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Hello Beautiful
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fiction (2023)An emotionally layered and engrossing story of a family that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?
William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?
Vibrating with tenderness, Hello Beautiful is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what’s possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.
William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?
Vibrating with tenderness, Hello Beautiful is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what’s possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2023
About the author
Ann Napolitano
4 books5,454 followersAnn Napolitano’s novel, Hello Beautiful, was published by Dial Press in March 2023 and was an instant New York Times bestseller and the 100th Oprah Book Club pick. The novel was published by Viking Penguin in the United Kingdom in July 2023, and currently has thirty-one international publishers. It was named one of the ten best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, and one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Amazon, NPR, The Washington Post, Time, Vogue, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Post and others. Hello Beautiful has also been long-listed for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award.
Dear Edward was published by Dial Press in January 2020 and was an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and was released as an Apple TV+ series starring Connie Britton. The novel currently has twenty-eight international publishers. It was named one of the best books of 2020 by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Real Simple, Fast Company, Women’s World, Parade, LibraryReads and Amazon.
Her other two novels are A Good Hard Look, and Napolitano’s debut novel, Within Arm’s Reach, which will be re-issued with a new cover in April 2024. She was the Associate Editor of One Story literary magazine from 2014-2020. She received an MFA from New York University; she has taught fiction writing for Brooklyn College’s MFA program, New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and for Gotham Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.
Dear Edward was published by Dial Press in January 2020 and was an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and was released as an Apple TV+ series starring Connie Britton. The novel currently has twenty-eight international publishers. It was named one of the best books of 2020 by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Real Simple, Fast Company, Women’s World, Parade, LibraryReads and Amazon.
Her other two novels are A Good Hard Look, and Napolitano’s debut novel, Within Arm’s Reach, which will be re-issued with a new cover in April 2024. She was the Associate Editor of One Story literary magazine from 2014-2020. She received an MFA from New York University; she has taught fiction writing for Brooklyn College’s MFA program, New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and for Gotham Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32,630 reviews
July 10, 2024
This heart-wrenching, emotional family saga will shake you to the core. The three-dimensional, layered characterization, and references to Little Women make it easy to connect with each character as they feel like lifelong friends.
The Padavona sisters resemble the March sisters, although they were raised in a Catholic household where their mother taught them to respect saints while their father, Charlie, was an idealistic dreamer who could not provide a financially stable life for his family.
Julia and Sylvia carry the attributes of Meg and Jo, respectively. Cecilia is artsy and determined like Amy, and Emeline has a kind heart and selfless behavior, much like Beth.
Julia is a doer, high achiever, and ambitious. She is the second mother of the girls and is closer to the romantic, bookish Sylvie, who is waiting for the man to sweep her off her feet. The twin girls, Cecilia and Emeline, live in their own world, speaking their own language and are each other's best friends. Cecilia is straightforward and stubborn, while Emeline is a nurturer and peacemaker of the family.
William is a lost, introverted guy, raised by his neglectful family who cannot get over the loss of their little daughter and fails to provide the compassion William needs. He is a wallflower until he starts to play basketball with his peers, and his invisibility fades away.
When he meets Julia Padavona, she chooses him as her future husband, which means he will marry into the entire Padavona clan. The tight bond between the four sisters affects him a lot, as his own family wants nothing to do with him.
Julia sees William as her next project, creating an ideal husband in her mind, a college professor who is handsomely paid and provides her with a big apartment and kids. She even finds him his first assistant job at college. Julia is the rocket of the family, who likes to control things, but when people make plans, God laughs.
An unexpected family scandal and a big tragedy shake the family to its core. A bold decision to choose happiness over misery causes the tight bond between the sisters to break, testing their priorities.
The dark and depressing tone of the book can give you heartache, but the realistic portrayal of the characters helps you connect with them. Each point of view is another creative voice that speaks to your soul.
Some of the characters' selfish choices made me angry, and I was frustrated by the stubbornness of others who held themselves back from embracing their own happiness when time was of the essence. However, their behaviors are unfortunately realistic, and we can all find a family member who acts like them.
The ending was extremely emotional, and I cried a lot. I just devoured this book and each character's story slowly. I did not want it to end, and if I had the chance to read about the sisters' granddaughters' stories, I would not say no.
Overall, this magnificent book deserves more than five stars. Just read it, read it, and read it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Dial Press for sharing this amazing digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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The Padavona sisters resemble the March sisters, although they were raised in a Catholic household where their mother taught them to respect saints while their father, Charlie, was an idealistic dreamer who could not provide a financially stable life for his family.
Julia and Sylvia carry the attributes of Meg and Jo, respectively. Cecilia is artsy and determined like Amy, and Emeline has a kind heart and selfless behavior, much like Beth.
Julia is a doer, high achiever, and ambitious. She is the second mother of the girls and is closer to the romantic, bookish Sylvie, who is waiting for the man to sweep her off her feet. The twin girls, Cecilia and Emeline, live in their own world, speaking their own language and are each other's best friends. Cecilia is straightforward and stubborn, while Emeline is a nurturer and peacemaker of the family.
William is a lost, introverted guy, raised by his neglectful family who cannot get over the loss of their little daughter and fails to provide the compassion William needs. He is a wallflower until he starts to play basketball with his peers, and his invisibility fades away.
When he meets Julia Padavona, she chooses him as her future husband, which means he will marry into the entire Padavona clan. The tight bond between the four sisters affects him a lot, as his own family wants nothing to do with him.
Julia sees William as her next project, creating an ideal husband in her mind, a college professor who is handsomely paid and provides her with a big apartment and kids. She even finds him his first assistant job at college. Julia is the rocket of the family, who likes to control things, but when people make plans, God laughs.
An unexpected family scandal and a big tragedy shake the family to its core. A bold decision to choose happiness over misery causes the tight bond between the sisters to break, testing their priorities.
The dark and depressing tone of the book can give you heartache, but the realistic portrayal of the characters helps you connect with them. Each point of view is another creative voice that speaks to your soul.
Some of the characters' selfish choices made me angry, and I was frustrated by the stubbornness of others who held themselves back from embracing their own happiness when time was of the essence. However, their behaviors are unfortunately realistic, and we can all find a family member who acts like them.
The ending was extremely emotional, and I cried a lot. I just devoured this book and each character's story slowly. I did not want it to end, and if I had the chance to read about the sisters' granddaughters' stories, I would not say no.
Overall, this magnificent book deserves more than five stars. Just read it, read it, and read it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Dial Press for sharing this amazing digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium.com
January 9, 2024
hello, unpopular opinion regarding a beloved bestselling book that literally everyone on earth seems to love / find enchanting / desire to give their firstborn besides me.
it's been a while.
and personally i can't think of a more devastating candidate for our big comeback than this, a book fitting an ideal description:
a beautiful cover that seems like it couldn't possibly contain anything but an intergenerational literary family drama (the best niche of all time) and yet is.
like did i mention the cover is beautiful. and i'm not just talking about the title!!! (pause for raucous laughter.)
unfortunately, that's the only thing i found particularly appealing about this whole thing. because it is:
1) not literary, but rather the kind of gimmicky and clichéd writing i expect from books i've never heard of found exclusively at airport bookstores
2) not a family drama, really, but more like a lack of family drama, because these people don't really care for each other all that much
3) created to hurt my feelings, specifically, because i am an eldest sister and this entire thing is from page 1 to page 897 (estimating) anti-eldest propaganda.
this is a book about 4 sisters, and one of them decides there's been a rift in the family and she is going to leave forever. that is the entirety of the plot, if i'm honest. which is fine. i'm all for no story, just vibes if i like the characters.
but here is the thing...the eldest sister is evil, the sister we unexpectedly spend a lot of our time following goes from Having A Personality to simply just Being Nice, and the other two are kept pretty clearly out of our way in case we accidentally trip and fall into something happening. (don't worry. we essentially do not.)
so i do not like the characters.
and to all of this i say:
sorry to the padavano sisters but i'm different. i have 3 siblings and i'm one of 3 sisters and there is just no way i would let any of this happen to us.
and also...eldest sisters are not evil 2k23.
all of the stakes in this are deeply made up, and could be overcome in about a half a second if any of these people had even a passing interest in each other, let alone the kind of all-consuming sisterly love we're told they do. but instead of doing what i like to do with my sisters, which is get drunk and watch twilight, they decide to be like "i feel this made up trauma so much i want to pass it down from generation to generation."
so sure. whatever. do what you want.
but i don't have to like it!!!
i mean, in actual fact there were moments of this i really liked. but there were also plenty of moments of this i really didn't, such as when i was forced to turn to my boyfriend while reading this (by force of lack of options while on a plane) and say
but at least i got to get some anger out while we sat on the tarmac.
bottom line: i'm so glad you all loved this book so much, and also i have no idea what book you read.
