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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

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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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Lovely story with hope

Wonderful story about imperfect humans leading to hope for us all. So enjoyable to hear.

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5 people found this helpful

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A family take that draws you in

A great listen with interesting characters and an engaging, often moving story as you find yourself drawn into the highs and lows of the three main characters’ lives.

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2 people found this helpful

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Beautiful writing and narration.

I loved the writing and wanted more! The story was capturing and the flow was brilliant

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1 person found this helpful

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A beautiful moving story

This book is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It essentially follows the lives of 4 unique and wonderful sisters as they fall in and out of love, experience grief, become mothers and eventually find their way back home. You will love every chapter! The narrator is great too.

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Not my style

This book is beautifully written and narrated. If you like Ann Cleeves and character/relationship studies you’ll love it. If you prefer a bit more action and intrigue then maybe not.

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A beautiful story

What a beautiful book. I loved the characters and the story. I didn’t want it to end.

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Great story .

Wonderful story of 4 sisters lives. Great holiday read. Characters were credible and sympathetically drawn & narration was great .

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Heartbreaking and uplifting

This is a slow burn at the very start but quickly warms up and absorbs you. Makes me miss my sisters especially.

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I wish I’d had sisters

I listened to this book simply because Maura Tierney was the narrator and was not disappointed. Her voice suited the story and did not get in the way of a tender story beautifully told.

The continual chapter reminders that it was set in the 80s were always surprising as the feeling it gave was more like the 50s, in the innocence of a time longer ago.

Flawed characters that were still sympathetic drew me in and I now miss them as I enjoyed spending time in their company. Even though the book included hard topics and difficult life choices the resulting story was positive and hopeful.

I’m going straight to look for more books by this author.

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Exquisite

A beautiful, emotionally satisfying read with a pleasing nod to Little Women. I will miss all theses characters, flawed and fully realised.

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