#Ann Napolitano

[lifeinbooks]

Svi smo međusobno povezani i kad to uvidiš, shvatiš koliko je život lijep.

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Contemporary Fiction TBR - Part 1

[maybe-a-good-person]

Just finished Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano and-the feels, my body and soul were not build for this amazing piece of art. wow. Shit, I love the way she wrote it, and I'd kill her if Edward (Eddie) didn't get happy end. Also, I love the transition form Eddie to Edward, because it represents that little Eddie died on the plane with everyone else there, and is born in the hospital where his aunt says that his named Edward.

[thequotefairy]

Grief, I'd come to realize was like dust. When you're in the thick of a dust storm, you're completely disoriented by the onslaught, struggling to see or breathe. But as the force recedes, and you slowly find your bearing and see a path forward, the dust begins to settle into the crevices. And it will never disappear completely―as the years pass, you'll find it in unexpected places at unexpected moments.

Mikki Brammer, The Collected Regrets of Clover

[dk-thrive]

We're part of the sky, and the rocks in your mother's garden, and that old man who sleeps by the train station. We're all interconnected, and when you see that, you see how beautiful life is.

Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful: A Novel (The Dial Press, March 14, 2023) 

[euphoriette]

current read.

[illustration-alcove]

Jessica Miller's illustrated book cover for Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Hello Beautiful | Author: Ann Napolitano | Publisher: The Dial Press (2023)

[desdasiwrites]

– Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful

[kbkirtley]

Most of my favorite books I read this year came from the library, but that got rectified over the holidays.

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Hello Beautiful

Ann Napolitano’s new novel, Hello Beautiful, deserves all of the praise I am sure it’s going to get. It is gorgeously written, with flawed characters so movingly portrayed you can feel the tenderness with which Napolitano handles each one. Even the ones you can’t quite sympathize with are never flat. Families come together, break apart, and come together again. Its March publication date, the month of March Madness, is also fitting, given that a central character, William, finds solace early on in basketball.

William Walters is a lonely child. Raised by two parents unable to move past their grief at the unexpected death of William’s older sister, Caroline, William gravitates towards basketball, first alone at the local park, then pick-up games, finally advancing to the varsity high school team. He gets a scholarship for college, moves from Boston to Chicago, and meets Julia Padavano, the person who will change his life. Julia brings him home to her poetry-quoting father, religious and pragmatic mother, and three younger sisters, Sylvie, Emeline and Cecelia, all of whom enfold him into their lives and hearts. His adoption into the Padavano clan is cemented by Julia’s determination that in William she has found the man she is going to marry.

Spanning from the 1960’s to 2008, the story shifts between William, Julia, and Sylvie, following their loves and heartbreaks, betrayals and personal epiphanies. Hello Beautiful speaks profoundly to the human condition and the consequences of making choices out of self-protective impulses. With gentle reference to Little Women, a childhood favorite of mine, Napolitano pays tribute to the heart of Alcott’s beloved novel and the realities of Alcott’s life, while giving us something so deeply affecting that there were moments that moved me to tears.

Hello Beautiful is going on my personal best reads of 2023, and this would be a wonderful choice for any book club. Or if you want to read about someone who really loves basketball while March Madness is going on in the background. We currently have signed copies, so pick one up today!

— Lori

[lifeinbooks]

nije više bila ona osoba od prije, ali još nije do kraja postalo ono što će biti u budućnosti.

[girlwithakiwi]

“…The idea of love in those books—Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina—is that it’s a force that obliterates you. They’re all tragedies, Sylvie. Think about it; those novels end with despair, or death.”

Sylvie had sighed. “The tragedy isn’t the point,” she said. “We read those books today because the romance is so enormous and true that we can’t look away. It’s not obliteration; it’s a kind of expanding, I think….”

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, really honing in on the whole “the love was there, it didn’t change anything, it didn’t save anyone, there were just too many forces against it but it still matters that the love was there” theme that makes me feral

[caffeinated-by-daylight]

“He had married out of fear, because he didn’t think he was capable of steering himself into adulthood. He had needed Julia to be his parent more than his partner.”

Isn’t that like most marriages? Don’t marry young, folks! And if you want to, treat your mental illnesses and childhood traumas lol🙉

[authorstalker]

My March & April Reads

Winter Stroll, Elin Hilderbrand - I needed an easy, interesting read for a weekend with family, and this was perfect! My mom is also reading this series and we have fun talking about it together. Thank you, Queen Elin.

Aging with Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives, David Snowdon - One of the many things I have in common with my pal Kerry is our fascination with nuns, so when I heard this book mentioned on a podcast, I put it on hold immediately. The title makes it sound like a self-improvement guide, but it's actually about Snowdon's findings after studying nearly 700 elderly nuns and their experiences with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Now I'm making it sound like a bummer, but it's actually a fascinating, often uplifting read! I highly recommend it.

Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano - Warning: unless sobbing in front of strangers is your kink, do not finish reading this book in public. Recommended for fans of Little Women, basketball, and family stories.

Games and Rituals, Katherine Heiny - Katherine Heiny's writing is simply the best. Every story made me feel more human, made me crack up and tear up, put me back in touch with all of my past selves. This collection is a treat—get a copy for yourself, your sister, your mom, your best pal, the coworker you're trying to impress. All hits, no skips!

One Two Three, Laurie Frankel - A gift from my sister, thank you Cara! The story is told from the perspective of three sisters living in a small town that was destroyed by the local chemical plant; nearly everyone has cancer(s), birth defects, or dead parents. The most unbelievable detail is that the town was redesigned to be accessible for all of its wheelchair users—I wish we lived in that kind of country! I read this book shortly after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and......the government should pay for all of the residents to relocate and they should also cover their medical bills.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Maggie Smith - Her ex is trash and this book rules. Good for her!

[dk-thrive]

He knew immediately that he would replay this conversation later, when he was alone. These felt like the words, and sentences, he had been waiting for. (He) committed what felt like tiny failures and disappointments during every hour of his current life.

Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful: A Novel (The Dial Press, March 14, 2023)