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Still Life

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What to expect

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF DYMOCKS BOOK OF THE YEAR
A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2021
A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK
WINNER OF THE INWORDS LITERARY AWARD

‘Sheer joy' Graham Norton

‘Utterly beautiful … filled with hope’ Joanna Cannon, author of Three Things About Elsie

’A gorgeous, generous story of kind hearts and kindred spirits’ Daily Mirror

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’ chance encounter with Evelyn will transform his life – and all those who love him back home in London – forever.

Uplifting, sweeping and full of unforgettable characters, Still Life is a novel about beauty, love, family and friendship.

‘THE most beautiful book … it will stay with me a long time’ Sara Cox, BBC Two’s Between the Covers

‘Extraordinary . . . my book of the year’ Liz Nugent, author of Our Little Cruelties

‘Moving, wise, poetic and funny’ Daily Mail

‘Winman’s pages teem with boisterous, exuberant life’ Sunday Times

Sunday Times bestseller 09/06/2021

Critics Review

‘The sheer joy in Sarah Winman’s storytelling is completely infectious. I’ve loved spending time with this unforgettable cast of characters in extraordinary times and places’ Graham Norton

‘Winman’s pages teem with boisterous, exuberant life … The novel has verve, charm and tremendous heart’ Sunday Times

‘Exquisite … There are not enough superlatives to contain the magnitude and beauty of this novel’ Sunday Independent

‘Sentence after sentence, character by character, Still Life becomes poetry’ New York Times Book Review

‘A tonic for wanderlust and a cure for loneliness. It’s that rare, affectionate novel that makes one feel grateful to have been carried along’ The Washington Post

‘Teeming with unforgettable characters and oozing atmosphere, it’s a joyous, summery ode to love, art and poetry’ Hephzibah Anderson, Mail on Sunday

‘Rich, deeply moving and filled with hope. Sarah Winman is one of the greatest storytellers of our time’ Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep

‘A gorgeous, generous story of kind hearts and kindred spirits … [A] hopeful, happy, intensely humane novel’ Daily Mirror

‘Readers will want to prolong the pleasure of Sarah Winman’s beautiful novel Still Life for as long as possible’ Donal Ryan, author of From a Low and Quiet Sea

‘Embodies the full generosity of the human spirit’ Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

‘Gorgeous … luscious and clever’ The Times

‘In Still Life, [Winman] emerges now as the great narrator of hope’ Helen Cullen, Irish Times

User Reviews

Book 4.8
Narration 5.0
5.0
5.0
I got so hooked by the characters and their relationships.
What a book! A wonderful celebration of queer love, relationships of all kinds and Italy.
I cried so much, in a sad but good way.
storythreads 16/03/2025
5.0
5.0
I loved this book. The characters, the story and the narration all combined to take me to another world.
Vish Lee 05/01/2025
5.0
5.0
A lovely book I really enjoyed. Very well read by the writer herself who skillfully brought the many characters to life.
PBee 03/01/2025
5.0
5.0
An excellent book and fabulous narration. I loved it. I wanted to be part of the family of friends. One of my favourite books
Treasure 05/11/2024
4.0
5.0
I think this is one of the best narrated audiobooks I have listened to.I really felt that I knew all the characters well through the voices used for each and was able to picture each of them in detail simply through the voices. This really brought the book to life. It is an affirming story about people whose relationships weave in and out amongst themselves, set partly in Docklands London and also Florence. I really enjoyed it. I'm not give the story itself give stars because whilst it was heartwarming which is a great relief at the moment, it isn't the best storyline. But I would certainly highly recommend a listen
nikkichap 09/11/2023
5.0
5.0
A magnificent listen. As I approached the enD I wanted to begin again right away. Only realised at the end that it is read - beautifully, cleanly - by the author.
jo tait 09/09/2023
5.0
5.0
I have just finished this and would go to the start again if I didnu2019t have a book club meeting in 5 minutes. This book is many stories in one. It made me cry 3 times. Characterisation is so rich and convincing. The attention to detail makes me forget I am listening to a fiction. It is warm and lush. Full of poetry, philosophy, art history, politics, and oh my goodness u2026 food! It is beautifully read.
sfisher 11/04/2023
5.0
5.0
helenwellbeloved 08/04/2023
4.0
5.0
What a cast of characters! Plus the two central locations of London and Florence are bought to life by the effortless but wonderful narration of Sarah Winman. Sorrow and comedy intertwine as they so often do in real life.
Beck 09/02/2023

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