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jensebring's review against another edition
4.0
TOTAL: 3.5 ☆'s
Initial Rating Upon Finishing: 3.65 ☆'s
Likelihood to Recommend: 3 ☆'s
Desire to Read When Not Reading: 3.25 ☆'s
Writing Style: 4.5 ☆'s
Plot/Structiure Engagement: 3.25 ☆'s
Character Likability/Relatability: 3.25 ☆'s
Ann’s writing is so easy to follow and engage with. At times, I found myself rereading very quotable lines and feeling deep empathy for the characters. I shed a few tears at the end. With that being said, I found myself not wanting to read for a good few days near the middle. The plot twists were too predictable for me. I felt very annoyed with some of the characters choices and how they seemed to jump out of nowhere. The juxtaposition between William and Julia’s characters made sense for their relationship journey, but i found myself not liking either of them at times because of the extreme and abrupt decisions they seemed to selfishly make. Either way, I would definitely read this author again.
Initial Rating Upon Finishing: 3.65 ☆'s
Likelihood to Recommend: 3 ☆'s
Desire to Read When Not Reading: 3.25 ☆'s
Writing Style: 4.5 ☆'s
Plot/Structiure Engagement: 3.25 ☆'s
Character Likability/Relatability: 3.25 ☆'s
Ann’s writing is so easy to follow and engage with. At times, I found myself rereading very quotable lines and feeling deep empathy for the characters. I shed a few tears at the end. With that being said, I found myself not wanting to read for a good few days near the middle. The plot twists were too predictable for me. I felt very annoyed with some of the characters choices and how they seemed to jump out of nowhere. The juxtaposition between William and Julia’s characters made sense for their relationship journey, but i found myself not liking either of them at times because of the extreme and abrupt decisions they seemed to selfishly make. Either way, I would definitely read this author again.
chilgeman's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sreader33's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Hello Beautiful is an excellent story of the importance of family, mental health and the difficulties that arise with prejudice and death. I was drawn into the story right away by Napolitano’s vivid writing of the four sisters and William’s childhood as well. As the characters age, their lives become more complicated which leads to the separation of family involving many complex issues. Such a well written story with great character development. I highly recommend this book.
bethreads24's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
taural41's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book really worked for me because I love slower-paced, multi-perspective stories that span multiple years. I was surprised that I loved it as much as I did because while the writing was definitely well-done, it was not as lyrical as I typically prefer and there were a number of recurring plot points that I frankly wasn’t very interested in (basketball, Julia’s life in New York, basically any scene involving Rose), but somehow the characters got under my skin and I found my thoughts being constantly drawn back to them throughout my day. In fact, I originally planned not to finish the book after sampling the first 30 or so pages because I thought it lacked the depth and beauty of language that I was in the mood for - but when I put it down, after a week or so, I realized that the characters had gotten into my head and I was still thinking about them. Thanks to reviews, I knew the basics of the ending and I thought I could just let the story rest there, but it wouldn’t leave my mind so I finally picked it up and continued reading.
There were aspects of the book that I didn’t love - mostly the treatment of sex, which was basically always reduced to “being fun” when, given the nature of the story, it could have been used in a much deeper way, the unnecessarily negative and frankly inaccurate depictions of religion (if Rose really was “Catholic to the bone”, she would have know that Julia and William’s marriage was textbook grounds for annulment - and the story of St. Clare is literally one of a young girl throwing her life away to hide in a cloister for the rest of her life). Finally, the descriptions of Chicago (especially the geography) were very confusing and distracting. As someone who has lived in Chicago for about 15 years, hearing about characters casually walking the FIVE HOUR walk between Pilsen and Northwestern’s campus made no sense. Perhaps Pilsen was more Italian in the 80s and 90s, but today it is much more associated with Latinx communities (especially the church that is mentioned over and over again), and it took me an embarrassing number of pages to realize that the Padavano girls were Italian and not Latina.
This is definitely a book that “tells” more than “shows” when it comes to plot - it will drive some readers crazy, but I enjoyed it. I also really ended up loving the weird dynamics happening between truth and memory and story. For example, a main premise of the book is that the Padavano family is extremely close - then we learn how Charlie and Rose are essentially checked out of their marriage and don’t understand each other at all, how Rose has completely cut them off from any extended family, who are portrayed briefly as “enemies” and then never re-appear. Similarly, the living Charlie we meet in the first few chapters is shown to be a disconnected dreamer who has turned to alcoholism out of the shame of not providing for his family, and yet after his death we hear story after story that essentially treats him as a saint and the one person who truly saw, loved, and understood each one of his daughters. Finally, the sisters who are so close that they are described throughout as sharing one body go decades without ever communicating.