2.5
-----------------------
tbr review
me at this cover
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
it's been a while.
and personally i can't think of a more devastating candidate for our big comeback than this, a book fitting an ideal description:
a beautiful cover that seems like it couldn't possibly contain anything but an intergenerational literary family drama (the best niche of all time) and yet is.
like did i mention the cover is beautiful. and i'm not just talking about the title!!! (pause for raucous laughter.)
unfortunately, that's the only thing i found particularly appealing about this whole thing. because it is:
1) not literary, but rather the kind of gimmicky and clichéd writing i expect from books i've never heard of found exclusively at airport bookstores
2) not a family drama, really, but more like a lack of family drama, because these people don't really care for each other all that much
3) created to hurt my feelings, specifically, because i am an eldest sister and this entire thing is from page 1 to page 897 (estimating) anti-eldest propaganda.
this is a book about 4 sisters, and one of them decides there's been a rift in the family and she is going to leave forever. that is the entirety of the plot, if i'm honest. which is fine. i'm all for no story, just vibes if i like the characters.
but here is the thing...the eldest sister is evil, the sister we unexpectedly spend a lot of our time following goes from Having A Personality to simply just Being Nice, and the other two are kept pretty clearly out of our way in case we accidentally trip and fall into something happening. (don't worry. we essentially do not.)
so i do not like the characters.
and to all of this i say:
sorry to the padavano sisters but i'm different. i have 3 siblings and i'm one of 3 sisters and there is just no way i would let any of this happen to us.
and also...eldest sisters are not evil 2k23.
all of the stakes in this are deeply made up, and could be overcome in about a half a second if any of these people had even a passing interest in each other, let alone the kind of all-consuming sisterly love we're told they do. but instead of doing what i like to do with my sisters, which is get drunk and watch twilight, they decide to be like "i feel this made up trauma so much i want to pass it down from generation to generation."
so sure. whatever. do what you want.
but i don't have to like it!!!
i mean, in actual fact there were moments of this i really liked. but there were also plenty of moments of this i really didn't, such as when i was forced to turn to my boyfriend while reading this (by force of lack of options while on a plane) and say
but at least i got to get some anger out while we sat on the tarmac.
bottom line: i'm so glad you all loved this book so much, and also i have no idea what book you read.
2.5
-----------------------
tbr review
me at this cover
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
March 14, 2023
OUTLIER ALERT!
Not quite my cup of tea! 🫖
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward comes a poignant and engrossing family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?
I have to be honest-this was almost a DNF for me. I picked it up and put it down, read another book, and picked it up again, hoping to have a better result the second time around. The beginning of this book was a slog to get through!
William Waters grew up in a home devoid of love. He turned to basketball as an escape, and found he actually had the height and skills to earn himself a scholarship out of town.
So much talk of basketball-not an engaging start for someone who isn’t a fan.
Injury would sideline him, but he will meet Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, and she is a young lady who knows what she wants. She has decided that William will become her husband, and a Professor, and that she will provide him with the love and family he never had. Her three sisters also warmly embrace him, and for awhile he feels content.
But, is it the kind of love that he needs?
This is billed as a homage to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and without spoilers, you will find several themes from the timeless Classic, repeated here.
I enjoy MOST homages, but this one opens in the late seventies/early eighties and YET-it STILL reads like a period piece from DECADES earlier, and that didn’t feel authentic.
Something will challenge the close bond that the sisters share, and something else will bring them full circle, but I never felt invested enough in this tale, to remain engaged in this 400 page, multi generational family saga.
I did enjoy “Dear Edward” but too much telling and not enough showing kept me from connecting emotionally with this one.
And, perhaps, because I have read “Little Women”, I was always a step ahead of what would happen…
But, I am in the minority.
Perhaps it will work for you?
2.5 stars rounded up.
AVAILABLE NOW
Themes of depression, attempted suicide, terminal illness and familial bonds are thoughtfully explored.
Thank You to Dial Press for inviting me to read this! A gifted copy was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Not quite my cup of tea! 🫖
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward comes a poignant and engrossing family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?
I have to be honest-this was almost a DNF for me. I picked it up and put it down, read another book, and picked it up again, hoping to have a better result the second time around. The beginning of this book was a slog to get through!
William Waters grew up in a home devoid of love. He turned to basketball as an escape, and found he actually had the height and skills to earn himself a scholarship out of town.
So much talk of basketball-not an engaging start for someone who isn’t a fan.
Injury would sideline him, but he will meet Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, and she is a young lady who knows what she wants. She has decided that William will become her husband, and a Professor, and that she will provide him with the love and family he never had. Her three sisters also warmly embrace him, and for awhile he feels content.
But, is it the kind of love that he needs?
This is billed as a homage to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and without spoilers, you will find several themes from the timeless Classic, repeated here.
I enjoy MOST homages, but this one opens in the late seventies/early eighties and YET-it STILL reads like a period piece from DECADES earlier, and that didn’t feel authentic.
Something will challenge the close bond that the sisters share, and something else will bring them full circle, but I never felt invested enough in this tale, to remain engaged in this 400 page, multi generational family saga.
I did enjoy “Dear Edward” but too much telling and not enough showing kept me from connecting emotionally with this one.
And, perhaps, because I have read “Little Women”, I was always a step ahead of what would happen…
But, I am in the minority.
Perhaps it will work for you?
2.5 stars rounded up.
AVAILABLE NOW
Themes of depression, attempted suicide, terminal illness and familial bonds are thoughtfully explored.
Thank You to Dial Press for inviting me to read this! A gifted copy was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 14, 2024
Hello Beautiful is a big, emotional, heart wrenching family drama. It encompasses the Padavano family of four sisters and the broken young man who marries into the family.
“Hello Beautiful” is the greeting Charlie Padavano gives each of his daughters. “Charlie had seen and loved each of them for who they were..the greeting was nice enough to make them want to leave the room and come in all over again.” He might have been a bit of a drunk, but he was the tie that kept the family together. It was his unconditional love. Their mother Rose is a force of nature, but when a daughter disobeys the one condition Rose has placed on them all, a fracture occurs. As time goes on, more fractures occur.
Napolitano has created a cast of characters that felt totally real. I’m just like Julia, wanting a life that’s mapped out and organized, but my heart went out to William and Sylvie. The sisters are meant to mirror the sisters in Little Women. Here again, the sisters have to find ways to be themselves within a close family setting. There are some important points made about independence and dealing with the expectations of others, especially family. But it’s also about depression and the mistakes we make when we try to save those we love. I will admit to having tears rolling down my face for the final chapters of the book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House- Dial Press for an advance copy of this book.
“Hello Beautiful” is the greeting Charlie Padavano gives each of his daughters. “Charlie had seen and loved each of them for who they were..the greeting was nice enough to make them want to leave the room and come in all over again.” He might have been a bit of a drunk, but he was the tie that kept the family together. It was his unconditional love. Their mother Rose is a force of nature, but when a daughter disobeys the one condition Rose has placed on them all, a fracture occurs. As time goes on, more fractures occur.
Napolitano has created a cast of characters that felt totally real. I’m just like Julia, wanting a life that’s mapped out and organized, but my heart went out to William and Sylvie. The sisters are meant to mirror the sisters in Little Women. Here again, the sisters have to find ways to be themselves within a close family setting. There are some important points made about independence and dealing with the expectations of others, especially family. But it’s also about depression and the mistakes we make when we try to save those we love. I will admit to having tears rolling down my face for the final chapters of the book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House- Dial Press for an advance copy of this book.
Shelved as 'dnf'
March 1, 2023I made it to 50% before throwing in the towel. I loved the author’s book, Dear Edward, but this one failed to keep my interest and I found it strange and weird.
It was depressing and slow, with unlikable characters. None of these factors alone is a deal breaker, but combined, it was the kiss of death.
William is the only sympathetic character but I just couldn’t slog through more of the story to find out what happens to him.
For some reason the author wrote the story it as if it was set during the 1940’s or ‘50’s, not the 1980’s, which created confusion.
* I received a digital copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own
It was depressing and slow, with unlikable characters. None of these factors alone is a deal breaker, but combined, it was the kiss of death.
William is the only sympathetic character but I just couldn’t slog through more of the story to find out what happens to him.
For some reason the author wrote the story it as if it was set during the 1940’s or ‘50’s, not the 1980’s, which created confusion.
* I received a digital copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own
March 14, 2023
3.5⭐
William Waters attends Northwestern University in Chicago on a basketball scholarship, a welcome opportunity for him to leave his family and unhappy childhood in Newton, Massachusetts. Playing basketball, attending classes and the connections he makes with his friend Kent who works with him in the student laundry and his relationship with classmate Julia Padavano signal a new life for him. Marrying Julia and becoming a part of the Padavano family gives him a sense of belonging after a childhood spent with parents who never showed any affection or emotional attachment toward him after a tragic loss in the family that occurred when William was just a newborn. The basketball court was William’s only refuge during those years. But the Padavanos – Julia, her parents and her three sisters Sylvie, Emeline and Cecelia welcome William into their family. Julia is ambitious and wants a life different from the one her mother had. She sees potential in William and steers him toward a life in academics. A series of injuries leads to William giving up basketball. William initially welcomes Julia’s guidance but as they embark on their new life together and welcome Alice their daughter into the world, William is gradually engulfed in a darkness that pushes him to end everything his new life has to offer. This triggers a shift in the dynamics within the Padavano family – the repercussions of which leave no one unaffected.
A homage to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (the book and characters are referenced by the sisters quite a few times throughout the novel) set in modern times (1960-2008) Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is a beautifully –written, engaging family drama. However, I would prefer to discuss this book on its individual merit instead of comparing it to one of my all-time favorite classics.
This story revolves around themes of family, mental health, ambition and expectations. The author does an exceptional job of exploring the female characters in this story- the four sisters and their mother and their bond, their differences and their distinctive personalities. I found how the author describes Charlie’s influence on his daughters’ lives, even though not physically present for a large part of the story (the title of the novel is of particular significance in this regard). My heart broke for William and his struggles. William’s storyline highlights the importance of communication, awareness and empathy for those struggling with mental health issues. Following the Padavano sisters and William through decades, this is a lengthy novel but the narrative flows easily between multiple perspectives rendering it an easy read. Relationships are complicated, family is complicated and more often than not we need to learn how and when to hold on and how to let go, giving one other the space to breathe and grow as an individual. The author carries the story well up until the end where the inconsistencies in the plot and character development become evident. While people can change and/or open their minds, accept and forgive, the ending of this story, bittersweet as it may be, is overly simplistic, too convenient and therefore, unconvincing. Overall, I did enjoy reading this novel but was a tad disappointed with the way the story is wrapped up.
