Hello Beautiful (by Ann Napolitano)
I admit, I judge books by their covers. I assumed this book was about external beauty based on the title, Hello Beautiful, and the image of a beautiful woman. I was finally drawn to reading this book because it was constantly popping up in my book feeds. Many readers seem to love this book, so I read the description and decided it sounded like something I would find interesting. Universe, thanks for the nudge!
Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano, is filled with many dramatically wonderful characters; however, William Waters seemed to be at the heart of this story. The book opens with Will being born into a family already facing an unimaginable tragedy. A tragedy that immediately shaped how his family treated him, which led to a ripple effect impacting not only his childhood but his adulthood as well. In college, Will met Julia Padavano, and his life turned right side up.
Julia comes from a large Italian family where love and attention are in abundance. Julia is the one with all the questions and the family’s problem solver. She thinks she knows how she wants her life to turn out and is determined to make the people in her life mold to her plans, regardless of their own dreams. Julia is the eldest of her sisters. Sylvie, my favorite character in the book, is the reader and is most likely to follow her heart. Cecelia, an artist, and Emeline, a caretaker, are twins. The parents, Charlie and Rose, are welcoming, open-hearted, and family-oriented. Charlie often drinks, and Rose is dedicated to her vegetable garden.
Will is enthusiastically welcomed into the Padavano family fold. Just as everyone seems to be settling into their family roles as the sisters enter early adulthood, Will’s troublesome past causes a rift in the family. A story, told over decades, illustrates how each member of the family grows and changes. Each person’s life decision impacts the rest of the family and how the other family members choose to respond creates this wonderful story about family, grief, love, and forgiveness.
The book description only offers a surface-level description of what this literary work of art contains. It’s a beautiful story full of heartbreak, tenderness, and joy. It accurately depicts how we make decisions in our lives, especially as younger adults, that we think are the best decisions at the time but are not wise decisions. Only wise decisions come with age and experience. This is a premise in the book to which I could most relate. Without explicitly saying so, the story validates that we make the best decisions with what we know at the time. Only later in life do we see the immaturity in some of those decisions. That is nothing to be ashamed of or carry guilt over. It’s important we treat ourselves and others with compassion as we navigate life with grace and humility.
I loved all the characters in this book, especially Sylvie, because she’s the reader and librarian. I loved that the story was told over several decades. Sometimes it’s nice to read a book that feels like it lasted a lifetime, rather than a few months or years. Books like this tend to stay with me for a very long time, if not forever. Once I finished the book and looked back at the cover art, I realized the significance of the beautiful woman. It’s the perfect cover.
I borrowed the audiobook of Hello Beautiful from my local library with the Libby app. Narration by Maura Tierney provided a pleasant listen. It wasn’t my favorite narration, as her voice seemed to lack emotion during the most emotional portions of the story. A narrator can make or break an audiobook for me. Thankfully, Tierney’s narration didn’t break it.
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