Many other reviews mention frustration with the repeated poor choices of the characters and especially William’s actions towards Alice. I actually loved the Alice story-line and appreciated how the author demonstrated the truth that the ways we seal up and harden are hearts in an attempt to protect ourselves from pain always backfire and bring about the very thing we were trying to avoid. For William, he was trying to avoid the pain of losing another little girl, and he ended up losing his daughter. He was also trying to protect her from the “damage” he felt he was bound to do to her, but absence ended up shaping and hurting her just as much. For Julia, her commitment to protecting Alice and making sure Julia was the only one she ever needed left Alice in a weird relational void and ultimately was the set up for Alice’s realization that she was raised to “not need anyone” and that included Julia. For Alice, her attempts to protect her heart from further pain after she learns of the death of her father as a little girl ends up bringing her the pain of isolation and withholding herself from the loving, messy experiences and relationships that we are meant for. I LOVED mulling all of these thoughts over and thinking deeply about the characters’ motivations and choices. Again, many painful and frankly poor choices were made, but I feel like I can understand why they all did what they did, and I love when a book can do that for me.
There were aspects of the book that I didn’t love - mostly the treatment of sex, which was basically always reduced to “being fun” when, given the nature of the story, it could have been used in a much deeper way, the unnecessarily negative and frankly inaccurate depictions of religion (if Rose really was “Catholic to the bone”, she would have know that Julia and William’s marriage was textbook grounds for annulment - and the story of St. Clare is literally one of a young girl throwing her life away to hide in a cloister for the rest of her life). Finally, the descriptions of Chicago (especially the geography) were very confusing and distracting. As someone who has lived in Chicago for about 15 years, hearing about characters casually walking the FIVE HOUR walk between Pilsen and Northwestern’s campus made no sense. Perhaps Pilsen was more Italian in the 80s and 90s, but today it is much more associated with Latinx communities (especially the church that is mentioned over and over again), and it took me an embarrassing number of pages to realize that the Padavano girls were Italian and not Latina.
This is definitely a book that “tells” more than “shows” when it comes to plot - it will drive some readers crazy, but I enjoyed it. I also really ended up loving the weird dynamics happening between truth and memory and story. For example, a main premise of the book is that the Padavano family is extremely close - then we learn how Charlie and Rose are essentially checked out of their marriage and don’t understand each other at all, how Rose has completely cut them off from any extended family, who are portrayed briefly as “enemies” and then never re-appear. Similarly, the living Charlie we meet in the first few chapters is shown to be a disconnected dreamer who has turned to alcoholism out of the shame of not providing for his family, and yet after his death we hear story after story that essentially treats him as a saint and the one person who truly saw, loved, and understood each one of his daughters. Finally, the sisters who are so close that they are described throughout as sharing one body go decades without ever communicating.
Many other reviews mention frustration with the repeated poor choices of the characters and especially William’s actions towards Alice. I actually loved the Alice story-line and appreciated how the author demonstrated the truth that the ways we seal up and harden are hearts in an attempt to protect ourselves from pain always backfire and bring about the very thing we were trying to avoid. For William, he was trying to avoid the pain of losing another little girl, and he ended up losing his daughter. He was also trying to protect her from the “damage” he felt he was bound to do to her, but absence ended up shaping and hurting her just as much. For Julia, her commitment to protecting Alice and making sure Julia was the only one she ever needed left Alice in a weird relational void and ultimately was the set up for Alice’s realization that she was raised to “not need anyone” and that included Julia. For Alice, her attempts to protect her heart from further pain after she learns of the death of her father as a little girl ends up bringing her the pain of isolation and withholding herself from the loving, messy experiences and relationships that we are meant for. I LOVED mulling all of these thoughts over and thinking deeply about the characters’ motivations and choices. Again, many painful and frankly poor choices were made, but I feel like I can understand why they all did what they did, and I love when a book can do that for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Cancer
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Sexual content
josnyder's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sahi96's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this story of the cords of family, that both strengthen and strangle.
ginapetruzz's review against another edition
3.0
Ok fine I liked it. I do feel like the writing was kind of weak though and I was never like really enthralled by it. Objectively super emotionally heavy plot that was just communicated in kind of a dull way? Maybe I am just the victim of having no sisters.