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okiecozyreader's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This is definitely a character study book of human emotions within a family - over a lifetime. At times I had to push myself through it, but I really did love the family at the end and appreciate how it all came together. I felt like this book was able to look at each character for who he or she truly was compared to how maybe others wanted them to be without judging them and letting us watch them grow as individuals. It allows us to see other people in this way without judging them but observing them on their own paths.
Tonight I watched Oprah’s interview with the author. I love how Oprah commented how we got to observe the family but also feel like we are within the family. At the end of the interview, Ann mentions that originally, the book ended with the second to last chapter. Her husband asked her to write the last chapter, which I think really helped with the conclusion of the story.p
Out of any book I’ve read, I might have had the most quotes and highlights from this book. I felt like so much of what was said was meaningful and important.
“… Rose loved Charlie. It was because she loved him that Rose had been so disappointed by her marriage and why it was essential that her girls grow up strong and educated, able to stand on their own two feet, unbowed by something as tricky and undependable as love.”
—-
There was also a fun connection to Little Women. She has said that it wasn’t what spawned her idea for the book, but when she started writing she saw these four women and William and similarities. There are fun tie-ins.
“When Julia had first read Little Women, she told her sisters about the four fictional sisters in the book, and they began to argue over which of them was which March girl.”
“The sisters were so close that, in reality, his wife never operated alone; the four Padavano girls shared their lives, celebrating and utilizing one another’s strengths, covering for each other’s weaknesses. Julia was the organizer and leader, Sylvie was the reader and measured voice, Emeline was the nurturer, and Cecelia the artist.”
—-
The way their dad greeted them with Hello Beautiful was the best thing:
“Charlie just looked at Cecelia and the baby for a long moment. Then he smiled with so much warmth it was as if a sun had risen inside him. “Hello beautiful,” he said. And with those words, Cecelia knew that she was forgiven, and she forgave him too.”
“When any of his girls—including Rose—had come into view, he’d always given them the same welcome, calling out, Hello beautiful! The greeting was nice enough to make them want to leave the room and come in all over again.”
“My uncle Ed mailed postcards to me from his home in Chicago when I was a kid, and the greeting was always the same: “Hello Beautiful.” Acknowledgements
—-
“Julia sought to collect labels like honors student, girlfriend, and wife, but Sylvie steered away from labels. She wanted to be true to herself with every word she uttered, every action she took, and every belief she held.”
“We look out the window, or into ourselves, for something more.”
“just because you never thought about someone didn’t mean they weren’t inside you.”
“Stop thinking about who you were when you were living the wrong life, William. You’re built for the life you’re living now.”
“Do you remember how young we were when we were twenty-five? If there’s something wrong, you have time to fix it.”
“we need another pair of eyes. We need the people around us.”
Tonight I watched Oprah’s interview with the author. I love how Oprah commented how we got to observe the family but also feel like we are within the family. At the end of the interview, Ann mentions that originally, the book ended with the second to last chapter. Her husband asked her to write the last chapter, which I think really helped with the conclusion of the story.p
Out of any book I’ve read, I might have had the most quotes and highlights from this book. I felt like so much of what was said was meaningful and important.
“… Rose loved Charlie. It was because she loved him that Rose had been so disappointed by her marriage and why it was essential that her girls grow up strong and educated, able to stand on their own two feet, unbowed by something as tricky and undependable as love.”
—-
There was also a fun connection to Little Women. She has said that it wasn’t what spawned her idea for the book, but when she started writing she saw these four women and William and similarities. There are fun tie-ins.
“When Julia had first read Little Women, she told her sisters about the four fictional sisters in the book, and they began to argue over which of them was which March girl.”
“The sisters were so close that, in reality, his wife never operated alone; the four Padavano girls shared their lives, celebrating and utilizing one another’s strengths, covering for each other’s weaknesses. Julia was the organizer and leader, Sylvie was the reader and measured voice, Emeline was the nurturer, and Cecelia the artist.”
—-
The way their dad greeted them with Hello Beautiful was the best thing:
“Charlie just looked at Cecelia and the baby for a long moment. Then he smiled with so much warmth it was as if a sun had risen inside him. “Hello beautiful,” he said. And with those words, Cecelia knew that she was forgiven, and she forgave him too.”
“When any of his girls—including Rose—had come into view, he’d always given them the same welcome, calling out, Hello beautiful! The greeting was nice enough to make them want to leave the room and come in all over again.”
“My uncle Ed mailed postcards to me from his home in Chicago when I was a kid, and the greeting was always the same: “Hello Beautiful.” Acknowledgements
—-
“Julia sought to collect labels like honors student, girlfriend, and wife, but Sylvie steered away from labels. She wanted to be true to herself with every word she uttered, every action she took, and every belief she held.”
“We look out the window, or into ourselves, for something more.”
“just because you never thought about someone didn’t mean they weren’t inside you.”
“Stop thinking about who you were when you were living the wrong life, William. You’re built for the life you’re living now.”
“Do you remember how young we were when we were twenty-five? If there’s something wrong, you have time to fix it.”
“we need another pair of eyes. We need the people around us.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Suicide
Moderate: Cancer and Death
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
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