Many thanks to author Ann Napolitano, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
March 24, 2023
Achingly Beautiful..
William Waters grew up without any love or attention from his parents who had lost their first child, a little girl, just previous to his birth. They were consumed by grief.
He picks up a basketball as a young boy and it gets him through tough times, just dribbling and going to the local outdoor net where boys are playing and he finds some boys to play basketball with.
Later when he’s at college and playing on a team, he meets Julia Padavano.. the oldest of four sisters in a tight knit family.
The story takes off from there.
William becomes part of the Padavano family and this is a story of family.. mostly the sister relationship .. filled with love and losses, touches on depression and tough choices.
I just loved these characters and didn’t want to leave them.. any of them!
The author of Dear Edward which I haven’t read yet but am adding to my tbr!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing group for the ARC!
William Waters grew up without any love or attention from his parents who had lost their first child, a little girl, just previous to his birth. They were consumed by grief.
He picks up a basketball as a young boy and it gets him through tough times, just dribbling and going to the local outdoor net where boys are playing and he finds some boys to play basketball with.
Later when he’s at college and playing on a team, he meets Julia Padavano.. the oldest of four sisters in a tight knit family.
The story takes off from there.
William becomes part of the Padavano family and this is a story of family.. mostly the sister relationship .. filled with love and losses, touches on depression and tough choices.
I just loved these characters and didn’t want to leave them.. any of them!
The author of Dear Edward which I haven’t read yet but am adding to my tbr!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing group for the ARC!
May 5, 2023
So, here I sit in a bit of a conundrum. On the onset, given all the shining star reviews this one had, I thought I would feel the same glow. I didn’t. It wasn’t until I started the dreaded skim that it picked up -three quarters through. Napolatino, you took too long to get leverage. My expectations were sky high. This was my first with you and I felt a bit like a parachuter plummeting down -Until I got to page 300….
This is a story about sisters. 4 of them. What pulls them together and what threatens to pull them apart.
There were some eye rolling moments: ‘contented in every cell of her body’. Ok I get it. Do you need to point this out more than once? Less telling more showing please.
Also the time period seemed off. This read as though it took place in the 60’s rather than the 80’s.
Perhaps it didn’t stand a chance on the heels of my last one that shook me. Or maybe I just had built this author up too much given all the hype.
It could just be another case of it’s me, not you…It wouldn’t be the first time.
If you’re up for a nice but slow story, then I can recommend. Do look to other reviews as they sparkle.
3.5
This is a story about sisters. 4 of them. What pulls them together and what threatens to pull them apart.
There were some eye rolling moments: ‘contented in every cell of her body’. Ok I get it. Do you need to point this out more than once? Less telling more showing please.
Also the time period seemed off. This read as though it took place in the 60’s rather than the 80’s.
Perhaps it didn’t stand a chance on the heels of my last one that shook me. Or maybe I just had built this author up too much given all the hype.
It could just be another case of it’s me, not you…It wouldn’t be the first time.
If you’re up for a nice but slow story, then I can recommend. Do look to other reviews as they sparkle.
3.5
February 19, 2023
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2.5 Stars
I read and loved Dear Edward a few years ago, it was my first foray into this author's work and it was brilliant. This title left me a little disappointed. I do like a slow burn but this book was way too slow for my liking, especially the beginning. I will also say this took me four days to read and that is saying something coming from one who devours books. I almost did not finish it but decided to persist. It did get better. I am surprised I didn't like it more because this is Ann Napolitano's version of Little Women and that is one of my favourite books. This one had a soap opera feel to it.
I liked that the book deals with issues of mental health in a realistic way and I felt for William, but I had trouble connecting to any of the characters other than feeling bad for them I felt nothing else. I did like that William found the strength to fight his demons. This is a very character-driven story and when you don't connect with the characters in any way it makes it a slog to get through. I think part of the problem was William's basketball playing didn't interest me at all.
As much as I think that Napolitano is a beautiful writer this one just didn't do much for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
2.5 Stars
I read and loved Dear Edward a few years ago, it was my first foray into this author's work and it was brilliant. This title left me a little disappointed. I do like a slow burn but this book was way too slow for my liking, especially the beginning. I will also say this took me four days to read and that is saying something coming from one who devours books. I almost did not finish it but decided to persist. It did get better. I am surprised I didn't like it more because this is Ann Napolitano's version of Little Women and that is one of my favourite books. This one had a soap opera feel to it.
I liked that the book deals with issues of mental health in a realistic way and I felt for William, but I had trouble connecting to any of the characters other than feeling bad for them I felt nothing else. I did like that William found the strength to fight his demons. This is a very character-driven story and when you don't connect with the characters in any way it makes it a slog to get through. I think part of the problem was William's basketball playing didn't interest me at all.
As much as I think that Napolitano is a beautiful writer this one just didn't do much for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
April 3, 2023
Is it just me? I'm baffled by the hype surrounding this book. The characters seem pretty wooden to me – I can't really distinguish the twins from each other, and I feel pretty much the same about Sylvie and Julia. I didn't buy the way William's parents ignored him throughout his childhood. Not because that would never happen, but because there's no evidence of it. I think that's because this book is all "tell" and no "show". How about a Christmas morning scene, or a chance to hear what's said between the parents when they sit at the kitchen table? They don't talk to him, okay, but do they talk to each other? Do they know any other people? Do the Padavanos know any other people for that matter? When Cecelia gets pregnant, does the baby's father know? How do people in the neighborhood react? We don't know, because there really are no other people. The only friend any of the main characters has is Kent, who appears to have no life aside from supporting William. (I was stunned when the author drops in the detail that his seemingly perfect marriage had ended - what?) What does Julia do for work exactly? We're told Julia and Cecelia sometimes go on dates on Saturday nights. I'd like to see that, but no luck. Who are they dating, and where are they going? Do any of these dates lead to relationships, short or long term? Is sex happening? It's like the Mary Tyler Moore show, without the laughs. Ms. Napolitano is very accomplished, and maybe I'd feel differently about her other books. But this one's leaving me confused, frustrated, and honestly bored.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2023
This book is filled with odd, one-dimensional characters that did some odd things and I didn't like most of them. Four too close for comfort sisters and one shadow of a man round out the main cast here. William might as well have been a ghost throughout most of the story, then that thing happened. Two of the sisters slept entwined in each others arms on more than one occasion, then that thing happened. Even that "thing" didn't save this for me. It just made me mad. Their lives lacked depth and I only could only get to know them on the very basic of levels. I just simply couldn't get invested in their troubles. I have no idea why they did anything much less their thoughts behind their actions. If I wasn't bored, I was angry or perplexed. My thoughts only.
January 12, 2023
After Dear Edward, Ann Napolitano writes a beautifully tender family drama with its echoes of the classic Little Women, primarily set in Chicago. William Waters grows up in silence with parents unable to love or even look at him after the tragic loss of his sister Caroline. As a youngster, he plays basketball alone, until he is surprised to be encouraged to join local basketball players. It is his remarkable skills in the game that are responsible for him gaining a scholarship to college in Chicago, leaving a home he will never return to. William works in the laundry, which is where he cements a lifelong friendship with Kent, and it is in his history class where he meets the vibrant problem solver, Julia Padavano, who zeroes in on him as her future, a man she can mould into everything she desires.
It becomes clear to William right at the start that Julia comes with her poor, but loving, loyal and chaotic Italian American family, her heart beats as one with her sisters, the literary dreamer, Sylvie, working at a library where she kisses boys, and the twins, the artistic Cecilia and Emeline, who takes care of them all. William is grateful to be wrapped into the heart of the Padavano family, the paper factory worker, the loving and drinking father, Charlie, and the gardening mother, Rose, with her love and resentment of an unambitious husband that powers her desire to see all her daughters attend college. However, marriage puts pressures and strains that push William beyond his capacity to cope as he moves further and further from who he is, whilst the Padavanos experience the kind of losses, surprises and betrayal that threaten to splinter the family apart, will the family ever come together again?
Napolitano writes a extraordinarily moving and gripping family drama, creating a captivating and distinct set of Padavano sisters, all strong in their different ways, but challenged when cracks begin to appear in their unity. As for William, I felt my heart truly feel for him, a past responsible for the mental health issues he must face and find the inner strength to learn to put himself back together in a manner that is true to who he is, and despite the obstacles, learn to accept real love into his life. At the end, we can see with joy just how much he is loved by so many. This is sublime storytelling, of life, loss and love in all its different forms, the beauty and price of love, and illustrating the many problematic issues that can potentially undermine family cohesion. An absolute delight of a read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
It becomes clear to William right at the start that Julia comes with her poor, but loving, loyal and chaotic Italian American family, her heart beats as one with her sisters, the literary dreamer, Sylvie, working at a library where she kisses boys, and the twins, the artistic Cecilia and Emeline, who takes care of them all. William is grateful to be wrapped into the heart of the Padavano family, the paper factory worker, the loving and drinking father, Charlie, and the gardening mother, Rose, with her love and resentment of an unambitious husband that powers her desire to see all her daughters attend college. However, marriage puts pressures and strains that push William beyond his capacity to cope as he moves further and further from who he is, whilst the Padavanos experience the kind of losses, surprises and betrayal that threaten to splinter the family apart, will the family ever come together again?
