Still Life by Sarah Winman

 This is a meandering story about a group of endearing characters. Ulysses is a young British solider in Italy near the end of WW2. He meets Evelyn Skinner, a middle aged art historian with a zest for life. They make an immediate impression on each other and often think about each other in the years after the war.

Ulysses goes back to England to find that his wife has a child (Alys) by another man (who is no longer in the picture, to her dismay). He still loves Peg. She still loves Eddie. They hang out at a pub run by the short-tempered Col and are friends with the elderly philosopher Cress. A big blue parrot is the final member of their merry band. Part of the group moves to Italy. We follow their parallel stories in London and Florence. And every once in a while we check in with Evelyn. There are funny parts, sad parts, heartwarming parts--and a devastating flood.