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Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

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Hello Beautiful

Publisher
Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date
13 March 2023
Run Time
15 hours 6 minutes
Format
Audiobook
Rating
5.0 (1 review)

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What to expect

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?

***Praise for Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano***

'Wonderful . . . a beautifully written coming-of-age story' Nina Stibbe

'Powerful' New York Times

'Ann Napolitano's writing is astonishing. I'm in awe' Marian Keyes

'Moving and emotional' Anne Tyler

'That rare book that breaks your heart and stitches it back together' Jodi Picoult

'Stunning, life-affirming' Vogue

'Made me think, nod in recognition, care about its characters, and cry, and you can't ask more of a novel than that' Emma Donoghue

©2023 Ann Napolitano (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • This is a story about family, and sisters... and how love can be redeemed

    Therese Anne Fowler, author of It All Comes Down to This

  • As addictive as last year's The Paper Palace

    Grazia

  • I read this while traveling from London to Manchester and very nearly missed my stop on the train. It was that good

    Elle

  • A novel of rare yet classic beauty…

    i Paper

See more reviews
  • Napolitano’s luminously beautiful novel explores the space between truth and self-delusion to incredibly moving effect

    Observer

User Reviews

Book 5.0

Narration 4.0

  • 5.0 4.0

    I really enjoyed this wonderful story about four sisters and their lives both together and apart. As one of the sisters says in the book, they are like a modern version of Little Women to some extent. I found myself becoming really emotionally invested in the lives of these girls, and later, women. And the ending, whilst terribly sad, is full of optimism. A really wonderful novel.

    ClareR 2023-03-25

Details

Author
Ann Napolitano
Narrator
Maura Tierney
Duration
15 hours 6 minutes
Release Date
13 March 2023
ISBN
9780241999448
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Penguin Books Ltd
Genre
Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Narrative theme: coming of age, Narrative theme: love / relationships
Rating
5.0(1 review)
Narration
4.0(1 review)

Synopsis

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 decadesMeet 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?***Praise for Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano***'Wonderful . . . a beautifully written coming-of-age story' Nina Stibbe'Powerful' New York Times'Ann Napolitano's writing is astonishing. I'm in awe' Marian Keyes'Moving and emotional' Anne Tyler'That rare book that breaks your heart and stitches it back together' Jodi Picoult'Stunning, life-affirming' Vogue'Made me think, nod in recognition, care about its characters, and cry, and you can't ask more of a novel than that' Emma Donoghue©2023 Ann Napolitano (P)2023 Penguin Audio

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