Napolitano writes a extraordinarily moving and gripping family drama, creating a captivating and distinct set of Padavano sisters, all strong in their different ways, but challenged when cracks begin to appear in their unity. As for William, I felt my heart truly feel for him, a past responsible for the mental health issues he must face and find the inner strength to learn to put himself back together in a manner that is true to who he is, and despite the obstacles, learn to accept real love into his life. At the end, we can see with joy just how much he is loved by so many. This is sublime storytelling, of life, loss and love in all its different forms, the beauty and price of love, and illustrating the many problematic issues that can potentially undermine family cohesion. An absolute delight of a read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
March 15, 2023
should have listened to myself and DNF halfway through 🥲😅🥹 was hoping the backhalf would push through and make it worth it but to be completely honest, i’m relieved to be done.
it might be because i just came off a 5 star thriller, but this was not my cup of tea. the pacing was off, the subject matter was pretty somber and sad from the very first page (and you guys know i love emo reads….), and so many characters were unlikeable—especially the main two.
when i finished i literally asked myself: "what was the point?"
this is a sad family drama that is full of miscommunication tropes which are my least fave ever 😩 it was also about 60 pages too long. it does deal with some important themes and topics in a graceful way, but besides that i couldn’t find too much i liked.
i was so excited for more from the DEAR EDWARD author but sadly for me, it was a miss. i think it could have been better on audio so if you do pick it up, try that route!
thanks to Dial Press for the gifted early copy in exchange for my honest review!
it might be because i just came off a 5 star thriller, but this was not my cup of tea. the pacing was off, the subject matter was pretty somber and sad from the very first page (and you guys know i love emo reads….), and so many characters were unlikeable—especially the main two.
when i finished i literally asked myself: "what was the point?"
this is a sad family drama that is full of miscommunication tropes which are my least fave ever 😩 it was also about 60 pages too long. it does deal with some important themes and topics in a graceful way, but besides that i couldn’t find too much i liked.
i was so excited for more from the DEAR EDWARD author but sadly for me, it was a miss. i think it could have been better on audio so if you do pick it up, try that route!
thanks to Dial Press for the gifted early copy in exchange for my honest review!
April 6, 2023
“What is wrong with this family?” asks one of the characters close to the end of this affecting and emotional family drama. I could give my thoughts on that perhaps, now that I’ve read it. But this is a family you need to discover and come to know for yourself, so that like me, at the very end of it, you might cry a little and think about all that was so very right about this family.
William Waters is alone, shunned by his parents after a tragedy, and as a child lives as an outcast in his own home until in college when he falls in love with Julia Padavano . The course of his life is forever changed as he becomes part of her very close family. He thinks they are perfect, the loving family that he never had as he sees the seemingly unbreakable bonds between Julia and her three sisters. The story is realistic, though. Families aren’t perfect no matter how much love there is. People are flawed. Life can get messy and sad and complicated and heartbreaking when these characters struggle with loss, grief, mental illness. Napolitano does such an extraordinary job of letting us know who these characters are through their own narrative and through how they see each other.
There is a lot of sadness here and there were times when I thought this is just way too sad . I never thought of putting it down, though, as I was so into the lives of these characters and had to find out whether there could be healing and forgiveness. I won’t spoil it by giving more details, but suffice it say that the depth of love in this family eased a little of my heartbreak.
I’m happy that Diane and I are back reading together again. It’s doing wonders getting me out of my reading slump.
I received a copy of this book from Random House through
NetGalley.
William Waters is alone, shunned by his parents after a tragedy, and as a child lives as an outcast in his own home until in college when he falls in love with Julia Padavano . The course of his life is forever changed as he becomes part of her very close family. He thinks they are perfect, the loving family that he never had as he sees the seemingly unbreakable bonds between Julia and her three sisters. The story is realistic, though. Families aren’t perfect no matter how much love there is. People are flawed. Life can get messy and sad and complicated and heartbreaking when these characters struggle with loss, grief, mental illness. Napolitano does such an extraordinary job of letting us know who these characters are through their own narrative and through how they see each other.
There is a lot of sadness here and there were times when I thought this is just way too sad . I never thought of putting it down, though, as I was so into the lives of these characters and had to find out whether there could be healing and forgiveness. I won’t spoil it by giving more details, but suffice it say that the depth of love in this family eased a little of my heartbreak.
I’m happy that Diane and I are back reading together again. It’s doing wonders getting me out of my reading slump.
I received a copy of this book from Random House through
NetGalley.
March 16, 2023
“A shadow represents either the blocking out of light, or the other half of a person. When a character loses their shadow, they’ve lost part of themselves and have to search to get it back”.
I wasn’t going to cry… I wasn’t going to cry… I wasn’t going to cry…
“Hello Beautiful” ….is a BEAUTIFUL family saga novel.
A terrific juicy choice for book club discussions!
I just finished seconds ago. I will be back with a review soon.
REVIEW:
It must have taken a lot of energy to write this novel.
There are many sub-storylines that are held together by the complex and highly developed characters.
Ann Napolitano took her time carefully developing the characters and scenes.
They are richly drawn, distinct, and believable.
The actions of one character undoubtedly affected all the characters.
We look at the ways we choose to be, rather than believing we’ve been cut from a tainted cloth — scarred forever.
Even during my reading breaks — (as few as needed— while real life called for my
attention) —
I was still with this story — thinking about:
….William Waters: the focus male protagonist.
….The Padavano Sisters [Julia, Sylvie, and the twins: Cecelia and Emeline],
….Parents: Rose and Charlie Padavano,
….Alice, Izzy, (the babies born to Julia and Cecelia and their ‘coming-of-age’ development.
….Caroline: the 3 year old baby who died when William was born…shaping William’s life in unpredictable ways —
….Kent: William’s best friend
….and of course: I thought about:
….sibling closeness/and separateness
….choices made
….the ways in which a sport can (at least partially) save a soul.
….personality dispositions
….behavior differences
….depression & suicide attempts
…. Pregnancies, birth, and the challenges with ‘coming-of-age.
…. marriage, loyalties,
….betrayal
….secrets
….Etc. > lots of story-interest details that encompass this 400 page novel
AND ….
….I thought about
….LOVE:
….Different types of love:
Love that saves us from depression
Love that was hidden…
Love that was mistaken
Chosen love,
Love with conditions
Sibling love
Parental love
Friendship love
Innocent love
Tragic, unavoidable love
Prioritized love
Unbelievable surprising love—shocking love
Forgotten love and/or distant estranged love
voluminous love….
while sitting with this question ‘about’ love:
“Do you agree that we can choose ‘who’ we love?”
This novel touches us on many levels: emotionally — logically — and ethically.
The highly complex, flawed
characters found a way to sneak into my heart —they became conscious reminders of ethical behavior…..
through their interwoven
lives:
….sibling closeness/ and separateness
….choices made
….personality disposition ….behavior differences- ….betrayal
….secrets
….the profound grief and sadness
….freedom
….lost time
….lost love
….forgiveness-
….humanity in all shapes and forms.
The exploration of family traits — alone — and how those traits are passed on — is worth the cost of this novel itself.
I found myself totally immersed in not only each of the characters lives — but deeply engaged in thought about the ways our past affects our present and future lives. (so differently from one person to another).
If there is a book club discussion going around about this novel > I’d love to join in.
I hope they make another series of this book with the same passionate sensitivity they did “Dear Edward”.
Now for some excerpts:
— shouldn’t be spoilers — just out-of-context tasters:
“William, may have had no idea who he was, but the world had told him: He was a basketball player”.
By the time William entered high school, he was a good enough basketball player to start for the varsity team. He was five foot eight and played point guard.
This summer after William’s sophomore year, he grew five inches. He was six foot seven and extremely thin”
“William once had the thought that his fiancé (Julia) seemed to stride about the world with a conductor’s wand, while Sylvie brandished a book, and Cecelia, a paintbrush. Emeline, though, kept her hands free in order to be helpful or to pick up and soothe a neighborhood child”.
“Kent’s affection for William was too clear and too uncomplicated. It shone on William like the sun. No one has ever loved him unconditionally like this, and that love, when he was the most undeserving he’d ever been in his life, made William feel like he was burning up. He paste the room, trying to cool himself down with motion”.
“Do you love your life?
“Shit, yes. Kent said this with force”.
“William looked at his friend. Kent was still at his playing weight and seemed to glisten with youth and health. They were both twenty-three years old. William felt at least forty”.
“Julia had started to place her happiness in someone else’s hands, which was the remnant of her Chicago self.
Julia didn’t want to be that person anymore. In Chicago, she was part of the paper chain of Padavano sisters; they had never operated independently, and if one of them have a problem, they all had a problem”.
“Sylvie was no longer who she used to be, and she wasn’t yet whoever who she was becoming”.
“She was grateful that her father had prepared her for this type of hard, lonely ground. Because of him, Sylvie knew she could exist outside the boundaries of her past and future selves, for a little while, anyway. Even though it hurt. She understood now, though, why her father had tempered the brutal beauty of his kind of life—the kind of honesty—with alcohol, and why she had always been more comfortable in the library with books then in the world with people”.
There are dozen more excerpts I could include ….
but I’ll end with what I shared
and just add a few more thoughts:
There were many “I never thought I would” moments in this novel:
…never thought I’d leave Chicago.
…never thought Daddy would die.
… never thought Mama would move away.
….never thought Sylvie might be falling for Julia’s husband.
These ‘never thought I would’ moments allowed me - and all readers - to look into our own lives and be reminded of the many times ‘WE NEVER’ in a million years — thought we would —[fill in the blank]
The twists and turns of life can be so messy, and unpredictable.
Anything can throw us off our game.
So what to do?
Try to bask in the love, joy, and good things right in front of us —
“Hello Beautiful” is ‘family-saga-magnificent!!!!
I wasn’t going to cry… I wasn’t going to cry… I wasn’t going to cry…
“Hello Beautiful” ….is a BEAUTIFUL family saga novel.
A terrific juicy choice for book club discussions!
I just finished seconds ago. I will be back with a review soon.
REVIEW:
It must have taken a lot of energy to write this novel.
There are many sub-storylines that are held together by the complex and highly developed characters.
