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Still Life

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Still Life

By: Sarah Winman
Narrated by: Sarah Winman
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About this listen

The instant Sunday Times best seller

Winner of Dymocks Book of the Year

A Guardian Best Book of 2021

A BBC Between Two Covers Book Club pick

Winner of the InWords Literary Award

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

©2021 Sarah Winman (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Fiction Literary Fiction World War II Italy Heartfelt Feel-Good War

Critic Reviews

"Sheer joy." (Graham Norton, author of Home Stretch)

"A bear-hug of a book." (Rachel Joyce, author of Miss Benson’s Beetle)

"Utterly beautiful...filled with hope." (Joanna Cannon)

What listeners say about Still Life

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Meraviglioso! - simply wonderful!

Italy, art, fabulous well-rounded characters that I will continue to think of fondly. Read this, you will fall in love too. beautiful writing and narration, thank you Sarah.

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7 people found this helpful

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Sublime

Having just finished this audiobook I am bereft. I miss all the characters and am suddenly desperate to go back to Florence.
Narration was exceptional.

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1 person found this helpful

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A sweet, beautiful story

Beautifully written, absolutely squeaking with intelligence. A teensy bit pretentious for my taste but it saunters along nicely.

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Love Love Love this book

What a briliant story! You really have to concentrate as there are so many characters and you don't want to lose track of any of them. This story takes you on a fabulous journey and the descriptive narrative of Florence and London is incredible. This is a book I wanted to listen to again, straight away which is pretty rare.

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I’ve found my very favourite book

I enjoyed everything about this book, the characters the story arc and Sarah Winman’s fabulous voice. You will fall in love with Florence

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  • Overall
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A tale of places and people through the passage of time.

Historic fiction at its best. An epic tale of lives intertwined through places and time, rich characters and beautiful imagery. Every minute of this book was compelling and I never wanted it to end. Not only is Sarah Winman a brilliant author, she narrates her story perfectly. Her characters will stay with me for a long time.
I want to return to Florence one day, and I want to speak Italian! Bravo!

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A joy to listen to

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read, elegantly and skilfully narrated by the author. Thank you Sarah Winman.

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loss and love

I could listen to this book for the rest of my life and remain enchanted

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History, Art, Love and Whimsy

A sensational read performed by the author of a story that had head and heart at its core. Renaissance art, English vs Italian mores, love in so many different guises. I recommend the journey.

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Magic

I fell in love with this book. I wanted to climb inside and be right there beside these people. Florence held a special little place in my heart even before this book and it made me want to return even more. Many a laugh out loud moment with equal heartbreak and tragedy. I miss this book like an old friend. Bravo Sarah Winman.

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