Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Fiction
2023 The Dial Press
Finished on December 5, 2023
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
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.
Told in alternating chapters, spanning nearly 50 years, Hello Beautiful is a character study, which guides us through the lives of William and the Padavano family. I enjoyed this novel, coming to care about the four sisters (and their daughters), but I never warmed to William. There isn't a lot of action, and there were moments when I felt impatient with the slow pace, but this is a quiet story, one to be savored and not rushed through. I looked forward to returning to the book every night, but it's not one that I loved or wish to read again.
I've heard good thing about this book, but wasn't able to convince my book group to read it. I guess I'll have to get to it on my own.
ReplyDeleteHelen, too bad your book group wasn't interested. I think there's a lot to discuss about the characters and their relationships.
DeleteI just finished the book an was impressd with the writing. Turns out William was one of my favorite characters, learning about his heartbreaking upbringing. You are certainly shaped by your early years. Julia on the other hand was my last favorite.
ReplyDeleteHave you read her book Dear Edward? It's on my list but in January JoAnn inspired me to to do a reread of Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. As that's an epic and long book, I will fit in any other titles before that. It's severe thunderstorms for us today so I guess I'll get more reading done!
Tina, I probably like Julia the least of the four sisters. She certainly had a rigid idea of who she wanted to be as an adult! I did read Dear Edward a few years ago, and am now starting the TV series, which hasn't yet grabbed my attention.
DeleteComing Home is such a gem! I read it for the first time last year (it was my first book of the year, as a matter of fact) and gave it a perfect 5-star rating. I loved it even more than The Shell Seekers. My spoiler-free review is here, if you're interested.
Tina, just noticed that you already commented on my review of Coming Home! Oops. :)
DeleteLes, I did indeed like your review and love the book. I checked with JoAnn about when she was reading it againi an I'm glad it's set for January. So many books to get through now before my due dates. Starting Coming Home as soon as I am done with whichever book I'm reading in January!
DeleteI probably liked this book a little more than you did and thought about rating it 4.5 stars. It's not one I would reread though. Julia was my least favorite of the sisters and, while I felt bad for William, I didn't especially like him much either. The writing was really good and I thought she did a great job with the family dynamics, too.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I borrowed the audio of Coming Home from hoopla... almost fainted when I saw it's 40 hours! Listened to an hours or so on a couple of walks this week before my knee started acting up again. It's probably arthritis... may need to do more biking or water aerobics when we get to Florida.
JoAnn, I felt bad for William, too, and Julia was my least favorite of the four sisters. Definitely a very good family drama. I wonder if it will be turned into a tv series like Dear Edward. I just started watching that one, and while I knew how the book starts off (I read it a few years ago), the final scenes in the first episode were chilling!
DeleteHa! Coming Home is 40 hours? I think that's how long Lonesome Dove is. I'm sure the hours will fly, as long as you can get some listening time in. I'm so sorry your knee is acting up. I have a neighbor who just had knee surgery. I hope I don't get to that point. Mine bothers me every so often...
I think I liked this book just a bit more than you did. I actually put it on my list of recommendations for our book club and it will be on my list of favorite reads of the year.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I'll bet it's a good book to discuss with a book group. I'm trying to come up with a couple of titles to submit on Thursday to my group for our 2024 calendar. So many to choose from!
DeleteOh I'm glad for your review. I can't wait to read it as so many seemed to like the novel. I probably won't get to it till 2024 ... but I'm geared up for it ... but it sounds a bit slow in places hmm. I hope it will keep me reading.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I'm glad you enjoyed my review. From the other comments, it seems like my reading buddies liked it a bit more than I did. I still think it's a very good book, but once I finished, I knew it wasn't one I'd read again. It doesn't really drag; I just got impatient. Maybe I'm more in the mood for thrillers right now...
DeleteThis one seems to be on so many favorites list. I do want to read it so hopefully next year!
ReplyDeleteIliana, it's been very popular since it was released, and I've seen it on a lot of "Best of 2023" lists.
DeleteHi Les, I have some catching up to do on your blog! I'm happy to have found you again, and I'm going to try to remember to check in on you since I don't get notifications. Anyway, I'm reading Hello Beautiful right now...I think I'm about halfway through, and I sometimes wonder why I keep reading the book. (It's so slow! Julia is so annoying! William is so passive! LOL.) But as you said, for some reason I look forward to reading it every night. I suppose I need to find out what (if anything!) happens!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to see all of your comments, Laurel! I've missed interacting with you. :) I'm not sure how well it works, but at the very bottom of this blog, on the right side, there's a place to click "Follow." Maybe that will give you notifications of new posts. Or, I could add a widget that allows you to get email updates. I'll look into that.
DeleteYes, William is very passive, and Julia is very annoying. But, I wound up enjoying this book pretty well. Hang in there!
I forgot to mention that I use Feedly.com to stay up-to-date on my favorite blogs. That might work for you, too.
Delete