Ann Napolitano took her time carefully developing the characters and scenes.
They are richly drawn, distinct, and believable.
The actions of one character undoubtedly affected all the characters.
We look at the ways we choose to be, rather than believing we’ve been cut from a tainted cloth — scarred forever.
Even during my reading breaks — (as few as needed— while real life called for my
attention) —
I was still with this story — thinking about:
….William Waters: the focus male protagonist.
….The Padavano Sisters [Julia, Sylvie, and the twins: Cecelia and Emeline],
….Parents: Rose and Charlie Padavano,
….Alice, Izzy, (the babies born to Julia and Cecelia and their ‘coming-of-age’ development.
….Caroline: the 3 year old baby who died when William was born…shaping William’s life in unpredictable ways —
….Kent: William’s best friend
….and of course: I thought about:
….sibling closeness/and separateness
….choices made
….the ways in which a sport can (at least partially) save a soul.
….personality dispositions
….behavior differences
….depression & suicide attempts
…. Pregnancies, birth, and the challenges with ‘coming-of-age.
…. marriage, loyalties,
….betrayal
….secrets
….Etc. > lots of story-interest details that encompass this 400 page novel
AND ….
….I thought about
….LOVE:
….Different types of love:
Love that saves us from depression
Love that was hidden…
Love that was mistaken
Chosen love,
Love with conditions
Sibling love
Parental love
Friendship love
Innocent love
Tragic, unavoidable love
Prioritized love
Unbelievable surprising love—shocking love
Forgotten love and/or distant estranged love
voluminous love….
while sitting with this question ‘about’ love:
“Do you agree that we can choose ‘who’ we love?”
This novel touches us on many levels: emotionally — logically — and ethically.
The highly complex, flawed
characters found a way to sneak into my heart —they became conscious reminders of ethical behavior…..
through their interwoven
lives:
….sibling closeness/ and separateness
….choices made
….personality disposition ….behavior differences- ….betrayal
….secrets
….the profound grief and sadness
….freedom
….lost time
….lost love
….forgiveness-
….humanity in all shapes and forms.
The exploration of family traits — alone — and how those traits are passed on — is worth the cost of this novel itself.
I found myself totally immersed in not only each of the characters lives — but deeply engaged in thought about the ways our past affects our present and future lives. (so differently from one person to another).
If there is a book club discussion going around about this novel > I’d love to join in.
I hope they make another series of this book with the same passionate sensitivity they did “Dear Edward”.
Now for some excerpts:
— shouldn’t be spoilers — just out-of-context tasters:
“William, may have had no idea who he was, but the world had told him: He was a basketball player”.
By the time William entered high school, he was a good enough basketball player to start for the varsity team. He was five foot eight and played point guard.
This summer after William’s sophomore year, he grew five inches. He was six foot seven and extremely thin”
“William once had the thought that his fiancé (Julia) seemed to stride about the world with a conductor’s wand, while Sylvie brandished a book, and Cecelia, a paintbrush. Emeline, though, kept her hands free in order to be helpful or to pick up and soothe a neighborhood child”.
“Kent’s affection for William was too clear and too uncomplicated. It shone on William like the sun. No one has ever loved him unconditionally like this, and that love, when he was the most undeserving he’d ever been in his life, made William feel like he was burning up. He paste the room, trying to cool himself down with motion”.
“Do you love your life?
“Shit, yes. Kent said this with force”.
“William looked at his friend. Kent was still at his playing weight and seemed to glisten with youth and health. They were both twenty-three years old. William felt at least forty”.
“Julia had started to place her happiness in someone else’s hands, which was the remnant of her Chicago self.
Julia didn’t want to be that person anymore. In Chicago, she was part of the paper chain of Padavano sisters; they had never operated independently, and if one of them have a problem, they all had a problem”.
“Sylvie was no longer who she used to be, and she wasn’t yet whoever who she was becoming”.
“She was grateful that her father had prepared her for this type of hard, lonely ground. Because of him, Sylvie knew she could exist outside the boundaries of her past and future selves, for a little while, anyway. Even though it hurt. She understood now, though, why her father had tempered the brutal beauty of his kind of life—the kind of honesty—with alcohol, and why she had always been more comfortable in the library with books then in the world with people”.
There are dozen more excerpts I could include ….
but I’ll end with what I shared
and just add a few more thoughts:
There were many “I never thought I would” moments in this novel:
…never thought I’d leave Chicago.
…never thought Daddy would die.
… never thought Mama would move away.
….never thought Sylvie might be falling for Julia’s husband.
These ‘never thought I would’ moments allowed me - and all readers - to look into our own lives and be reminded of the many times ‘WE NEVER’ in a million years — thought we would —[fill in the blank]
The twists and turns of life can be so messy, and unpredictable.
Anything can throw us off our game.
So what to do?
Try to bask in the love, joy, and good things right in front of us —
“Hello Beautiful” is ‘family-saga-magnificent!!!!
March 21, 2023
I take it all back – my criticism of Dear Edward and my bafflement over the widespread love for it, both of which I expressed back in 2020 when I wrote my three-star review.
Just kidding. I will forever and always stand by my Dear Edward review, so what if it ticked a lot of people off.
And even though I still, to this day, will never understand the hype surrounding Dear Edward, I am now thrilled to say the exact opposite in regard to Napolitano’s latest novel, Hello Beautiful:
I get the hype. And it is well deserved.
Because the book knocked my socks off. It’s as if Napolitano took all that I didn’t like about Dear Edward and fixed it, with the end result being one big, beautiful, glorious family drama.
Inspired by Little Women, a most favorite novel of mine, Hello Beautiful is a moving portrait of the Padavano family, made up of four sisters and a man named William Waters, the husband of the the eldest sister, Julia. Napolitano chronicles their lives over a span of more than 40 years, giving the reader an insightful exploration of what it takes to make, and break, a family.
Napolitano didn’t so much as write this novel as she did craft it. Every sentence is exquisite in its composition; the plotting is airtight; the characterization is complex; every page is imbued with emotion. I lived and breathed the Padavano family while I read, and I am so sad to say goodbye to these remarkable characters.
All the stars, and then some, for Hello Beautiful. I could not have loved it more.
And if you don’t want to take my word for how great the book is, take Oprah’s. Napolitano’s novel is her 100th Book Club pick.
Good choice, Oprah.
My sincerest appreciation to Ann Napolitano, Random House Publishing Group – The Dial Press, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
Just kidding. I will forever and always stand by my Dear Edward review, so what if it ticked a lot of people off.
And even though I still, to this day, will never understand the hype surrounding Dear Edward, I am now thrilled to say the exact opposite in regard to Napolitano’s latest novel, Hello Beautiful:
I get the hype. And it is well deserved.
Because the book knocked my socks off. It’s as if Napolitano took all that I didn’t like about Dear Edward and fixed it, with the end result being one big, beautiful, glorious family drama.
Inspired by Little Women, a most favorite novel of mine, Hello Beautiful is a moving portrait of the Padavano family, made up of four sisters and a man named William Waters, the husband of the the eldest sister, Julia. Napolitano chronicles their lives over a span of more than 40 years, giving the reader an insightful exploration of what it takes to make, and break, a family.
Napolitano didn’t so much as write this novel as she did craft it. Every sentence is exquisite in its composition; the plotting is airtight; the characterization is complex; every page is imbued with emotion. I lived and breathed the Padavano family while I read, and I am so sad to say goodbye to these remarkable characters.
All the stars, and then some, for Hello Beautiful. I could not have loved it more.
And if you don’t want to take my word for how great the book is, take Oprah’s. Napolitano’s novel is her 100th Book Club pick.
Good choice, Oprah.
My sincerest appreciation to Ann Napolitano, Random House Publishing Group – The Dial Press, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
July 2, 2024
This book was only 400 pages but it felt much, much longer.
A tale centred around the Padavano Sisters, who seemed to like comparing themselves to Little Women and their endless dramas, there were several points where I thought the book could have finished (and did think it was finishing until I saw the percentage read and sighed) and been good but it dragged on and on and on like a monotonous Zoom meeting. Not sure that was the aim was but it killed me. This was not a ‘slow burn’ either.
The language used by the sisters confused me to what era they were living in, I kept thinking this was around the 50s whereas it was actually much later.
It will be enjoyed by people who like a sedate, long rambling, never ending reads but for me, who likes to keep the brain ticking over with occasional excitement and revelation, it was a dud.
The one star is for me, for getting through it.
#netgalley #arc
A tale centred around the Padavano Sisters, who seemed to like comparing themselves to Little Women and their endless dramas, there were several points where I thought the book could have finished (and did think it was finishing until I saw the percentage read and sighed) and been good but it dragged on and on and on like a monotonous Zoom meeting. Not sure that was the aim was but it killed me. This was not a ‘slow burn’ either.
The language used by the sisters confused me to what era they were living in, I kept thinking this was around the 50s whereas it was actually much later.
It will be enjoyed by people who like a sedate, long rambling, never ending reads but for me, who likes to keep the brain ticking over with occasional excitement and revelation, it was a dud.
The one star is for me, for getting through it.
#netgalley #arc
Read
April 4, 2023DNF @ 20%. No connection to the characters, storyline or narrative. The writing feels distant and choppy.
July 2, 2024
Little Women was the very fabric of my childhood, gently molding me into the graceful, dignified, articulate, ambitious advocate I was to become.
Just outside of the bustling city of Boston lies Concord, home to Louisa May Alcott. Little Women isn’t just a charming heart-warming story—it was based on Louisa May Alcott and her real-life family.
When Louisa May Alcott was asked if her mother was really as good as she was portrayed in the book, she responded with a smile, “No. She was even better!”
