Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel

Although the back of the book and review say this novel is about a man named William, I find he plays a backseat to the Padavano sisters - it really is a book about them. Napolitano doesn't have three sisters, but she definitely gets the dynamics right. The Padavano sisters are from an Italian family who grew up in the poorer part of Chicago. However monetarily poor, they are rich in love. The sisters live, breathe and love each other and eac...read more

Without reading the synopsis I was drawn to this book, unaware of the emotional ride it was. It’s written in third person which can be hard to connect with. However, it’s written as a biography and each event held so much emotion. Some chapters are overly long, which I felt took away from the story. Would I recommend it, yes. But be prepared that this is not a pallet cleanser.

This is not a book I would typically read, however, I’m so happy that I did. Also, I had never read Little Women, so it wasn’t until page 302 that I realized this was a homage to that book. I found this book to be compelling because of the switching of narratives. I found it interesting to see how the different characters experienced the same thing. The book also felt personal and like you were a part of each characters’ lives. It was definite...read more

What a gift. Such an emotionally intelligent read. The story is plausible yet complicated as many families,and relationships are. So grateful to have read this. I rate this book a 9 out of 10, wondering why it doesn’t earn that one last rating… I fault it to my own impatience, the book starts to grip me at page 56 or at this chapter and maybe it is the “ordinariness” of the characters but it has a true commitment to its characters and richness i...read more

Great read. Good picture of how a family that was extremely close becomes fractured by a couple of events. It's a view into how easy family events can destroy the closeness and love in a family.