Hello Beautiful

I loved the story of the sisters, primarily because they each were well drawn as individual, very different characters. The writing was really evocative and full of imagery. The title is poignant because their father used to say "Hello, Beautiful" to his daughters, and after he dies, there is no one who treats them with such nurturing.

I love books about the interior lives of women and their relationships. The level of intimacy between these four sisters was touching. They seemed to thrive despite their flawed parents.

I also love a story that spans decades and gives you a sense of their entire lives.

This is a heartfelt and heart wrenching epic story of a deeply connected and rooted family, of unshakeable devotion, of tragedy, loss, friendship, loyalty, and what and who we choose to love. We meet four sisters—Julia, Sylvie, twins Emeline and Cecelia—their parents Rose and Charlie Padavano, and all are anchored in a working-class neighborhood of Chicago called Pilsen. Enter the emotionally neglected William Waters who grows up in a house silenced by loss. Joy and laughter ensue, as do rupture and estrangement. There are many more memorable and devoted characters we get to know within a detailed story line that… show more.

I loved the similarities between this book and the book Little Women. The layers of the relationships between the four sisters attributed to an unexpected family drama. There were times I wanted to crawl inside the pages and give the girls a good “talkin’ to” as some of the choices they made were indeed cringe-worthy.

But this is the mark of a truly talented writer, evoking such emotion in the reader that you think about the book well after finishing the final pages. 

I loved this book because it swept me into the world of one family with four sisters. Each sister has a distinct personality reminiscent of Little Women. Napolitano’s insightful writing brings each sister’s inner life to light.

I had trouble putting the book down as the complicated plot unfolded over their lifetimes. I was inspired by their strong pull toward each other, which endured even through separation and tragedy.

When I finished this book, I put it down and ugly cried for about 20 minutes. It is a beautiful portrait of love and loss within a family I came to love, warts and all.

The characters were so nuanced and realistic I felt their emotions right alongside them. Loosely (and deftly) based on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a book that will live in my heart for a long, long time. 

I always wanted a sister. Maybe that’s why I loved Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, a novel that dives deep into the complicated relationships among four sisters.

There is much sorrow and loss in this novel, and I admire how Napolitano creates powerful emotional resonance without crossing the line into sentimentality. If there’s a predominant theme, I would say it’s forgiveness. I shed tears of recognition—these characters’ loves and losses and their deceits and mistakes seem all too familiar even though their experiences may not be mine or yours. Napolitano’s characters resonate with love in all its messiness and complexity.

When William Waters meets Julia Padavano, he falls in love with the entire Padavano family, and so did I. Napolitano reportedly took inspiration from Little Women for this book about four sisters in Chicago, and as a reader with no sisters and only two boring brothers, I was fully along for the ride. 

Napolitano, who also wrote the heartbreaking Dear Edward, writes lyrically about love and loss, hurt and forgiveness. In rotating perspectives, we follow William, Julia, her sister Sylvie, and William’s daughter Alice as their bonds deepen, break, and tentatively stitch together again.

If you love family stories… show more.

Hello, Beautiful had a visceral impact on me because it explores a painful situation I’m facing right now—family estrangement. Seeing love come between two sisters who were exceptionally close as children made my heart ache for my alienated sister.

From the beginning of this eloquent narrative, I was drawn to the complex characters, the vivid setting, and the immersive plot. Often compared to Little Women because of its focus on the inextricable bonds between sisters, this is also a sweeping family narrative about love and loss, as well as rejection and regret.

This is a novel that will echo in… show more.