Still Life is a historical fiction novel by Sarah Winman, published in 2021.
Sarah Winman is the New York Times bestselling author of Tin Man and When God Was A Rabbit.
Still Life has received such great reviews and has featured on several 2021 ‘best books’ lists. It was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction so I was so excited to read it and hoped it would live up to the hype.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
Plot
In a ruined Tuscan wine cellar in 1944, Ulysses Temper, a young British soldier, meets Evelyn Skinner, a sexagenarian art historian and possible spy. Evelyn has returned to Italy to help salvage the paintings from the effects of war, and relive her memories of her youth, where she met EM Forster and a maid who captured her heart.
Evelyn’s outlook on life and her talk of beauty and truth has such a profound effect on Ulysses that, despite the fact they’re unlikely to meet again, their conversations shape the outlook of his whole life.
The book takes us from Italy during World War Two to the smog of London’s East End and back to the Tuscan Hills and piazzas of Florence as it spans four decades of Ulysses’ life.
Still Life Book Review
Witty, moving, poignant…There are so many positive ways I could describe this book and yet I’d still feel I’m not doing it justice. It’s definitely one of my favourite reads of 2021.
It actually took me a couple of chapters to get into the book. The opening scene didn’t immediately grab me and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but as soon as we were taken to post-war East End London I was hooked.
I saw Sarah Winman talk about the book on Between The Covers and she stated she wanted to write a book that was the perfect remedy for a world that can seem so bleak. It was exactly that. It was full of charming characters, wonderful locations and so much love.
It’s definitely a character-driven novel. I can’t even pinpoint my favourite character because I loved them all. They were all so well developed, they felt like real people. The city of Florence almost became its own character. The sights, the sounds (and the smells!) were so vivid, I almost felt like I was there.
Stretching throughout the 20th century from 1944 to 1979, the book spans decades but focuses on the little details. It touches on the big historical events but really focuses on the impact these events have on the characters.
Art was a big theme throughout the book and for someone who knows absolutely nothing about art, I still found it was written in an interesting and accessible way. However, the main theme is love. Familial love. Romantic love. The love between friends as friendships turn into family.
To sum up, Still Life is a book full of wisdom and charm and I absolutely adored it. It was a joy to read – the sort of book you just don’t want to end. It’s definitely one of my favourite books of the year.
What to read next
If you enjoyed Still Life, I would definitely recommend reading Sarah Winman’s debut novel, When God Was A Rabbit. It has a similar whimsical feel to the story and I really enjoyed them both.
I’d also recommend The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne as another novel that follows characters throughout the decades and has the perfect mix of wit and emotion.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. For more information please see my disclosure policy.