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Still Life

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Still Life

By: Sarah Winman
Narrated by: Sarah Winman
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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

 20th Century Art Biographical Fiction Europe Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Italy Literary Fiction Heartfelt Feel-Good War
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Critic reviews

‘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
All stars
Most relevant
Captivating. Beautiful. The way it’s written and read. I was so sad to finish it.

Good for the soul

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I found this book incredibly absorbing, thought provoking and deeply moving. Having it read by the author enormously enhanced my pleasure. I highly recommend it.

Brilliant evocation of love, loss and Florence

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Thé book was marvellous snd thé reading fantastic. I normally hate funny accents but the voices were perfect, especially Cressy

Fantastic

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This book is one of my favourites of the year, thus far. It is warm and gentle. Exploring friendships, family in all its guises and romantic relationships against a backdrop of community, post war England and Italy and art history. I have read the book in hard copy and heard the writer read the book and both were exquisite experiences.

I loved how Sarah Winman brought the characters to life and the fact that I cared so much about all of them, including Florence, not just the location of part of the book but a character in its own right.

Claude’s pronouncements may have seemed far fetched but I was swept away with the narrative and happy go along with his safe words at opportune times.

I would definitely recommend this book

A gentle exploration of what it is to love.

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I absolutely loved this story, the characters are so vivid and so real, I laughed and cried with them throughout and definitely did not want this to end. I will buy the book and cherish it. A beautifully written story of life and people and hope.

Incredible

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