A review by pkc
Still Life by Sarah Winman

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!
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