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

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

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!

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.