Still Life

By: Sarah Winman

Narrated by: Sarah Winman

The instant Sunday Times best seller

Winner of Dymocks Book of the Year

A Guardian Best Book of 2021

A BBC Between Two Covers Book Club pick

Winner of the InWords Literary Award

From the author of When God was a Rabbit and Tin Man, Still Life is a big-hearted story of the families we forge and the friendships that make us.

1944, Italy. As bombs fall around them, two strangers meet in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa and share an extraordinary evening.

Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner a 64-year-old art historian living life on her own terms. She has come to salvage paintings from the wreckage of war and relive memories of her youth when her heart was stolen by an Italian maid in a particular room with a view. Ulysses’s chance encounter with Evelyn will transform his life – and all those who love him back home in London – forever.

©2021 Sarah Winman (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Sheer joy." (Graham Norton, author of Home Stretch)

"A bear-hug of a book." (Rachel Joyce, author of Miss Benson’s Beetle)

"Utterly beautiful...filled with hope." (Joanna Cannon)

Heartwarming and inspiring

I adored this book! It’s a beautifully written story about interesting and complex people who share deep, heartwarming relationships. At times I laughed out loud and towards the end I cried real tears. It evoked a range of emotions through a simple story of people who love and support each other through-out the course of their lifetimes. Sarah Winman narrates her own book brilliantly and makes you fall in love with each of her characters one by one. The relationships between an old man and a tree, a grieving soldier and his dead comrade, a group of Eastenders and an Italian village, all come together under the Florentine skyline and an African parrot’s wingspan. It is both magical and relatable and inspired me to book a trip back to Italy.

One of the loveliest tales I’ve heard in a long time.

Beautiful complex characters, amazing story telling and really just pure joy. Made my heart sing.

Beautifully Narrated

Story-telling at its best. I loved it. Some may find it very slow-going, but the narrator really brought the characters to life.

Missing it already

A beautiful sprawling history of a few lives well lived. The characters are wonderful and immensely likeable even when they maybe shouldn't be. Florence and a slightly less romantic corner of London provide the backdrop to show just how magical and full of possibilities life can be.

The best book ….

I haven’t enjoyed or been so completely immersed in a book for some years. My first introduction to this author. Loves the story. Atmospheric without being obvious; funny and real; honest. The characters were so vivid and alive I feel bereft now it’s finished. I’d love to go to dinner with them all and find out how they are now. Can’t recommend strongly enough

Beautiful

Beautiful, inspiring and sweet story, just not eventful enough for my more shallow wants. But still beautiful.

Poetic and beautiful

I loved every moment of this wonderful book. It may be one of the top 5 books I have read.

The characterisation is superb, she transports you into their world. Wraps you in it like a warm familiar hug.

The narration is absolute perfection. Her voices are just right and very consistent throughout. I love how she narrates Cressy and Alys.

Did I mention I lived this book? I can’t wait to read her others. In the meantime I’ve recommended it to my mother and my daughter and I’m jealous they get to discover it for the first time.

The east end meets Modo di vivere

A wonderfully fulfilling tale. Humour, art, emotion, intrigue,pathos and an E M Forster finale. What more can you ask of a book. I loved it.

Still - life - a kaleidoscope / 3/d entry into the lives of the main Protagonist

A perfect jewel
A slice of lives over decades -with Florence as the heart of the book
The themes of different periods From precious moments in war time, touching on life long relationships .
Community and , family made up of different characters from small town England - each character touching on diversity - and highlights from the decades - the flood in Florence being a great communal binder .
Poignant , historical facts woven into a gripping Story

Thoroughly enjoyable with wonderful characterisations

Sarah Winman narrates her delightful Novel so perfectly - developing her characters to a level that one sees it in cinematic glory - can’t wait for the movie - loved it