Still Life ~ Sarah Winman

Because, in Italy - as on holiday - anything can happen.

Sarah Winman’s novel may initially draw you in with nostalgic echoes of the 1985 film A Room with a View, starring Helena Bonham-Carter, Maggie Smith, and Judi Dench. But while the Italian backdrop is undeniably enchanting, it’s the characters that will steal your heart.

Imagine Only Fools and Horses transported to Florence, and you're getting close. Winman gives us a cast of unforgettable characters - funny, and forgiving. Each one arrives with their own baggage and backstory, all of them searching for something: a home, a purpose, a sense of belonging. The warmth and bonhomie that radiate from every page make the novel irresistibly uplifting, even when the characters are at their lowest.

While the story’s themes are universal—identity, reinvention, love—it is the geography of Italy, and Florence in particular, that makes it all possible. Removed from their usual setting—mostly London—the characters find the freedom to remake their lives. Like travelers on an extended holiday, they are forced to shed what no longer serves them and carry only what’s essential.

Ulysses, the central figure, begins as a soldier and ends as a Florentine property owner. With him are a makeshift family: a wise child (Alys), a grandfatherly figure (Cress), and a startlingly human parrot (Claude). Together, they form the nucleus of a growing, unconventional family. Over time, others join—Pete, the soulful musician; Des, the flamboyant benefactor; Col, the irascible uncle; Evelyn, the sage grandmother; and Peg, the beautiful and flawed woman everyone seems to love.

But this isn’t a story of fixed roles. There is no designated mother, father, or child. Care and nurture pass fluidly from one character to another. Ulysses sometimes mothers Alys, Cress nurtures Ulysses, even the gruff Col surprises with tenderness. This fluidity makes the novel feel strikingly modern, despite its 20th-century timeline—spanning from Evelyn’s youth in 1901 to the 1980s.

Major historical events—World War II, the moon landings, England’s 1966 World Cup victory—anchor the narrative in a tangible reality. And yet, the story’s magic lies in its willingness to stretch plausibility: an almost-human parrot, windfall inheritances, properties donated like secondhand clothing . These fantastical elements allow the characters to remain, in a sense, on holiday—free of financial constraint, open to possibility.

Because, in Italy - as on holiday - anything can happen.

Could chance meetings change lives forever? Could lost lovers reunite after decades and pick up exactly where they left off? Could the forgotten, the unloved, and the aged find themselves cherished once more? Winman says yes. On holiday, all things are possible.

Of all the characters, Peg left me cold. In my imagination, she was part Jayne Mansfield, part EastEnders barmaid. For all the love and attention she received—largely because of her beauty—I found her undeserving. Even the formidable Evelyn, at 86, had a crush on her. For me, the male relationships held far more emotional resonance. They were warm, funny and supportive. And it’s because of them that I loved this book as much as I did.  
Michelle Burrowes