"There are moments in life, so monumental & still, that the memory can never be retrieved without a catch to the throat or an interruption to the beat of the heart. Can never be achieved without the rumbling disquiet of how close that moment came to not having happened at all"

Oh this book 🧡

Plot: Chance encounters and a heroic deed in WW2 Florence changes the life of Ulysses Temper forever, with repercussions for his friends too. I would sum this up as art, queer love, Florence and found families 🦜

Review: if you were going to do book maths for this, it would be A Gentleman in Moscow meets The Offing meets A Room with a View. I adored this book throughout & the characters are dear to me. I think my favourite character was Cress, a fascinating man with a zest for knowledge & a tender heart. Ulysses was a truly noble character with a generous spirit. Evelyn - wow, what a force of nature! Sarah Winman's writing has a dazzling beautiful quality but remains approachable & realistic, with all of the emotions (joy, love, grief & desire) & beauty found in the every day. 

I love reading novels about found families, chance encounters, beautiful generation crossing friendships and fresh starts. Winman perfectly depicted the character and heart of Florence, and it made me want to return SO much. She is now one of my favourite authors and this book will stay with me for a long time.
This novel moved me and fixed my reading slump, I devoured this book and didn't want it to end. I loved all of the literature and culture references, especially the homage to A Room with a View. 

A ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read and one I will keep returning to. I also really hope Winman gets at least longlisted for the Booker as she has been longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize this year.