Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her own youth. In each other, Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amidst the rubble of war-torn Italy, and set off on a course of events that will shape Ulysses’s life for the next four decades.
As Ulysses returns home to London, reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Part—a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics—he carries his time in Italy with him. And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began, Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate, and returns to the Tuscan hills.
With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a deeply drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.
An instantly engaging thriller/fantasy. Ms. Dabos had me hooked from the first few pages as she remarks “the Family Archives building is forever in a foul mood” and describes Ophelia slowly stepping out of a mirror, nose first! Her story lures you into a world steeping with creativity, a plethora of well developed characters and a plot moving fast enough to keep you guessing.
Told from a third person point of view, I enjoyed the precision of each character’s description; “Black hair, white face, black livery, white hose: she looked like an old photograph,” as well as her little magical touches; “The shaking of all those pendants sounded like a shower of crystal rain.” Her writing is fresh and slow enough to enjoy the richness of her words.
Favorite character? Gail the black-monocled mechanic. I wanted to know more about her, her background, and her abilities. She hinted at humor which this story could use more of as I found most of the characters to be unlikeable even if they had a good reason for being who they are.
Reason for my 4 out of 5 stars? There is a sense of dread, victimhood, and hopelessness throughout the story. I struggled at times to hang in there as Ophelia seems to be backed into a corner with no way out and no hope.
Line that stuck with me? “You look so insignificant, it almost makes you special.”
Overall, I would recommend this complex novel to fantasy readers who enjoy a full immersion into another realm. There is instant engagement, royal scheming, and no shortage of creativity.
Read on!
Tracey
