Still Life: A Novel (Random House Large Print Edition)

Mary G: So many interesting characters that you come to love. All of them .
An added bonus if you have spent any time in Florence, Italy.
The first 100 pages were a little trying…but I pushed on and it was worth it!
Would like to reread now!

United States on Dec 01, 2023

Paris: I struggled with simultaneously wanting this book not to end and desperately wanting to know how its many memorable characters fared. Recommended at separate times by three good friends, who all loved it too, I found it totally engaging, moving, uplifting (sorry if that sounds pretentious) and beautifully written. The quiet humour was a delight, the sense of time and place so well achieved and its strong sense of personal redemption, mostly through care given to others gave it an optimism about the human condition that appeared utterly believable. If that sounds “worthy” that is the last thought that comes to mind; instead the characters have evident human flaws and frailties and events, national and international repeatedly throw them from their chosen paths. My only criticism is of the latter chapters, following Evelyn’s earlier life; it did feel somewhat tagged on which, in a book otherwise so well put together, surprised me a little. It was not that I was disinterested, more that it might have belonged better earlier in the book but I’m sure SW had good reasons for siting it where she did. Overall, one of the best books I've read this year and a very rare 5*.

United Kingdom on Dec 01, 2023

HT: I LOVE this book. Didn't want it to end. Beautifully written and very powerful. I cried, I laughed, a story for all times, about serendipity, friendship and the family we make. It's now up there in my top 3 all-time favourite books (alongside The Hours and The Overstory). Absolutely gorgeous.

United Kingdom on Nov 28, 2023

Nancy Hampton: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and their diversity. I loved the whimsy. I loved the love. I loved Florence. And art. And light. I loved it all.

United States on Nov 21, 2023

nicole: I was suggested this book by our guide in Italy. Absolutely beautiful story and highly recommend the read

United States on Nov 19, 2023

Flyboy: Wonderful, lovable characters. Makes me want to visit Florence. I loved the gradual development of the story. Very touching.. I would recommend it totally..

United States on Nov 16, 2023

KTB: A wonderful cultural journey in both time and place. To say it is romantic would be misleading but it is. The overarching emotion you are left with is Love. The characters are believable. I could see them all. I loved this book so much , I bought two more copies to give away. I just want to sit in an Italian square and watch the world go by.

United Kingdom on Nov 15, 2023

Mrs F: I enjoyed the read overall, the characters are a joy and the author fully immerses you in the picture perfect Italian setting to the point you can smell the oranges and coffee. The fairytale flourishes such as the emotionally intelligent parrot and talking trees are subtle enough that they don't jar at all but embellish the storytelling. The supporting characters of Cress, Claude, Massimo, Dotty and Pete absolutely made the book for me. For my taste there is a little too much trotting out of art history at points where it stilts the flow of the narrative. I also found the final Evelyn Skinner time-hop at the end difficult to engage with, whilst it completed the story arc, it waffled in my opinion. Introducing a raft of new characters that I struggled to invest in knowing the story was at its end (Evelyn herself aside).

United Kingdom on Oct 23, 2023

Lavonne Pockat: I wanted this to be amazing. So many characters- some just show up here and there, for no rhyme or reason. I expected a lot about art work, but just a few mentions. I thought 2 of the characters would get together - but kept missing each other. Talks about bombings going on- but really just one in the beginning. Nothing made me laugh or cry like some of the 5 star reviews said. The cover is pretty. A good book never puts me to sleep- will read with one eye open if I have to. It was easy for me to set this down after a few pages- hardly anything going on, so not a page turner.

United States on Aug 20, 2023

SusannahB: Sarah Winman’s latest novel ‘Still Life’ moves from 1944 to 1979 and tells the story of Ulysses Temper, a young soldier from the East End who, during World War Two, meets sixty-four-year-old art historian, Evelyn Skinner, a spinster who lives an unconventional life and who is in Italy to help salvage works of art from the devastation of war. Filled with a whole cast of wonderful characters - many of whom are not only interesting to read about, but are also rather idiosyncratic (including a somewhat foul-mouthed parrot named Claude) - this ambitious and warm-hearted novel, which looks at love and loss and of the value of family and like-minded friends, is one I very much enjoyed and although it has its deeper themes, it's one that made me laugh aloud on more than one occasion.

I must admit that when I first began reading, I was a little disorientated when the story moved from Evelyn’s life in Florence to the back streets of the East End of London and to the antics of a whole cast of larger-than-life working-class characters (and I also have to admit that, like others reviewing here, the lack of speech marks and sometimes a lack of demarcation between the speech of...

United Kingdom on Aug 16, 2023