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The character development & relationships were beautifully done and made this worth reading. Ulysses and Evelyn will stay with me. But the story took too long to draw me in, and the lack of quotation marks around dialogue drove me crazy! I had to work much too hard to determine dialogue vs internal thoughts and who to attribute it to. If it was an artistic choice, I fail to see where it added. This was my October #Bookspin. @TheAromaofBooks

Oh I adored this book - the glorious writing, the lovable characters, the evocative descriptions of Italy and art and love. The book spans about 30 years in the lives of a chosen family of delightful, unconventional characters (and a parrot!), slipping back and forth from London to Florence. Hard to describe really, but it is such a satisfying, enjoyable story, focusing on the primacy of friendship and the celebration of living authentically.

26 Sep-23 Oct 23
Sometimes when there has been so much hype about a book and I am late to the party, it inevitably disappoints. This was not one of those times. Impossible to summarise - an oddball mix of friends in London and Florence from 1940s to 1970s, with flashbacks thrown in? Wonderful characters, setting and writing. I absolutely loved Ulysses, Cress, Evelyn, Massimo, Alys and, of course, Claude. Heartwarming, joyful and poignant.

A friend highly recommended this book. I really loved it too! Beautifully written. The characters were wonderful. I loved the way it swung from East London to Florence throughout. I thought the author captured both cities and their people perfectly.

Apparently I‘m on a bailing spree. 😳😩 And such a beautiful cover too.

Donated 7 sacks of books to my indie and purchased only 1. That‘s a win for restraint! ☺️

#temptingtitles #withlife

Beautiful well written story, interesting loveable characters and set in one of my favourite places on earth.
What‘s not to love 🇮🇹 Firenze! Amore Mio! #stilllife #pick #florence

Oh my heart. That was gorgeous. And it made me cry a little bit. The audiobook is beautifully read by the author herself, but there is a lot of art history in there that I would have found it easier to keep track of in print. Now I want to visit Florence.

Ignoring the laundry and starting this instead.

This was my Xmas read, sitting on a NZ beach channeling Florence! A bit of armchair travel, tales of lost love & old friends, art history with a feminist twist, the end of WW11 and a hilarious parrot! Sometimes a little too dialogue heavy for me but in its own sense, the scenes themselves were “still life” moments in time. A beautiful entwining of lives, places and real historical events, a perfect holiday read.

This is the funniest and most masculine book I‘ve read in a long time. Such loveable characters. Going to gift it to the men in my life for Xmas. Sarah is a must read author of mine and how gorgeous is the cover? Pic taken at the beach at the end of the street this morning by the teen. Finally getting some gorgeous weather in this part of Oz meanwhile my sister‘s house has flooded! The water was brown from all the rain. Now I am making turkey mole

Perfection. 95% beautiful/idyllic, 5% dark/sad, just enough salt to emphasize the sweet. A new favourite.
Beautifully written. Glad I took my time with it. What I thought would be a slog turned out to be the best reading experience I've had in a while. Don't fear the 'historical/literary' elements, there's great narrative flow, even without knowing Florence or Forster, I never felt lost. Good lesbian rep.

A gentle meander over 30+ years from the tail end of WWII to 1979 in the lives of a group of East Londoners who relocate to Florence. The fact that I‘m not a fan of Florence, or Italian art, and the ambiguity of the relationships made this a like rather than love book for me but it made for an interesting discussion at my IRL book group last night. Sorry about the sticker - I should have removed it when I bought it, it‘s now well and truly stuck!

The lack of quotations marks was just too confusing, and the characters didn‘t grab me enough to push through.

Started Still Life today and it is delightful! 😍🦜🇮🇹 I‘m not someone who uses words like delightful but that‘s the only word that comes to mind AND this record pairs very well for a delightful reading experience! 🥰 #readingsoundtrack

#ArtfulAugust #quirkycharacters
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#bookmoods
Set in another century, the story starts in WW2 Florence, one of my all time favourites
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Amazing! The prose in this book is transforming, lyrical, and gorgeous. It paints a picture of the people, places, and moments in a way that makes you feel like you are part of the story and experiencing it along with the characters. I listened on #audio but want to read the hard copy I own too. Perfect for summer with all the travel bits, fabulous art references, and great #lgbtqia+ representation. #BookspinBingo #BOTM @TheAromaofBooks

It's what we've always done. Left a mark on a cave, or on a page. Showing who we are, sharing our view of the world, the life we're made to bear. Our turmoil is revealed in those painted faces -- some times tenderly, sometimes grotesquely, but art becomes a mirror. All the symbolism and the paradox, ours to interpret. That's how it becomes part of us. And as counterpoint to our suffering, we have beauty.

