Hello Beautiful: A Novel
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Community Reviews
This book explored the effects of generational trauma and mental health challenges thoughtfully. Some of the characters were flat and didn't seem to develop or change. Their motivations are not always clear or realistic either. There are some insightful quotes that I found which I want to remember.
A very good read, but not a must read by any means.
I dislike the summary of the book on the book flap or in the description - it doesn't catch the book for me at all. And I disagree with the "exquisite homage to Little Women" bit - okay, that novel is in this, but nah.
Instead, this book is about being seen, and the consequences of not really seeing people, versus seeing others as they are and accepting them, even loving them, with all the nuances of their characters. When we try to fit people into the boxes that we've constructed for them, everything will fall apart. Julia had a life path chosen for herself and her family members. Well, it turns out that we all get to write our own script.
Of course, because this is a book about sisters and family, when things don't go according to Julia's plan, it upends the whole family, and then the book is about depression, teenage single mom, LGBTQA, cancer, feminist power, cancer and of course the fact that their dad, who was always under appreciated while he was alive, turns out to have been such an awesome guy to all the neighborhood and his kids that he's the one they all remember most fondly. Can we fit one more Lifetime movie trope in there?
Two of my favorite quotes - "stop thinking about who you were when you were living the wrong life, William. you're built of rote life you're living now" and "Opportunity did not knock until I built the door" (which goes back to Milton Berle).
I dislike the summary of the book on the book flap or in the description - it doesn't catch the book for me at all. And I disagree with the "exquisite homage to Little Women" bit - okay, that novel is in this, but nah.
Instead, this book is about being seen, and the consequences of not really seeing people, versus seeing others as they are and accepting them, even loving them, with all the nuances of their characters. When we try to fit people into the boxes that we've constructed for them, everything will fall apart. Julia had a life path chosen for herself and her family members. Well, it turns out that we all get to write our own script.
Of course, because this is a book about sisters and family, when things don't go according to Julia's plan, it upends the whole family, and then the book is about depression, teenage single mom, LGBTQA, cancer, feminist power, cancer and of course the fact that their dad, who was always under appreciated while he was alive, turns out to have been such an awesome guy to all the neighborhood and his kids that he's the one they all remember most fondly. Can we fit one more Lifetime movie trope in there?
Two of my favorite quotes - "stop thinking about who you were when you were living the wrong life, William. you're built of rote life you're living now" and "Opportunity did not knock until I built the door" (which goes back to Milton Berle).
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