Still Life

★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

416 pages

What’s it about?

As the war is ending, Ulysses Temper finds himself in a wine cellar in Tuscany with Evelyn Skinner.  Evelyn is an Art Historian who is in the area to help salvage paintings from the ruins.  Evelyn and Ulysses have an instant connection that will stay with them for years to come. After the war, Ulysses returns to his life in London, but Tuscany is never far from his thoughts.

What did it make me think about?

I was thinking about the title, and I found (from Getty.edu) this quote about Still-Life portraits: "A bowl of fruit, a banquet table festooned with game, a pile of books: though they may seem simple, everyday objects are still worthy of an artist’s brush or photographer’s lens." So doesn't it all go back to the beauty in the everyday?

Should I read it?

The inside of the jacket starts with “Tuscany, 1944: as allied troops advance… “ so I thought this was a World War II novel and kept putting it aside. Then, a friend told me this was her favorite book, so I finally picked it up. To be clear, this is not a war novel—although it touches on the aftereffects of war—but a novel about friends, the families we are born with, and the families we create. The combination of the Italian setting and the collection of characters is what I loved best about this book. Sarah Winman wrote characters that I am so sad to leave.  This story is a homage to the moments that create a life and the moments we share together.  "He delivered an invocation of thanks, mostly.  That they were all gathered at that moment in time. How that meant something, would continue to mean something over the years. True worth, he said."  This is a slower, more contemplative book- but I loved it!  I was slightly confused by the need for the last chapter, but I am sure a more gifted reader will someday illuminate that choice for me. All in all, I had a wonderful week with Ulysses, Peg, Evelyn, Cress, Pete, Col, Alys, and the rest. I will miss them all! This would be a great book club choice if you have readers with some patience.

A passage I marked

"So, time heals.  Mostly.  Sometimes carelessly.  And in unsuspecting moments, the pain catches and reminds one of all that's been missing.  The fulcrum of what might have been.  But then it passes.  Winter moves into spring and swallows return.  The proximity of new skin returns to the sheets.  Beauty does what is required.  Jobs fulfill and conversations inspire.  Loneliness becomes a mere Sunday.  Scattered clothes.  Empty bowls. Passing time.  But still life in all its beauty and complexity."