Still Life by Sarah Winman

A comfort, surreal read with a lovely set of characters, Firenze being one of them 😍

This book was a precious read✨ The characters and their lives unfolding tell a story of the profound impact kindred souls, kind words, gestures, and quiet acceptance have in our lives, of family made along the way, and love in its many forms 💖

No single act of generosity remains in isolation. The ripples are many.

Particularly loved the relationship between Ulysses and his adopted daughter, Alys, and Cressy, an old man with a lot of love to give, whether to a favoured Sakura tree🌸 in his neighbourhood, Claude, a pet parrot🦜 reciting Shakespeare, or the quiet, ever accepting, and lovely Ulysses.

Ulysses meets Evelyn in 1944 when stationed in Italy during the war and that one day listening to her talk about art, beauty, and humanity, sets the course of the next 4 decades of his life. Ulysses, a main character unlike many, truly embodies what is beautifully said in the book,

... the responsibility of privilege must always be to raise others up.

And boy does he. Whether a tragic musician, a lifelong friend and lost-soul, a foul-mouthed grump, or an extravagant solicitor, he has a warm, open heart for everyone to take shelter ❤️‍🩹 You can’t but take comfort in this community of people.

The book reminds us to appreciate, savour, and delight in still life: the people, art, and everyday moments of beauty around us🖼️ As Evelyn wonderfully puts it,

I shall remain astonished.