Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

BrandyandGinger · 2024-05-04T19:47:56+00:00

Has anyone read it? I'm hating it very much and interested to see what other people think of it.

TheExtraGuineaPig · 13/10/2026 09:04

Just searched for a thread on this to revive as I’ve just the finished the book. I hated it so much it actually made me cross. As a pp said - he abandoned his child and married his wife’s sister- and all the others were fine with it! Absolute nonsense. Also have you ever known someone abandoned/ neglected by their dad who would just accept it age 26? I’m pretty sure she’d be angry. The demonising of Julia (career woman - bad) and Rose (brought up 4 kids from the age of 17 with an alcoholic husband, had to barter to get enough food- unfeeling matriarch) was so bizarre.

I quite liked the start but I wish I hadn’t wasted time finishing it.

CutthroatDruTheViolent · 10/06/2024 22:46

Ohhhh. I knew I downloaded this one.

Yeah, DNF this one. It was not only dull, it was unrealistic and yes, misogynistic.

AlwaysFreezing · 08/06/2024 09:13

I enjoyed it. The plot was at times, far fetched, I can agree with that. But I liked the setting, and saga element to it.

I listened to it on audible and maura Tierney (Abbey from ER) was the perfect narrator!

OfMiceandWomen · 04/06/2024 16:50

BrandyandGinger · 05/05/2024 10:08

Also it's quite misogynistic. Rose is written as a very unsympathetic character. She was very harsh to her pregnant teenage daughter, but she had been there herself and wanted better for her children. She's also written as being unreasonable for retiring to Florida, after raising four children with not much help from her feckless husband. The girls were adults and had each other as a support network.
William, however, is treated with great love and sympathy and support, despite the fact that he seems totally fine with having abandoned a child.

I felt William was a product of his upbringing. To have two parents who cared so little about their son had an effect him which in turn meant he felt unable to be a good Father to his daughter.
He hadn’t really been shown love till he met Sylvie.
Julie just wanted to mould him into what she wanted.

OfMiceandWomen · 04/06/2024 16:42

I enjoyed it. I felt sorry for William but felt Sylvie was the right person for him.
I couldn’t understand Julia or Rose who could just walk away without caring about what they had left behind.

Santasbigredbobblehat · 31/05/2024 03:35

I enjoyed reading this but also thought everything that happened was ridiculous, which makes no sense I know. The mum leaving, never seeing the child. I wanted to shake the main character.

Original poster

BrandyandGinger · 05/05/2024 10:47

Julia was the oldest sister. If she posted in AIBU she would be asked probing questions by the wise mumsnetters and I think she'd get a resounding YANBU when it emerged that one sister was in a relationship with her exH and the other sisters fully supported it.

OP posts:

BreakfastAtMimis · 05/05/2024 10:16

I loved it!
You could equally have an AIBU to say: AIBU to move to NYC with DD and go NC with my whole family. To me the oldest sister (I've forgotten her name) was the least sympathetic character and made the worst choices.

Original poster

BrandyandGinger · 05/05/2024 10:08

Also it's quite misogynistic. Rose is written as a very unsympathetic character. She was very harsh to her pregnant teenage daughter, but she had been there herself and wanted better for her children. She's also written as being unreasonable for retiring to Florida, after raising four children with not much help from her feckless husband. The girls were adults and had each other as a support network.
William, however, is treated with great love and sympathy and support, despite the fact that he seems totally fine with having abandoned a child.

OP posts:

Original poster

BrandyandGinger · 05/05/2024 09:30

Spoiler

I keep thinking of it as a Mumsnet AIBU

AIBU to marry my ex BIL, who suffered from bad depression in his 20s, and used it as excuse to go no contact with my baby niece for her whole life?
Yes, YABVVVVVVU.

OP posts:

AntisocialPotNoodle · 05/05/2024 09:13

Oh, I was hoping you were going to say it's great, it's on my tbr list for this month.

CinnamonSweet73 · 05/05/2024 08:21

I hated it too. I've forgotten a lot of it now but the characters' actions made no sense to me in a lot of cases!