Little Women gave me the courage to say, “I am different, but that’s ok. I don’t judge myself according to my worldly goods but my ethics and good deeds.” Little Women is the most accessible text of Transcendentalism, a philosophy of “high thinking and simple living.”
So if a book is going to invoke Little Women, be prepared to bring it!
And Hello Beautiful did not.
Hello Beautiful is awkwardly set in 1960 to 2008 and focuses on the Padavano family: Julia (the oldest sister), Sylvie (the kissing librarian), and twin sisters (Cecelia and Emeline). Rose, the mother, is very cold, judgmental, and distant (completely unlike Marmee).
The story reads like a badly written soap opera and rolls through 4 different points of view.
Unlike the March sisters who collectively work together to overcome adversity, this family is disjointed and broken. Apparently, single parents can instantly get jobs and can easily raise a child while working without any financial or social support. Kids never get sick. A parent would never need to give an important presentation at work, only to turn to wake up her child and find green slime running from the child’s eye. Right?
BTW, you can’t not cash a check for 16 months, and it still be good.
Hello Beautiful lacked the warmth of Little Women and instead got lost in the mud slinging of familial dysfunction.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Hardcover Text – $36.96, a signed copy from The Oxford Exchange
Audiobook – Free through Libby
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Just outside of the bustling city of Boston lies Concord, home to Louisa May Alcott. Little Women isn’t just a charming heart-warming story—it was based on Louisa May Alcott and her real-life family.
When Louisa May Alcott was asked if her mother was really as good as she was portrayed in the book, she responded with a smile, “No. She was even better!”
Little Women gave me the courage to say, “I am different, but that’s ok. I don’t judge myself according to my worldly goods but my ethics and good deeds.” Little Women is the most accessible text of Transcendentalism, a philosophy of “high thinking and simple living.”
So if a book is going to invoke Little Women, be prepared to bring it!
And Hello Beautiful did not.
Hello Beautiful is awkwardly set in 1960 to 2008 and focuses on the Padavano family: Julia (the oldest sister), Sylvie (the kissing librarian), and twin sisters (Cecelia and Emeline). Rose, the mother, is very cold, judgmental, and distant (completely unlike Marmee).
The story reads like a badly written soap opera and rolls through 4 different points of view.
Unlike the March sisters who collectively work together to overcome adversity, this family is disjointed and broken. Apparently, single parents can instantly get jobs and can easily raise a child while working without any financial or social support. Kids never get sick. A parent would never need to give an important presentation at work, only to turn to wake up her child and find green slime running from the child’s eye. Right?
BTW, you can’t not cash a check for 16 months, and it still be good.
Hello Beautiful lacked the warmth of Little Women and instead got lost in the mud slinging of familial dysfunction.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Hardcover Text – $36.96, a signed copy from The Oxford Exchange
Audiobook – Free through Libby
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March 23, 2023
3 1/2 stars, rounded down.
Hello Beautiful is a tribute to Little Women in that it revolves around four Chicago sisters who are very close as children. Their father, Charlie Padavano, would always greet each of them with "Hello Beautiful!" when they entered the room. Charlie was loved by everyone who knew him, except his wife who was always disappointed in his lack of success.
Julia, the eldest, is described as her father's "rocket" who is destined to go places. She is very much like their mother, who can be distant. Sylvie, only a year younger than Julia, is more like her father. Emmeline, the nurturer, and Cecilia, the artist, are twins. The four women seem to move in a group at times since they are so interconnected.
In college, Julia falls in love with a basketball player named William Waters. William's parents were very broken after the death of their daughter. They never loved William and he grew up isolated and alone, with basketball his only refuge. William is thrilled to be taken in by the whirlwind that is the Padavano family.
Tragedy strikes, not once but twice, causing a rift. In the end, just as in Little Women, one of the sisters learns she is dying. Will that be enough to heal the deeply wounded family?
I mostly enjoyed this story, but I never fully connected with the characters, especially Julia and William. When I rate something 3 stars, it doesn't mean I didn't like it, just that I didn't love it. I would be hesitant to recommend it, but I think I will be an outlier on this.
Hello Beautiful is a tribute to Little Women in that it revolves around four Chicago sisters who are very close as children. Their father, Charlie Padavano, would always greet each of them with "Hello Beautiful!" when they entered the room. Charlie was loved by everyone who knew him, except his wife who was always disappointed in his lack of success.
Julia, the eldest, is described as her father's "rocket" who is destined to go places. She is very much like their mother, who can be distant. Sylvie, only a year younger than Julia, is more like her father. Emmeline, the nurturer, and Cecilia, the artist, are twins. The four women seem to move in a group at times since they are so interconnected.
In college, Julia falls in love with a basketball player named William Waters. William's parents were very broken after the death of their daughter. They never loved William and he grew up isolated and alone, with basketball his only refuge. William is thrilled to be taken in by the whirlwind that is the Padavano family.
Tragedy strikes, not once but twice, causing a rift. In the end, just as in Little Women, one of the sisters learns she is dying. Will that be enough to heal the deeply wounded family?
I mostly enjoyed this story, but I never fully connected with the characters, especially Julia and William. When I rate something 3 stars, it doesn't mean I didn't like it, just that I didn't love it. I would be hesitant to recommend it, but I think I will be an outlier on this.
November 12, 2022
This is a novel about family and emotions, and what happens when people suppress their emotions or don't know how to deal with their emotions. Most of characters in this novel having big emotions, but they're conveyed to the reader in such a way as to be very flat, very placid. There's never a sense of urgency--not even when William goes missing, not even when he and Sylvia come clean to her sisters. It's just "They were upset but then they weren't." or "She was angry but made herself be calm and got on with her life." It's all just very smooth: things happen, the author tells us how they react, another thing happens. Even when there's character interiority, it's all on one very flat, very even reportage-style presentation. And so the characters lack a lot of depth. The setting is the same: Pilsen is a vibrant, interesting place in Chicago to have the characters live, but aside from the murals, there is absolutely no sense of place or what the neighborhood is really like. Again, it's flattened out into a kind of nothingness. This was a disappointment.
May 10, 2023
A little late (again!) on my review here. My bad. But it doesn’t matter because HELLO BEAUTIFUL is unforgettable: among the most moving books I’ve read in the last year or two (and I’ve read a lot of books that, as we like to say, gave me “all the feels”). I know the book is a re-imagining of sorts of LITTLE WOMEN, a novel I treasure, but I found Ann Napolitano’s remarkable novel deeper and more profound: a far more nuanced exploration of love and the ties that bind. Moreover, it also explores the nature of forgiveness and the toxicity of a grudge in a way that Louisa May Alcott, as much as I love what she gave us, never did. If you haven’t read this gem, please do. You’ll devour it.
December 9, 2022
4 to 5 stars.
The author of the outstanding Dear Edward now presents us with an epic and profoundly moving family drama spanning a 30 year period. William Waters grows up in silence and the lack of any attention from his parents who are broken by a tragedy. Unsurprisingly he’s a loner but finds solace in basketball and he becomes a skilful player, earning himself a scholarship to college in Chicago. There he meets Julia Padavano, a personality about as far removed from quiet, self-contained William as it’s possible to get. He meets the Padavano siblings, there’s Sylvie, a year or so younger than Julia and twins, Emeline and Cecelia. William has finally found a girlfriend, a new family and a loyal friend in fellow student Kent. Julia is determined that she and William will build a future together. Can William finally find love, comfort, and the stability he has thus far been denied ?
This novel does take me a little while to get into but the characters are so wonderfully conveyed that they burrow their way under your skin! The Padavano household is a colourful affair in the Chicago suburb of Pilsen whose art and culture the siblings become immersed in and is central to much of the drama.
This is a beautifully written incisive character driven study of fascinating and diverse people and is a slow-moving “Mississippi“ read but the pace perfectly matches the in-depth study. The standout character for me is Sylvie who I love but obviously also William who you want to wrap in a warm embrace. The dialogue is smart too and makes you feel what the characters do. There are some lovely expressions and beautiful and original ways of describing things.
The novel charms you, makes you angry in some places on characters behalf also unbearably sad at times as it’s such an emotional puller on the heart strings and you want to remove heavyweights being carried. I love the ending and you feel as if you have been on one heck of a journey.
I love how the title comes about and in most cases it is a case of hello beautiful inside and out. I also really enjoy the Little Women references and the inclusion of Walt Whitman.
If you like character driven novels then this is for you. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General U.K. for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
The author of the outstanding Dear Edward now presents us with an epic and profoundly moving family drama spanning a 30 year period. William Waters grows up in silence and the lack of any attention from his parents who are broken by a tragedy. Unsurprisingly he’s a loner but finds solace in basketball and he becomes a skilful player, earning himself a scholarship to college in Chicago. There he meets Julia Padavano, a personality about as far removed from quiet, self-contained William as it’s possible to get. He meets the Padavano siblings, there’s Sylvie, a year or so younger than Julia and twins, Emeline and Cecelia. William has finally found a girlfriend, a new family and a loyal friend in fellow student Kent. Julia is determined that she and William will build a future together. Can William finally find love, comfort, and the stability he has thus far been denied ?
This novel does take me a little while to get into but the characters are so wonderfully conveyed that they burrow their way under your skin! The Padavano household is a colourful affair in the Chicago suburb of Pilsen whose art and culture the siblings become immersed in and is central to much of the drama.
This is a beautifully written incisive character driven study of fascinating and diverse people and is a slow-moving “Mississippi“ read but the pace perfectly matches the in-depth study. The standout character for me is Sylvie who I love but obviously also William who you want to wrap in a warm embrace. The dialogue is smart too and makes you feel what the characters do. There are some lovely expressions and beautiful and original ways of describing things.
The novel charms you, makes you angry in some places on characters behalf also unbearably sad at times as it’s such an emotional puller on the heart strings and you want to remove heavyweights being carried. I love the ending and you feel as if you have been on one heck of a journey.
