Still Life

by

Sarah Winman

1944, Italy. As bombs fall around them, two strangers meet in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa and share an extraordinary evening.

Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner a 64-year-old art historian living life on her own terms. She has come to salvage paintings from the wreckage of war and relive memories of her youth when her heart was stolen by an Italian maid in a particular room with a view. Ulysses’ chance encounter with Evelyn will transform his life – and all those who love him back home in London – forever.

REVIEW

This was my book club pick and I already had it on my shelf so dived in straight away. Good job as it's a chunky read and for me a bit bizarre with no punctuation and no chapters (not a fan), but I soon got into the story of Ulysses who came back from Italy to London after the Second World War to pick up the pieces of his life with his wife Peg and friends Cress, Col, Pete and parrot Claude!

Ulysses often thinks about when he was stationed in Florence and meets Evelyn who is an art historian trying to locate priceless paintings. He never forgot their friendship and when he is left a property in Florence he decides to start a new life with his step daughter Alys and a few friends along the way, but Evelyn is always in his thoughts. Will he manage to catch up with her again before it's too late? Little does he know that his step daughter Alys is one step ahead and has already met Evelyn!

This is quite an emotional book with love, loss and basically everything in between! It's just the lack of punctuation and chapters I found hard to deal with, but I'm glad I persevered. There were even times in the book that I had to laugh out loud with the antics of Claude the parrot! but he saved the day on more than one occasion!

I enjoyed the story and it made very good conversation and opinions at my recent book club!

 Catherine 

(A retelling of Wuthering Heights)

by

Essie Fox

With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley,

Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.

REVIEW

I have never read Wuthering Heights or seen any films about it, so when I saw this edition I knew it was time to find out the story of Cathy and Heathcliff.

Cathy and Heathcliff become close friends when her father brings him home to live with them when he was a boy, but Cathy's brother Hindley never warms to him and swears that when he inherits Wuthering Heights, he will cast him out.

When Cathy's father dies and Hindley does take control of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is nothing more than a mere servant and is often beaten by Hindley. Cathy and Heathcliff become more than close, but their relationship would never be allowed by Hindley and so Cathy decides to marry Edgar Linton, the owner of a large house and land nearby, hoping that his standing and money would help Heathcliff to make something of himself, but her plan backfires and it changes everyone's lives forever.

This retelling of Wuthering Heights shows how deep love doesn't always give you the happy ending you want.

I'm still thinking about this story over a week on from finishing it. Love can be beautiful if you have the right mix of personalities, but sometimes love can be so intense it turns toxic and I think that's what I felt with Cathy and Heathcliff. Also, the fact that they weren't really nice people and very egotistical!

Such a great story retold and I would thoroughly recommend this version. Also came as a beautiful hardback with sprayed edges and one I will keep on my bookshelf for years to come.