Exploring Life’s Complexities
I was going to play catch up this week and do a series of mini reviews, but I really wanted to do these books justice. So you have two more detailed reviews this week. Enjoy!
First up this week we have Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. I read this one in June 2023. It was actually my top pick for June. Perhaps the reason why I haven’t reviewed it before now is because I don’t think this will necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea. This isn’t a very plot heavy book, and I think the beauty in it lies in the character development, and in the complex relationships between the characters. This is a modern take on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I actually hadn’t read Little Women before reading Hello Beautiful, but reading this one was a catalyst for me to read the classic. Literary critics may curse me for this, but I much preferred Hello Beautiful.
“Can love make a broken person whole? William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters … Sylvie, Cecelia and Emeline.” I am one of three girls, and I couldn’t help but think about my only family dynamics when reading this book. It is interesting to reflect on the bonds between siblings, and how those bonds change when we bring “outsiders” into the mix.
Without giving anything away, something happens which tests the loyalties and relationships of the whole family. The way this is written, and the events that unfold, had me gripped. I couldn’t put it down and I wanted to see what was going to happen. I could see parts of myself in two of the sisters, so I related to them and their actions. I would be interested how others from families of girls found this book. I love complex and well developed characters, and this book ticked all of these boxes for me. I also cried while reading this one, and we all know that I am a sucker for a crying book! Interestingly, this has also been selected as an Oprah’s Book Club book, so maybe this one has a wider universal appeal than I am giving it credit for. This is the first book I have read by Ann Napolitano, and I am really keen to read Dear Edward as well. I loved Hello Beautiful and I hope you do too!
Next up, we have The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer. “Grief is just love looking for a place to settle”. I have read a lot of books about grief this year. I am unsure why that is? Clover Brooks is a 36 year old death doula, whose job it is to provide comfort and support to those who are dying. (As it turns out, we do have death doulas in New Zealand. Who knew?)
Clover has experienced quite a lot of death in her life, and she sees it as a natural part of life, and she enjoys helping people in their final days. The only problem being that she has forgotten how to live. She was raised by her now-deceased grandfather, and has never had a romantic relationship or many friends. She is still living in the apartment she grew up in and hasn’t changed it since her grandfather passed away.
This is Mikki Brammer’s debut novel, and it is beautifully written. The plot is somewhat predictable but I don’t think every book needs a shocking plot twist to be worthy of reading. This book (obviously) addresses death and dying, so perhaps don’t read this, if you find these topics upsetting. I think the main theme of the book is about living life to the full, and about the lessons we can learn from the lives of others. A beautiful debut, and I will certainly be on the lookout for future books by Brammer.
Have you read either of these books? I would love to hear what you thought of them, because life is too short to read bad books.
P.S I would love to know which sister in Hello Beautiful you related to the most. Let’s chat in the comments!
P.P.S I know we aren’t meant to be judging books by their covers, but how gorgeous are these ones?!