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Hello Beautiful

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Hello Beautiful

By: Ann Napolitano
Narrated by: Maura Tierney
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward comes a beautifully tender, heartbreaking, and moving story of four sisters over three decades.

Meet the Padvano girls. Best friends and sisters, they are thought of as inseparable by everyone in their close-knit Chicago neighbourhood. Julia, the eldest, is the "rocket" of the family - she always has a destination in mind and clear plans for how to get there. Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a life for herself other than the expected path of wife and mother. Cecelia and Emmeline, the twins, are the artist and the caregiver. From childhood, the four sisters complete each other, expecting that their family will always be intact.

When Julia falls in love with William Walters, a history student and college sports star, she's delighted by the way her plans for adulthood are coming together. A husband, a house, a family. But when darkness from William's past begins to block the light of his future, it is Sylvie, not Julia, who steps in to help. Suddenly, things shift. Dynamics and relationships, priorities and secrets - everything that was once a given no longer is.

Rich and vivid, heartbreaking and heart-mending, Hello Beautiful captures the joy, tragedy, trust, and betrayal to ask: what does it mean to be a family? And once shattered, can it be pieced back together?

©2023 Ann Napolitano (P)2023 Penguin Audio
Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Marriage Heartfelt Tear-jerking

Critic Reviews

"A rich, complex family saga, Hello Beautiful is a portrait of love 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)

"Like great jazz, Hello Beautiful takes a melody and transforms it. 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)

"Ann Napolitano's writing is astonishing." (Marian Keyes, Sunday Times bestselling author of Again, Rachel)

What listeners say about Hello Beautiful

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Great epic but understated family saga

Great epic but understated saga about relationships with self, family, and the ways we make our way in the wider world, including what happens when these don’t go the ways the (well drawn) characters had hoped.

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A great family saga

An inter generational drama about family friends and love of all kinds. Ordinary people who are trying to live their best versions of themselves.
I enjoyed the writing particularly how each chapter was a a different characters’ voice.

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i loved this story! A beautiful book

i loved this story! A beautiful book telling the story of a big, messy family. Great characters

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Love this book.

Such a great look at the internal world of the characters and the complex relationships in families even close ones. How we can get stuck in a pattern and just not change it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful intergenerational story of family love

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was beautifully written and insightful to a family of sisters through their life.

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Loved this story

Having sisters is complicated and this story is very relatable to a real family. Love can solve many problems.

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Beautiful Story

I listened to this book after Oprah showcased it more than once over her social media. I hadn't read Dear Edward so I knew nothing about the author. The hype wasn't wrong, the story didn't disappoint, but the narration of this book did. I think it's one for hard copy. Some books are just better 'in the flesh'. I usually return books when the narration isn't doing it for me but, I had to see this one through. In parts in made me cringe at the lack of emotion for these colourfully rich characters and the depth of 'scene' that wasn't given it's full potential. The details lost in translation unfortunately. Such a shame. I'm not usually one for 'bad' reviews, I'm of the mindset 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all', but I'm just so disappointed this book wasn't narrated by a more well known voice, especially given this award winning author. I kept imagining Julia Whelan speaking, and how very different she would have 'delivered' these characters into the world. Hello Beautiful is a wonderful story. I'd listen to it again with a different narrator.

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Great storytelling!

Enjoyed the character descriptions and family insights. Very human and alot of fun. Some great lol moments!

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wonderful family saga

I really enjoyed the performance and how the author gave a voice to each character.

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Beautiful story

I loved this book. I love the journey throughout the years. It is beautifully written. Highly recommend.

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