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A review by abbie_
Still Life by Sarah Winman
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
If you loved Tin Man by Sarah Winman, Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin, or anything by Sarah Waters, then you really must pick up Winman’s latest Still Life! It’s absolutely beautiful, heart-breaking yet life-affirming, with queer people just living in the 20th century. In Florence! This book will make you want to pack a suitcase and head off to Italy to run a boarding house, eat good food, and watch the sunset on your tiny terrace.
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Don’t worry if you pick it up and you’re wondering where the magic is for the first 50 pages or so. I don’t think it was just my mood, as I’ve seen other reviews say it takes a while to get going. But I promise once you hit the 70 page mark, you will have fallen in love with the characters and the story really hits its stride. And also don’t worry if like me you’re tired of WWII fiction and the synopsis on the back put you off! There’s very little wartime action, and it mostly focuses on the characters’ lives in the years after the war.
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I’d find it difficult to choose a favourite character but Alys and Cress might just take it. I don’t know why I love old man characters so much, but Cress is just too pure! There’s also a gorgeous found family element that I just cannot resist.
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It’s just so heart-warming, funny, sad (I full on cried on two separate occasions), just glorious really! A firm 2021 favourite and one I look forward to revisiting.
.
Don’t worry if you pick it up and you’re wondering where the magic is for the first 50 pages or so. I don’t think it was just my mood, as I’ve seen other reviews say it takes a while to get going. But I promise once you hit the 70 page mark, you will have fallen in love with the characters and the story really hits its stride. And also don’t worry if like me you’re tired of WWII fiction and the synopsis on the back put you off! There’s very little wartime action, and it mostly focuses on the characters’ lives in the years after the war.
.
I’d find it difficult to choose a favourite character but Alys and Cress might just take it. I don’t know why I love old man characters so much, but Cress is just too pure! There’s also a gorgeous found family element that I just cannot resist.
.
It’s just so heart-warming, funny, sad (I full on cried on two separate occasions), just glorious really! A firm 2021 favourite and one I look forward to revisiting.