I liked it, but there was a lot going on. I wish the two story lines could have been intertwined better. Or separated? Especially as it was such a long book. There isn‘t a traditional bogging middle end but rather a narrative of a life. Many characters were very lovable. I‘m glad the queer characters and love were so richly drawn

Saturday reading. This novel is making me crave travel

It took me a while to get into this one but I really enjoyed it when it got going. Interesting characters with genuine and heartwarming connections. The historical information and scenery descriptions were great also. ⭐⭐⭐.5

It‘s taken me so long to finish this one. Although it was beautifully written it just didn‘t resonate with me at all. I can see why others loved it but it wasn‘t for me. I‘m giving it a so so because the writing was so descriptive and lovely

Thank you so much to @Mitch for the lovely birthday book! Can‘t wait to read it. 😁

On vacation and trying to make a dent in my #botm tbr. I am loving both of these books!

Excellent, Beautiful. I‘ve loved all her books especially the first one and this book did not disappoint. The greatest descriptions and wonderful characters. Loved loved loved this story.

Well, I fell in love with Florence in 2004 and have returned twice since then as it is a place that never leaves my soul. Like character Evelyn Skinner, I first spent a month in Florence studying art and exploring and that trip was a gift. Still Life is a beautifully quiet book with love and found family and the beauty that is enduring friendship, enduring love and Florence. Read it when you need to feel a connecting love and you will find it.5⭐️

During WWII, Ulysses Temper meets Evelyn Skinner. After the war Ulysses goes back home to his friends in London. For the next 30 yrs we follow what happens to this group of friends.

About friendship and how friends becomes your family.

I‘m putting this aside for now. It just wasn‘t grabbing a hold of me. It‘s probably not the right book at the right time. Now I‘m trying to figure out what to read. I just don‘t know!!

They hadn‘t got far before a small child stopped in front of Evelyn and screamed, Pinocchio! […]
Not a fan? said Dotty as they moved away.
Not as a child, that‘s for certain, said Evelyn. I found him to be a maniac. And when he murdered the talking cricket, I was quite affected. For me it was the silencing of truth. Politically speaking, of course. […]

(It‘s funny when stories you just read, is analyzed in your current read).

Another one that got me! I didn‘t like this at first because, well, it isn‘t Tin Man. But then I started to like it, and then I started to love it, and then it had me hook, line and sinker. What a stunner. I‘m still carrying these characters around with me. A slow, meandering, heart warming story. Perfect.

Tea and Still Life by the fire.

I‘ll be finished the book I‘m reading now within the next hour. What should I go with next??

Hi friends! My new book rec videos are up for the week! Would be most grateful if you would give them a view and a like! 😌

Honorable Mentions for the best of 2021: YA!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f41Hd31D9qQ&t=1s

Honorable Mentions for the best of 2021: Adult Fiction!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F640cwbHm_E&t=7s

Next week I'm going to feature my FAVE Fantasy/SF books of 2021! 💕 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this was a heartwarming lovely book. Loved all of the art and the love for Florence. It was a little unbelievable at times but still a happy nice story

What a lovely book. I now want to go on holiday to Italy 🇮🇹 💗

Well I‘m going to have a very cosy afternoon! Thank you so much @Magpiegem all the decorations have come down today and it feels sad! So this wonderful gift couldn‘t be better timed. Thank you 🙏 #littlechristmasswap

Next up - I hope this lives up to the hype.

Starting this today from my sick bed 🤧

Had to exchange something at Indigo today and of course, oops, bought two books. With Boxing Day savings and rewards I paid the same for the hardcover as I did the softcover! Glad I waited to buy The Magician.

And a Merry Christmas to me 🎄🎁🎅 been wanting this for ages

I loved this immersive and sensuous celebration of the lives and loves of an unconventional quasi family over the second half of the twentieth century. Food art Florence and the highs and lows of life. I particularly liked the way that the author rejects stereotypes of class gender and sexuality to create a world where anything is possible with the support of those you love. A perfect antidote to current times!

I absolutely loved this book and it‘s cast of characters. Especially Claude 🦜. The book starts slow but is well worth sticking with as you wind up falling in love with the setting and characters of this rich story. #botm

I have listened to a few audiobooks this year and enjoyed them but this is the first one I have found immersive and compelling. Really enjoying the listen

I‘ve finally finished this one. Started it last month and put it down for a bit. I loved the characters and the historical details but the storyline itself was a slog at times. Really wanted to like it more than I did.

#BOTM book haul 😄

For me, it was definitely Still Life by Sarah Winman which I finished over the weekend! It was so slow and soft and beautifully written! I'm still thinking about it! 😃❤

What about you?