I love how the title comes about and in most cases it is a case of hello beautiful inside and out. I also really enjoy the Little Women references and the inclusion of Walt Whitman.
If you like character driven novels then this is for you. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General U.K. for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
April 6, 2023
Well, Hello, Beautiful story. I have one excellent book hanger with some sadness over leaving the fictional world of William and the Padavano Sisters. I find myself staring off into space, thinking about them and their lives. Ann Napolitano has written something beautiful and created something special with this tender, emotionally layered, honest portrayal of the human spirit and connections. She captures the up and downs of four vibrant and relatable sisters; however, the story centers around William, who seeks refuge with the sisters. He has grown up quite differently than they have. After losing his newborn sister, the grief paralyzed his parents, leaving them unable and unwilling to give William love and attention.
This isn't your typical story that explores the loving bond of sisters; Ann Napolitano captures those up and downs, showing us a complicated, honest version of sisterhood with love, hurt, and betrayal. At first, they are inseparable, but as they grow older, they become their own person, pursuing what they want out of life while still being connected out of love and support. Themes of loyalty and separation, memories and grief, forgiveness and forgetting, kindness and resilience, marriage and parenting are explored, and Ann Napolitano gets to the core of the truth of human connection, whether we admit it or not.
"We hardly ever ask each other how we've been hurt."
The pace is slow and quiet, and it took me a couple of chapters to slow my mind down enough to absorb the meaning of the beautiful words written, making this a great one for deep reading. Once I did, I was drawn into the characters' lives, and I could relate to William's need for basketball as I do with books for comfort and company.
"We look out the window, into ourselves for something more"
"Sometimes words were like pebbles thrown against a window, and what she was reaching for was the window itself."
I loved how grief was explored through the loss of the sister's father, whose memory and influence are constant in their lives. They hear his voice greeting them, "Hello, Beautiful," Their happy memory of him guides them through their grief, bringing them comfort and peace.
"We're all part of something, all interconnected. When you see that, you see how beautiful life is."
"We are not contained between our hats and boots."
At first glance, this might seem like a comparison to Little Women; however, it is the sisters who compare themselves to the characters in Little Women, and while they each have those stereotypes, the bossy one, the bookish one, the artsy one and the sensitive caring one, Ann Napolitano breathes new life into the classic by giving the sisters their own identities separate from each other with their own conflicts and growth.
"It's hard for me to accept the fact that we don't choose who we love, because who you love changes everything."
I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley
This isn't your typical story that explores the loving bond of sisters; Ann Napolitano captures those up and downs, showing us a complicated, honest version of sisterhood with love, hurt, and betrayal. At first, they are inseparable, but as they grow older, they become their own person, pursuing what they want out of life while still being connected out of love and support. Themes of loyalty and separation, memories and grief, forgiveness and forgetting, kindness and resilience, marriage and parenting are explored, and Ann Napolitano gets to the core of the truth of human connection, whether we admit it or not.
"We hardly ever ask each other how we've been hurt."
The pace is slow and quiet, and it took me a couple of chapters to slow my mind down enough to absorb the meaning of the beautiful words written, making this a great one for deep reading. Once I did, I was drawn into the characters' lives, and I could relate to William's need for basketball as I do with books for comfort and company.
"We look out the window, into ourselves for something more"
"Sometimes words were like pebbles thrown against a window, and what she was reaching for was the window itself."
I loved how grief was explored through the loss of the sister's father, whose memory and influence are constant in their lives. They hear his voice greeting them, "Hello, Beautiful," Their happy memory of him guides them through their grief, bringing them comfort and peace.
"We're all part of something, all interconnected. When you see that, you see how beautiful life is."
"We are not contained between our hats and boots."
At first glance, this might seem like a comparison to Little Women; however, it is the sisters who compare themselves to the characters in Little Women, and while they each have those stereotypes, the bossy one, the bookish one, the artsy one and the sensitive caring one, Ann Napolitano breathes new life into the classic by giving the sisters their own identities separate from each other with their own conflicts and growth.
"It's hard for me to accept the fact that we don't choose who we love, because who you love changes everything."
I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley
January 16, 2023
A story of family, or families, and how they mold who we become. This story revolves around the Padavno family, which includes a father, mother and four sisters, as well as a young man, William Waters, whose life has been very different from the lives of these four sisters. William was born into a family that included a mother, father and a three-year-old sister, but he has no real memories of her since she died before he had lived even a full week. It affected his life in ways that shaped him, cloaked him in an aura of despair inside his home, which shaped his life as he grew to realize that for his parents he was just a reminder of what they had lost. He managed to cope with this lack of affection by directing his need for some level of positive attention through his love of basketball. There, he feels accepted.
When he meets Julia and then her family, it’s the first time he feels as though he is being accepted for himself. He is pulled into the family’s love for one another, Julia and her three sisters who seem a bit reminiscent of Alcott’s March sisters, and their loving bond, despite how different they are from one another. William and Julia marry, which seems driven by Julia’s vision for their future, only to come to a relatively quick ending, but in the meantime they have brought a baby girl into this world. William struggles with depression, feeling he can only bring unhappiness to his wife and his new daughter, and so he leaves them behind.
This is also a story of the challenges of mental health issues, and how they affect not only the person with those challenges, but those they love. The accompanying shame some have in facing those challenges or even acknowledging them, and how it shapes the lives of all involved. And, perhaps, most important of all, this is a portrait of family, a story of loyalty, regrets, loss, and most of all, love.
Pub Date: 14 Mar 2023
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House, The Dial Press
April 2, 2023
I Loved Hello Beautiful — William Waters was raised in a house consumed by tragedy and distance. When he meets Julia Padavano as a freshman at Northwestern University, he is fascinated by her family, a loud and close group, who quickly welcome him into their tight knit crew. Julia is 1 of 4 sisters — She is a planner and a doer, Sylvie a reader and writer, Cecilia an artist, and Emeline a nurturer.
While William observes the sisters’ unwavering loyalty and bonds with each other, his starkly different past looms, threatening to destroy the carefully laid plans Julia has prepared for their future. As William confronts his struggles, each of the Padavano sisters face their own challenges too.
Hello Beautiful is a family saga about love, loss, and the unexpected turns in life. A few plot elements were predictable though this did not impact my enjoyment. Basketball plays a part in the story, which as a huge fan, was a welcome addition. After loving Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, my anticipation of this book was high. The story spans many years, with several POVs, and I liked all of it.
While William observes the sisters’ unwavering loyalty and bonds with each other, his starkly different past looms, threatening to destroy the carefully laid plans Julia has prepared for their future. As William confronts his struggles, each of the Padavano sisters face their own challenges too.
Hello Beautiful is a family saga about love, loss, and the unexpected turns in life. A few plot elements were predictable though this did not impact my enjoyment. Basketball plays a part in the story, which as a huge fan, was a welcome addition. After loving Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, my anticipation of this book was high. The story spans many years, with several POVs, and I liked all of it.
March 22, 2023
By now, you’ve probably seen the rave reviews for Ann Napolitano’s just published HELLO BEAUTIFUL. It’s Oprah’s 100th Book Club pick, a @bookofthemonth selection, the latest #notyomamasbookclub pick, and an Amazon Best of the month pick.
You really don’t need me to weigh in at this point as to whether you should read this sprawling family drama.
What you need is a WARNING to stay the hell away from Ann Napolitano books!!
If you crave emotional stability.
If you would like to avoid devastating catharsis.
If you prefer your characters surface level and your stories simple.
If you need to save money on Kleenex.
If you would like to go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Then I am begging you: avoid Ann Napolitano and the tear-stained plague she hath wrought upon us.
After reading Ann’s previous book, JBC TOP 10 (2020) pick DEAR EDWARD, you would think I had learned my lesson. Here I am believing there's no way Ms. Napolitano could possibly inflict any additional devastation upon me.
Book Friends: I WAS WRONG. I mean, just read this passage:
“Look,” [he] said, desperate now. “There must be other guys. Find another guy. Keep looking.”
“There is no other guy” she said. “You’re the one.”
“I don’t deserve this.” He meant all of it: this moment, this woman in front of him, her hand in his, because she had crossed the room, and was holding his hand now. Warmth rushed through him.
“Well I do,”…[a]nd she leaned forward and kissed him.
Are you kidding me, Ann Napolitano!? Do you enjoy this?
I bet Ann gleefully wrote that passage. She probably closed her laptop afterwards and ordered chicken fingers on Postmates to celebrate another successful day of writing and wreaking inevitable heart-rending havoc on her readers, and didn't think twice about lighting a literary match and personally burning my GD house of emotions down to the studs.
"Would you like honey mustard or ranch with those?"
"No thanks", said Ann Napolitano. "My dipping sauce of choice is my readers' tears."
So There you go. Take all my stars, my sanity, my tears...my tendies. This book is brilliant, Ann Napolitano.
As for the rest of you...well, you've been warned.
You really don’t need me to weigh in at this point as to whether you should read this sprawling family drama.
What you need is a WARNING to stay the hell away from Ann Napolitano books!!
If you crave emotional stability.
If you would like to avoid devastating catharsis.
If you prefer your characters surface level and your stories simple.
If you need to save money on Kleenex.
If you would like to go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Then I am begging you: avoid Ann Napolitano and the tear-stained plague she hath wrought upon us.
After reading Ann’s previous book, JBC TOP 10 (2020) pick DEAR EDWARD, you would think I had learned my lesson. Here I am believing there's no way Ms. Napolitano could possibly inflict any additional devastation upon me.
Book Friends: I WAS WRONG. I mean, just read this passage:
“Look,” [he] said, desperate now. “There must be other guys. Find another guy. Keep looking.”
