Book Review Still Life

They say ‘Never judge a book by its cover’. But this time I did and I wasn’t disappointed – it had Mediterranean written all over it!

Still life is a story about an encounter between two English people during the end of World War-2 . Evelyn is an art historian, enthusiast and a teacher who meets Ulysees, a British soldier stationed in Florence in 1944. Their brief encounter leaves such a strong impact on them, that they keep looking for each other in a no internet era and eventually meet after more than two decades.

The story takes Ulysees back to Florence after the war and he starts afresh with his chosen family – his lover’s daughter, a man with luck of gold and a very special bird. The way Ulysees’s friends turn into his family and life – the human connection, being together yet being by oneself, the balance of life is portrayed amazingly well.

As for Evelyn, she continues her journey in art with teaching and beautiful relationships with some wonderful women. She is free, drinks everyday, old in age, young at heart, goes for cold swims even in her seventies and is not scared of change. Something most of us would aspire to be.

Change – an inevitable thing, each one of us is scared of. Evelyn moves to Florence at the age of 87! To be with people she likes and to be in a city which has art at every corner. Now that teaches you something about not being afraid of change.

What I liked about the book is the way the characters live their lives, the bond they share, and genuineness of relationships and promises. The only character I couldn’t resonate with was Peg’s. I failed to understand what she wanted from life.

The story line is fantastic, specially the one based in Florence. It throws light on Italian art and culture. The discussion about Italian food and art feels so fresh to read. My favourite word from the book is by a character called Mrs. Kaur – “Seva- Service for purely altruistic purposes for the betterment of the community”