Still Life by Sarah Winman
Fiction - Historical
2021
Finished on April 29, 2024
Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs sink villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian intent on salvaging paintings from the ruins. In each other, Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amidst the rubble of war-torn Italy, and paint a course of events that will shape Ulysses’s life for the next four decades.
Returning home to London, Ulysses reimmerses himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parot—a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics—all the while carrying with him his Italian evocations. So, when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began, Ulysses knows better than to tempt he must return to the Tuscan hills.
With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a deeply drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.
Marvelous! I'm so glad I didn't give up on this outstanding novel. The first fifty pages didn't grab me, but after that, I was hooked. The touching relationships between a small group of friends prove that family is more than that in which we are born. I loved each and every one, including Claude, the parrot!
It took me a little over two weeks to read, but if we weren't traveling, I could have read it in a few short days, it was that engrossing. And yet, I found myself putting it down every dozen or so pages, willing myself to make it last. 456 pages and I wanted more!
On Art:
We like beauty, don't we? Something good on the eye cheers us. Does something to us on a cellular level, makes us feel alive and enriched. 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.
On Love:
What are we without love?
Waiting, said Evelyn.
Humor:
Do I look as tipsy as I feel?
No point asking me, dear, said Dotty, I’ve been talking to two of you for the last hour.
I was captivated by Sarah Winman's beautiful prose, details of Italy (specifically Florence), and snappy dialogue, greedily adding her earlier works to my list of future purchases. I remember hearing good things about Tin Man, but never got around to buying it. If it's half as good as Still Life, I know I'll love it! This is one I hugged to my chest as I finished the final page, and I'll happily read a second time. Sure to appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction, Renaissance art, Italy, and love...
Highly recommend!
Note: I rarely write my own synopsis of the books I review, instead relying on the publisher's blurb for those who wish to learn more about the plot and characters. The one above is spoiler-free, so I encourage you to give it a read.
A parade of small stories, intimate connections and complex characters... Sentence after sentence, character by character, Still Life becomes poetry. ~ The New York Times Book Review
I want a copy of this one! Love the quotes you included.
ReplyDeleteJenclair, it's a gem. I even love the cover art! (BTW, I deleted your second comment, which was very similar to this one.)
DeleteYep, didn't see the wait for moderation at first!
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DeleteI've not read this one, seems familiar but I don't remember getting it from the library. Glad you enjoyed it so much!
ReplyDeleteTina, it was a favorite on Goodreads a couple of years ago. Lots of bloggers raved about it, so I'm glad I finally made time to read it.
DeleteThis sounds really good and reminds me a bit of the people in the movie Monuments Men who worked to save works of art from the Nazi looting after the war.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great movie, Helen! I think you might enjoy this novel. I thought it was remarkable and I miss the characters now that I've finished.
DeleteOh great so glad you liked this one! It is quite a love letter to Florence I think and I also found the characters endearing. How did you find this book -- from your Mom? I think I've read 3 of Winman's novels over the years: Still Life, Tin Man, and When God was a Rabbit. They're all sort of jumbled things, jumbled together but that's how she writes. I met her once at our book festival - in the foyer area - didn't know her then .... seems a creative being ... who once was an actress apparently.
ReplyDeleteA love letter to Florence is a great way to describe this novel, Susan! I think I first spotted the book when it was mentioned on Instagram by bookstagrammers. The cover art appealed to me! I'll give Tin Man a try later this summer, maybe. Fun that you met her at a book festival. I haven't been to a book event in a few years!
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