“There is no other guy” she said. “You’re the one.”
“I don’t deserve this.” He meant all of it: this moment, this woman in front of him, her hand in his, because she had crossed the room, and was holding his hand now. Warmth rushed through him.
“Well I do,”…[a]nd she leaned forward and kissed him.
Are you kidding me, Ann Napolitano!? Do you enjoy this?
I bet Ann gleefully wrote that passage. She probably closed her laptop afterwards and ordered chicken fingers on Postmates to celebrate another successful day of writing and wreaking inevitable heart-rending havoc on her readers, and didn't think twice about lighting a literary match and personally burning my GD house of emotions down to the studs.
"Would you like honey mustard or ranch with those?"
"No thanks", said Ann Napolitano. "My dipping sauce of choice is my readers' tears."
So There you go. Take all my stars, my sanity, my tears...my tendies. This book is brilliant, Ann Napolitano.
As for the rest of you...well, you've been warned.
May 2, 2023
✨✨Happy Publication Day✨✨
I just got an email from the the publisher:
Hello Beautiful is an Oprah Book Club Pick!
Hello Beautiful is a fascinating, stunning story of family, love, and the life we ultimately choose to live--not simply follow.
We are introduced to the young, William Waters, a lonely boy finding meaning in his passion for basketball. William is born into a home devoid of emotion. He loses the only sibling, he never knew, a sister. HIs parents are absent, uninterested, but thankfully, he finds basketball as a reprieve. When he gets a college scholarship in Chicago, he never turns back.
While at college, William meets Julia Padavano. Julia is assertive, a go-getter, and she has her entire life planned. She also comes with a family of three sisters that are thick as thieves. Her mother, often overbearing, has a strong presence, her father a loving nature. Julia's family is nothing like William's and it changes his entire outlook.
Julia and William marry and have a daughter. Things seem to be going fine until they are not. Hello Beautiful is a story the deals with mental health in a way that is surprising and insightful. Often, character driven plots don't delve into life changing events made by characters while in a moment of emotional and mental struggle. When William decides to change the course of his life, not only is Julia and baby Alice affected, but all of the family, especially the sisters. The betrayal the heartache is unforgivable.
The sisters often make references to Little Women and attach themselves to different characters throughout the book, which was endearing.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Ann Napolitano is a gifted story-teller. I loved her previous novel, Dear Edward as well. Napolitano weaves the story in such a way that the sad moments have meaning and power, like the circle of life. The story also shines a bright light on sibling relationships from beginning to end.
This is my second book of 2023, and I must say I cried my heart out. There were some parallels to gut-wrenching moments in 2022 that came to life in this book. The coincidence felt like the universe was speaking to me, and I felt grateful. I will hold this beautifully crafted story close to my heart. I also loved the setting, Chicago, a place I call home.
A story is perfect when the reader is cheering for the characters, even the ones that make bad decisions. The character arcs were drawn perfectly and drove the story forward.
This book will make you ache, it will make you cry, but it will also give you peace and a make you smile.
5/5 shining stars.
I am enormously grateful to Netgally and Random House Publishing Group/Dial Press for sharing this stunning story with me in exchange for my honest review.
See other reviews:
Dear Edward
I just got an email from the the publisher:
Hello Beautiful is an Oprah Book Club Pick!
Hello Beautiful is a fascinating, stunning story of family, love, and the life we ultimately choose to live--not simply follow.
We are introduced to the young, William Waters, a lonely boy finding meaning in his passion for basketball. William is born into a home devoid of emotion. He loses the only sibling, he never knew, a sister. HIs parents are absent, uninterested, but thankfully, he finds basketball as a reprieve. When he gets a college scholarship in Chicago, he never turns back.
While at college, William meets Julia Padavano. Julia is assertive, a go-getter, and she has her entire life planned. She also comes with a family of three sisters that are thick as thieves. Her mother, often overbearing, has a strong presence, her father a loving nature. Julia's family is nothing like William's and it changes his entire outlook.
Julia and William marry and have a daughter. Things seem to be going fine until they are not. Hello Beautiful is a story the deals with mental health in a way that is surprising and insightful. Often, character driven plots don't delve into life changing events made by characters while in a moment of emotional and mental struggle. When William decides to change the course of his life, not only is Julia and baby Alice affected, but all of the family, especially the sisters. The betrayal the heartache is unforgivable.
The sisters often make references to Little Women and attach themselves to different characters throughout the book, which was endearing.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Ann Napolitano is a gifted story-teller. I loved her previous novel, Dear Edward as well. Napolitano weaves the story in such a way that the sad moments have meaning and power, like the circle of life. The story also shines a bright light on sibling relationships from beginning to end.
This is my second book of 2023, and I must say I cried my heart out. There were some parallels to gut-wrenching moments in 2022 that came to life in this book. The coincidence felt like the universe was speaking to me, and I felt grateful. I will hold this beautifully crafted story close to my heart. I also loved the setting, Chicago, a place I call home.
A story is perfect when the reader is cheering for the characters, even the ones that make bad decisions. The character arcs were drawn perfectly and drove the story forward.
This book will make you ache, it will make you cry, but it will also give you peace and a make you smile.
5/5 shining stars.
I am enormously grateful to Netgally and Random House Publishing Group/Dial Press for sharing this stunning story with me in exchange for my honest review.
See other reviews:
Dear Edward
May 12, 2023
How exactly do you describe this feeling of “I didn’t like the characters or the events of the book, but the book was still awesome?!” Yes, that is the predicament I found myself in by the end and during the writing of this review.
I just love a book with intricacies that is still done in a simple writing form. There were many deep issues that could be dissected for years in this one and I felt everything kept winding in a way I didn’t expect throughout the book. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect at all even after reading the description and unpredictability is always great in a book.
There is always this feeling of “How dare you?” when a book makes me cry, especially with this one since I didn’t even like the characters. The characters as people sucked! But the characters as characters were written so well. I feel like I could easily describe them if I ever were to talk about them, mainly Julia, Sylvie, and William.
To my comment about them sucking as people, I get the sense that that wasn’t the intention of the book. We are given a chance here to read about the complicatedness of family and also the demons that everyone has. I loved the bond that the sisters had and the complicatedness of their relationship throughout the book, but when I think about it, this one is about really about William and everyone is just living in his world. Honestly, I consider him the villain of the story which I feel bad for saying because what he went through mentally was real, and I really did feel sorry for him. I am just personally not a fan of feeling like people get to get away with things because of their health or emotional state. Also, this constant “I have no choice” gets really annoying after a while.
Again, great book and great writing but not so great characters or great events! I would still recommend!!
I just love a book with intricacies that is still done in a simple writing form. There were many deep issues that could be dissected for years in this one and I felt everything kept winding in a way I didn’t expect throughout the book. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect at all even after reading the description and unpredictability is always great in a book.
There is always this feeling of “How dare you?” when a book makes me cry, especially with this one since I didn’t even like the characters. The characters as people sucked! But the characters as characters were written so well. I feel like I could easily describe them if I ever were to talk about them, mainly Julia, Sylvie, and William.
To my comment about them sucking as people, I get the sense that that wasn’t the intention of the book. We are given a chance here to read about the complicatedness of family and also the demons that everyone has. I loved the bond that the sisters had and the complicatedness of their relationship throughout the book, but when I think about it, this one is about really about William and everyone is just living in his world. Honestly, I consider him the villain of the story which I feel bad for saying because what he went through mentally was real, and I really did feel sorry for him. I am just personally not a fan of feeling like people get to get away with things because of their health or emotional state. Also, this constant “I have no choice” gets really annoying after a while.
Again, great book and great writing but not so great characters or great events! I would still recommend!!
August 11, 2023
I will be very brief for now, as I’m in a hurry, but I want to leave a few words before I forget.
I was hooked from the very first page! So much that I read it in the same day.
The writing is terrific!
I was swept away by the prose throughout this book.
I loved this story which contains great character development.
It’s a terrific contemporary drama, a family saga that covers the years between 1960 and 2008, with some very touching scenes.
As I loved “Dear Edward” (but I have not yet watched the adaptation for the screen), I was very excited when I heard that Oprah picked this book for her book club.
It’s way better than “Dear Edward”, so if you were disappointed with that book, and if you like well developed drama, give this one a chance.
I also purchased the audiobook, which I played simultaneously as I read the book. It was a terrific experience. I could have requested a copy from the library, but the waiting period was too long.
Now I feel motivated to read “Little Women”, by Louisa May Alcott (yes, I have never read that book, even though I have a couple of editions sitting somewhere).
Hardcover (Random House Publishing Group): 400 pages (11-12 hours read)
ebook (Kobo): 445 pages (default), 138k words
Audiobook narrated by Maura Tierney: 15.1 hours (at normal speed)
I was hooked from the very first page! So much that I read it in the same day.
The writing is terrific!
I was swept away by the prose throughout this book.
I loved this story which contains great character development.
It’s a terrific contemporary drama, a family saga that covers the years between 1960 and 2008, with some very touching scenes.
As I loved “Dear Edward” (but I have not yet watched the adaptation for the screen), I was very excited when I heard that Oprah picked this book for her book club.
It’s way better than “Dear Edward”, so if you were disappointed with that book, and if you like well developed drama, give this one a chance.
I also purchased the audiobook, which I played simultaneously as I read the book. It was a terrific experience. I could have requested a copy from the library, but the waiting period was too long.
Now I feel motivated to read “Little Women”, by Louisa May Alcott (yes, I have never read that book, even though I have a couple of editions sitting somewhere).
Hardcover (Random House Publishing Group): 400 pages (11-12 hours read)
ebook (Kobo): 445 pages (default), 138k words
Audiobook narrated by Maura Tierney: 15.1 hours (at normal speed)
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