'Hello Beautiful' by Ann Napolitano is a poignant and emotionally complex family drama that delves into the relationships between four sisters, Julia, Sylvie, Cecelia, and Emeline, and the ripple effects of trauma across generations. Set between the 1960s and the early 2000s, the novel follows the Padavano sisters as they navigate love, loss, motherhood, and their own identities and desires amidst pivotal historical moments. The core relationships that structure the narrative are between the sisters themselves, with their mother Rose, and with the men that enter their lives, disrupting and reshaping the sisterly unit in different ways.
The novel alternates between the perspectives of Julia and Sylvie, exposing both women's hopes, flaws, and deepest wounds. The narrative explores themes of family dynamics, individual identity, forgiveness, and the complexities of sisterhood, all set against the backdrop of a 1970s suburban Chicago setting that immerses readers into the interior lives of its characters and the intergenerational traumas that shape their identities.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Prominent triggers include suicide, mental health struggles, toxic family dynamics, and themes of loss.
Has Romance?
There is a notable romance in the story, particularly involving one of the sisters and William.
From The Publisher:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK
From the author of Dear Edward comes a "powerfully affecting" ( People ) family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?
"Another tender tearjerker . . . Napolitano chronicles life's highs and lows with aching precision."- The Washington Post
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Time, Harper's Bazaar
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 when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it's as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family's dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.
But then darkness from William's past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia's carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters' unshakeable devotion 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?
An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott's timeless classic, Little Women , Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.
Ratings (38)
Incredible (7) | |
Loved It (17) | |
Liked It (7) | |
It Was OK (6) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (74):
Read It (39) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (33) | |
Not Interested (1) |
1 comment(s)
The rewards of kindness and truth are a life fulfilled and healthful personal boundaries in rich community; the detriments to blind aspiration and cover ups are a life of running and loneliness.
The characters varied. Some seemed realistic and connectable. Some not as much. The book was a little overwritten in sections but nothing that skipping can’t solve.
What can you read after
Hello Beautiful?
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