is just brilliant and had me laughing out loud numerous times.

Still Life truly is a window into another family's life.

I think 3.5 stars for this . Some parts were really beautiful- art, Florence and interwoven stories but I almost felt like this was two books meshed into one and going from London’s East End to Florence and back again jarred a little for me.
I really wanted to love this and was a little sad that I didn’t.
Positively, great characters and a lovely story.

Sarah Winman has woven such a simply stunning tale that will stay with me for a long while. It's a book that cries out for being reread.
Set between London and Italy, the book opens with Evelyn Skinner (in her 60's) , an art historian who encounters Ulysses Temper - a young british soldier whilst attempting to save important pieces of art work during the second world war. They spend a night in a cellar sharing stories over good bottles of wine and it's this night. that has a long lasting impact on both of their lives.
Characters such as Peg, Alys, Pete as so richly described that you feel as though they are good friends and you are living their experiences with them.
The writing is emotive and at times very moving. Told from both Ulysses and Evelyn's perspectives, the story takes place over many years from and there are numerous instances where Evelyn and Ulysses almost cross paths but fate has other ideas.
A lovely heart-warming tale.

This is a lovely book. From WW2 Italy to the East End of London, then back to Florence, it follows Ulysses Temper (marvellous name, the significance of which is explained in the book) over the course of about 30 years.

The writing is spare, but creates beautiful images and there are many moments of humour. The characters are compelling.

A book that will stay with you for some time - well worth a read.

This felt such a different style to the other books I’ve read by Sarah Winman. Tin Man is one of my all time favourite books so I couldn’t wait to read Still Life. Whilst there are elements to this book I loved (the characters, the humour and the theme of love throughout the book) I just couldn’t seem to connect with the book. Books like this leave me feeling like I’m not cultured or intelligent enough to enjoy them! Parts of the book flowed and then other parts felt like all the references to history, poetry, art just made it really stilted for me. I skim read most of these bits just to get back to the characters, my favourite of which being Peg. She fascinated me and really came to life through the descriptions of her mannerisms, the clack clack of her heels, the sway of her hips etc.
I will recommend this book as there’s lots to take away for me. Even though I found it hard to get into the history I’m still left thinking about the characters. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

I found the first two thirds of this novel tedious to the point of considering putting it down. However, since I enjoyed Tin Man so much, I really wanted to give it a chance.

I think my main issue was the writing style, which I don't remember having any issue with in Tin Man. There are certain contrivances that just feel... 'written' for want of a better term. Things that aren't at all realistic but are purely the creation of an author, such as a character who goes through the alphabet when he dates women (in regards to their first names).

I didn't find that I related to any of the characters at all, but I did enjoy the queer representation amongst them.

I did quite enjoy the sections where Florence is treated as another character. I am quite interested in the place after reading this, and I hadn't given it much thought before.

Ultimately, if you enjoyed Winman's previous historical works, you might well enjoy this one. However, if you really liked Tin Man, I think that the really great elements from that short novel are missing here.