Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

49 reviews

korikam's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Pregnancy

natashaball's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

applesaucecreachur's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Over the last few days, while reading this book, I found myself in a daze any time I was alone. (The fact that I listened to the entire story over a few hours-long sittings likely has no bearing on this.) Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano had a striking way of showing me myself and my beloveds within its pages. In this way, the story fit like a lens over my frontal lobe: I saw its words walking down the street and trailing through my journal. The range of years and human emotions was exhausting in its beauty. The span of decades and personalities felt both breakneck in its pace and loving in its attention to detail. Hearing the story from multiple distinct POVs was not only enjoyable but also immensely clever. While the timeline remained more or less linear, Napolitano bends the arrow to allow for multiple perspectives on the same events, and to station the reader in different minds in the same instant.

The most breathtaking example of this was the day of Sylvie's death, where we first watch Alice waiting uncomfortably at her father's work before learning in the next chapter that he has just fallen headlong into grief.

With emotions swirling inside of me, I have only so many intelligible thoughts on this book.  I will end this review off with a lasting lesson: Love, like the people with whom we share it, is imperfect and essential.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Child death

bellsdixon's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, and Pregnancy

hannavaistila's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

csyip's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

marinarose3's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent

raphynette's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Cancer and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, and Homophobia

patchworkninja's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism

aliiloue's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

slow start and i very nearly dnf'd but pushed through. the books really picks up at about the half way mark and zooms to the finish line. it becomes very poignant and i admit i did actually shed a tear. it creates a layered portrait of a family through the generations and did a fantastic job of showing how our stories and personal mythoses are told and retold and woven into the tapestry of our lives. the style initially was quite off putting for me as we are told a lot of information rather than shown it but i did eventually get over it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Terminal illness