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chasinggrace's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A beautiful snapshot of life.
The writing style purposefully flows like time - unrelenting, constant, not a pause or a playback in sight. This book is meant to be read on the beach, in the sun, in reflection. It single-handedly made me see the beauty in life again, in the small things and in humanity and in love and loss. I was choked up this entire book simply because of the beauty of it and its inevitable end.
Every single character was incredibly unique. All complex, all beautiful. No one was the “good guy” or the “bad guy” because they were intricate sculptures of real people. The acceptance of the multiple queer relationships was done so well, especially given the time period. Sex was explored so uniquely in this book.
The descriptions of Italy left me speechless. The references of art, of architecture, the descriptions of food and outfits and nature and people. The writing was immaculate.
Everyone will get something different from this story, depending on the season of life in which you read it. This book is meant to be consumed repetitively, on trains and beaches and in bed.
Peg was my absolute favorite, which is probably an unpopular opinion. Her character arc and the truly raw emotions she felt unabashedly spoke to my soul. And of course i loved Evelyn and Cress. Cried real tears when Cress and Claude passed away. Col’s character development too - stunning. And I identified so much with Alys.
This has become a Roman Empire book for me.
The writing style purposefully flows like time - unrelenting, constant, not a pause or a playback in sight. This book is meant to be read on the beach, in the sun, in reflection. It single-handedly made me see the beauty in life again, in the small things and in humanity and in love and loss. I was choked up this entire book simply because of the beauty of it and its inevitable end.
Every single character was incredibly unique. All complex, all beautiful. No one was the “good guy” or the “bad guy” because they were intricate sculptures of real people. The acceptance of the multiple queer relationships was done so well, especially given the time period. Sex was explored so uniquely in this book.
The descriptions of Italy left me speechless. The references of art, of architecture, the descriptions of food and outfits and nature and people. The writing was immaculate.
Everyone will get something different from this story, depending on the season of life in which you read it. This book is meant to be consumed repetitively, on trains and beaches and in bed.
This has become a Roman Empire book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Animal death, Abandonment, Grief, Sexual content, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse
pkc's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a tough book to try and condense into a few words for a review. The story follows a cast of characters, each unique and uniquely identifiable, but linked by Evelyn Skinner and Ulysses Temper, who fatefully meet in Florence in 1944 as the Second World War rages across Europe.
Ulysses takes on the bulk of the narrative as characters weave in and out of his orbit, cementing themselves as friends and drawing from his wellspring of goodness as quickly as he can expel it. As a protagonist, the only word I can think of is gorgeous. He exudes kindness, complexity, grace, and beauty and his helpful nature is inherent throughout the novel.
I really don’t want to say too much because I could probably write an essay and I don’t want to do that. I will say that there is a parrot called Claude and I feel that our perspective as reader is similar to Claude’s perspective. We observe, we are moved by events but mostly, we drift through the story, pitching and sailing on the breeze through 22 years (plus 28 days in 1901…) of the lives of these remarkable human beings as the world changes around them.
It’s not the easiest read in the world. Like the truest of artists, Winman doesn’t baby the reader in any way, but the effect and impact of her prose is dizzying and rich, like a beautiful vino rosso. I dog-eared a few pages with beautiful quotes, but realistically you could just open the book and point to a line and it will no doubt be beautiful. Ugh. What a reading experience!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, and Sexual content
culinaryjules's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I had to rate this book 4.75⭐️ just for the beautiful writing. This story is a gorgeous weaving of individuals and their stories. It doesn’t move fast, but the character development and overlay is just delicious. It is stunning, witty, and sometimes fanciful. The characters become so real to you. The writing and memory of this book, and characters, will stay with me a while. This is not a fast, exciting read. It is a slow, emotional burn over many decades. I need to go to Florence!! There are many LGBTQ relationships in the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, War, Sexual content, Murder, and Death
featherinthewind's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was just eh. I really wanted to get into it, and I thought I was at first, but this book just kept droning on. It’s well written, I’m not trying to take that away, but it’s just not for me I guess. Maybe I’m too young to understand a lot of what this book is discussing, but it was in no way shape or form entertaining which is what I look for in a book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
kryskross's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, and War
jencolumb0's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I had the luck of reading Room With a View just before happening to pick this one up and I am so thrilled that I did. It made Winman’s play off EM Forester that much more delightful (and made the time I spent with his incredibly unlikeable characters quite worthwhile). Even if you’ve read Room with a View, it’s worth re-reading before you pick this one up, just to get the full breadth of the conversation Winman is having.
That conversation and the (obviously well-researched) bits about Florentine artists, particularly female artists, as well as the over-arching conversation of how women must and chose to live their lives around men in a patriarchy (cleverly woven into the story) were heady contrasts to the relatively mundane passage of time memorialized in the book.
I, too, adore Florence. Like many of the characters in the book, I went when I was young, the city promptly imprinted itself onto my heart, and I have returned at every opportunity since, peeling back layers to reveal new aspects of my freedom each time. You would think that I would adore this book, too. And I did. For the first 250 pages or so.
Then, the action in the book just kind of petered out: the characters continued to bounce between the pub in London and the pensione in Florence, learning very little new about themselves and nothing surprising happened to them in fact. I am still not entirely sure why we all had to hang onto getting through through the 70s to achieve the ends of the book. Perhaps, on the heels of a Rachel Joyce book, I was ready to read something with a bit more action. Nonetheless, a lovely read that should be a priority for anyone heading to Florence or whose heart belongs there.
That conversation and the (obviously well-researched) bits about Florentine artists, particularly female artists, as well as the over-arching conversation of how women must and chose to live their lives around men in a patriarchy (cleverly woven into the story) were heady contrasts to the relatively mundane passage of time memorialized in the book.
I, too, adore Florence. Like many of the characters in the book, I went when I was young, the city promptly imprinted itself onto my heart, and I have returned at every opportunity since, peeling back layers to reveal new aspects of my freedom each time. You would think that I would adore this book, too. And I did. For the first 250 pages or so.
Then, the action in the book just kind of petered out: the characters continued to bounce between the pub in London and the pensione in Florence, learning very little new about themselves and nothing surprising happened to them in fact. I am still not entirely sure why we all had to hang onto getting through through the 70s to achieve the ends of the book. Perhaps, on the heels of a Rachel Joyce book, I was ready to read something with a bit more action. Nonetheless, a lovely read that should be a priority for anyone heading to Florence or whose heart belongs there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Domestic abuse, Animal death, Infidelity, Death, Car accident, and Abortion
frankieclc's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, War, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Homophobia
sophie42's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment
julied's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed spending time in Florence with these characters. There were a few things with the writing I wish were not there but generally I really loved this story. I give a book five stars if it is something I want to keep forever, a book I can see myself rereading one day. This was definitely a group of people I will revisit. I laughed. I cried. I learned a few things. If someone were to ask me if they should read this I would tell them all of that but warn them that there is an open door scene between two people who are fairly young teens. I don't usually mind an open door or two if it adds something to the story and the participants are adults. I can see where someone might not enjoy some of the fantastical elements. I actually did which is not typical of my taste. They are few and far between and the silly helped break up the sad a little. I found this story really sweet and it helped me appreciate my own still life more than I otherwise would have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Death, War, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
mandkips's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Murder