Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel (Random House Large Print)
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Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel (Random House Large Print)

by

Ann Napolitano

(Author)

4.4

-

79,390 ratings


NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD! 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

**ONE OF THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR **

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, Time, Vogue, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, New York Post, She Reads, Bookreporter

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.

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ISBN-10

0593682939

ISBN-13

978-0593682937

Print length

592 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Random House Large Print

Publication date

March 20, 2023

Dimensions

6.06 x 1.09 x 9.2 inches

Item weight

1.21 pounds


Popular Highlights in this book

  • When your love for a person is so profound that it’s part of who you are, then the absence of the person becomes part of your DNA, your bones, and your skin.

    Highlighted by 7,416 Kindle readers

  • He was his acts of kindness, and his love for his daughters, and the twenty minutes he’d spent with Sylvie behind the grocer’s that evening.

    Highlighted by 5,500 Kindle readers

  • It occurred to him, for the first time, that just because you never thought about someone didn’t mean they weren’t inside you.

    Highlighted by 4,634 Kindle readers

  • The dream was now in the air, at risk of the elements, beyond her grasp.

    Highlighted by 3,391 Kindle readers


Product details

ASIN :

B0B7R4Q5DJ

File size :

3032 KB

Text-to-speech :

Enabled

Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

Enabled

Word wise :

Enabled


Editorial Reviews

“Radiant and brilliantly crafted . . . Napolitano’s [work] resists the easy satisfactions of the sentimental and never settles for simple answers to emotional predicaments faced by her characters.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“This sumptuous family saga is one of those rare novels whose singular characters are so beautifully rendered, it’s as if they’re your best friends, and you’re grateful to be in their orbit.”—Oprah Quarterly

“Hello Beautiful will make you weep buckets because you come to care so deeply about the characters and their fates. . . . [Napolitano] compels us to contemplate the complex tapestry of family love that can, despite grief and loss, still knit us together. She helps us see ourselves—and each other—whole.”—The Washington Post

“A sprawling, hugely affecting novel [filled with] empathetic characters and rich writing . . . [Hello Beautiful] has rightfully earned comparisons to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, with its four close, vibrant sisters and the lonely outsider who infiltrates their circle.”—Shondaland

“This is a warm blanket of a book, one that reminds you of the enveloping power of literature and leaves you very grateful to have encountered it.”—Vogue

“Little Women fans will be endeared by Hello Beautiful's homage to the March siblings, in the form of the four Padavano sisters. Any lover of a sweeping family saga will be moved by the Padavanos’ unraveling.”—Harper’s Bazaar

“Napolitano’s novel will make you think deeply about sisterhood and what we choose to share with those we love.”—Town & Country

“Can love make a broken person whole? That is the simple but compelling question at the center of . . . this engrossing and emotional family drama.”—E! Online

“Absorbing.”—AARP

“Napolitano is a master of examining what binds us to family, what makes family, and how to love in difficult times.”—Literary Hub

“A family drama with echoes of classics and characters who are distinctly written. As a reader, you’ll laugh and grieve with William and the Padavanos as they go through life—soaring as much as they stumble.”—Book Riot

“Ann Napolitano’s new novel, Hello Beautiful, is exactly that: beautiful, perceptive, wistful. It’s a story of family and friendship, of how the people we are bound to can also set us free. I loved it.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace

“A rich, complex family saga, Hello Beautiful is a portrait oflove and grief in equal measure. Napolitano’s prose is so lovely, so keenly perceptive, that it held me captive until I finished. A lot of people are going to love this story.”—Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

“Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving and propulsive novel about the deepest connections of family and love, trauma and healing. In intricately elegant prose, Ann Napolitano explores both the cost and power of loyalty and honesty. This is a book to treasure and share with friends and loved ones.”—Angie Kim, bestselling author of Miracle Creek

“Hello Beautiful is the work of a great author at the height of her powers. Equally immersive, emotional, and brilliantly crafted, this is an early contender for best novel of the year.”—J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest

“This is a story about family and sisters and storytelling, but it’s also an examination of identity and the consequences of doing love badly and how love can be redeemed. Read this book! You’ll be glad you did.”—Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of It All Comes Down to This

“This is a richly woven story about family, but it’s also a unique take on Little Women. There are no heroes or villains here, only people—flawed and loving and striving like the rest of us. ‘Generosity’ is the word that comes to mind when I reflect on this gorgeous novel.”—Allegra Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of The Cookbook Collector and Sam


About the authors

Ann Napolitano

Ann Napolitano

Ann Napolitano's new novel, Hello Beautiful, will be published on March 14th, 2023 by Dial Press in the US and on July 13th by Viking Penguin in the UK. Her novel, Dear Edward, was an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and is now an Apple TV+ series starring Connie Britton. She is the author of the novels A Good Hard Look and Within Arm’s Reach. She was the Associate Editor of One Story literary magazine for seven years, and 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.Dear Edward was published by Dial Press in the United States, and by Viking Penguin in the United Kingdom. It was chosen as one of the best novels of 2020 by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Amazon, Real Simple, Fast Company, Parade, Woman's World and more. The novel currently has twenty-six international publishers. For more information about Ann or her books, please visit www.annnapolitano.com.

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Reviews

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

79,390 global ratings

Sharol J Felch

Sharol J Felch

5

Powerfully moving

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024

Verified Purchase

Exquisitely written. The artistry of words are woven so beautifully to the point of shear poetry about the essential deep issues of life , community, familia love the strength and beauty of it and the power of forgiveness. It addressed the messiness of life choices and the balm of forgiveness, compassion, loving supportiveness between sincere friends and family members. The characters are a colorful mosaic of puzzle pieces. Each one essential and necessary to complete this beautiful narrative about real love. Thank you Ann Napoirano

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7 people found this helpful

KWyly

KWyly

5

Beautifully written…

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024

Verified Purchase

I love this story about the four Padavano sisters and their parents. Rose is the strong willed matriarch of the family. She strongly believes her husband, Charlie, just doesn’t quite measure up to what he could have been. Together, they have four daughters. Readers are drawn right into this story and feel every emotion the characters experience. Julie, the eldest of the four sisters, is a planner, a fixer, a girl who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. She has a plan for her life and it doesn’t include living in a tiny house like where she was raised. Second daughter is quiet Sylvie, a reader who has worked in the public library since she was thirteen and sneaks kisses from the boys behind the shelves knowing she doesn’t want a boyfriend. She doesn’t take the boys seriously because she is just practicing for her one true love. The twins who are energetic, fun loving girls, round out the Padavano sisters. Then there is William a loner, ignored and never loved at home, socially awkward, always wondering where he fits in, how should he behave, and why he wasn’t enough for his parents. He only feels at home on the basketball court. Julie has decided William is just what she needs to get her life plan started. In alternating chapters, the four main characters tell their story with each chapter bearing the character’s name. Quoting Walt Whitman’s poetry and making comparisons of the four sisters to the sisters in Little Women by Alcott, this book is more than a family saga. This book is a love story. It is about acceptance, heartbreak, forgiveness, and understanding. Napolitano’s writing is thoughtful and beautiful. The story is deeply moving as each character grows and discover his or her truth and learns how powerful it is to live an authentic life. A five star read and on my list of favorite books in 2024!

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40 people found this helpful

Mark B.

Mark B.

5

Hello Brautiful

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2024

Verified Purchase

Riveting reading, heartfelt and relatable. I'll read Edward now Looking forward to another journey with Ann Napolitano. Thank you sincerely

Gocanesgo

Gocanesgo

4

Bad title in book jacket, but a lovely read

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book had interesting characters and was well written. It flowed a nice pace. it was touching and sweet and thoughtful. I would have given it a five but for the predictable call Hallmark movie ending (a tragedy strikes, which brings people back together).

10 people found this helpful

Lynne M. Spreen

Lynne M. Spreen

3

The story had so much promise.

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024

Verified Purchase

William Waters had the saddest childhood ever, and he is emotionally stunted as a result. So when, in college, a strong-willed and optimistic young woman nabs him as a fixer-upper, he's all too happy to obey. I use these words intentionally, because that's how it felt to me. Julia's family is warm and welcoming...except there are some seeds that develop through the story and burst into full toxic bloom. What surprised me was that the once-in-a-lifetime horribleness of William's parents' behavior was actually true as well of people in his new family, and I found that a little unimaginative. The way Julia and Rose, her mother, cut people dead was horrific. The ending was long in coming and not fulsome enough. I admit I skimmed some of the midsection, but I felt like the author was trying to draw out the resolution in a gratuitous way. Miscommunication and failing to speak are my least favorite plot mechanisms, and this book is built on them.

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32 people found this helpful

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