Summary of Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club) by Ann Napolitano

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Summary of Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club) by Ann Napolitano

 

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Hello Beautiful is a family story about William Waters and Julia Padavano, two sisters who are inseparable. When William meets Julia, he experiences a newfound contentment, but then darkness from his past surfaces, jeopardizing their plans for the future and their loyalty to one another. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together? An homage to Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a powerfully moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Apr 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9783755440901

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Summary of

Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club)

A

Summary of Ann Napolitano’s Novel

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Summary of Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club) a novel by Ann Napolitano

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This is an unofficial summary & analysis of Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel designed to enrich your reading experience.

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William

1960–1978

William Waters was born with a three-year-old sister, Caroline, who developed a fever and a cough and died in her crib. His family moved to a navy-shingled house and William was an only child. His mother smoked cigarettes and drank bourbon in the living room, and she had a collection of ruffled aprons that she wore while preparing meals. From the age of five, William would walk to the nearby park with a basketball, pretending he was a Celtics player. Bill Russell was his favorite, but he needed someone else to block or defend against.

William was a ten-year-old boy who was always playing Sam Jones's perfect shooting form. One afternoon, he was swept into a game between the hoops and the boys on the blue team. His parents had always looked past him, as if he were invisible. He had sand-colored hair, light-blue eyes, and white skin, and his primary characteristic was pallor. He never spoke at school and no one played with him, but the boys on the basketball court offered him a chance to be part of something for the first time, without having to talk.

In fifth grade, the gym teacher at his elementary school asked him if he was tall enough to be a point guard. William was a kid who taped cardboard to his glasses and dribbled up and down the sidewalk wearing them. One day, a grown-up noticed him and noticed that he was a basketball player. He had no time for illness or fear, and the world had told him he was a basketball player. The gym teacher gave him additional tips to develop more skills, such as pushing kids away with his shoulder and butt, doing sprints, and passing the ball to the best players in the park.

William wanted to keep his place on the court and make the other boys better, so he had value. William Waters was a good basketball player in high school, playing point guard and being the best dribbler and midrange jumper. He was the only freshman on the varsity team, and his teammates were shocked when he grew five inches in the summer after his sophomore year. His mother looked frightened when he lurched into the kitchen and handed him a snack. His parents sometimes came to his basketball games, but sat politely in the stands.

When he went for a rebound and was shoved in the air, he landed awkwardly on his right knee. His coach yelled in his ear, You okay, Waters? William had fractured his kneecap and was unable to play basketball for the first time since he was five. His leg was immobilized with a cast and he was on crutches for two months. He was offered scholarships from colleges with Division I basketball programs, but he accepted a scholarship from Northwestern University, in Chicago, due to the swampy heat of the South. His parents had never indicated that they would pay for college, and he took it as a promise of guaranteed basketball.

William kissed his mother goodbye at the train station and shook his father's hand in late August 1978. He had gaping holes to fill in his knowledge of how the world worked, so he turned to history classes to fill his schedule. He divided his days between studying in the library, practicing on the basketball court, and attending classes. Julia Padavano stood out in his European history seminar due to her frequent interjections and inquiries. William never spoke in class or utilized the professor's office hours, believing the role of a student was to keep his or her mouth shut and soak up as much knowledge as possible.

William was startled when Julia appeared at his elbow and asked him why he was so tall. He thought he had willed himself to this height, as a serious basketball player needed to be at least six foot three, and he believed he had defied his genetics. Julia offered to come to one of William's games, and he accepted. Later, he realized that he had fallen for her. William is a student at Northwestern University who is struggling to find a job.

He meets Julia, a young woman who has been watching him in class for weeks and likes his attentiveness and seriousness. After meeting Julia, William is dismayed to discover he is among the weakest players on the team. He is good enough at passing, shooting, and defense to make himself useful, but his most valuable skill is that he rarely makes mistakes on the court. His scholarship requires that he work a job on campus, but he is confronted by a skinny woman with a tall Afro and glasses who tells him he is in the wrong place. William and Kent, two white freshmen on the basketball team, were assigned to work in the laundry room.

They developed a rhythm to each step of the laundry process and used the time to break down plays and figure out how their team could improve. They used the time to break down plays and figure out how their team could improve. One afternoon, while folding an enormous pile of towels, William explained that it goes like this: guard-to-guard pass to initiate, forward comes off the baseline screen, and a guard screens down for the big. Kent and William were teammates at a basketball game. Kent was from Detroit and had loud opinions on all the NBA players and teams.

He was yelled at by the coach for showboating, which he apologized for. He claimed to be related to Magic Johnson, who was widely considered a lock as the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft. After hearing about Kent's grandmother's leukemia, William told Kent that he'd exchanged only one letter with his parents and that he was going to stay at school for Christmas break. Kent and William are teammates at a basketball game in early December. Kent is going to med school, while William is considering life after college.

At the game, William notices Julia in the stands and makes two steals. After the game, he sees her and three girls who resemble her in the bleachers. They scout William, and he realizes his shorts and sleeveless jersey are flimsy. They enjoy the game, but it looks exhausting. William is a fourteen-year-old boy who meets Cecelia, Emeline, Julia, and Sylvie at a basketball game.

Julia and the other three girls are studying him like jewelry appraisers. William is impressed by Julia's desire for him, but cannot take her in his arms. Julia then introduces Sylvie, who is the oldest by ten months, and they invite him to their house for dinner. Four months into college, William finds himself with his first girlfriend and a new family.

Julia

1978–1981

Julia and her family live in Pilsen, a working-class neighborhood filled with immigrants. Julia is famous for making an entrance, which means she thinks about timing. She worries that William will find the neighborhood and the inside of her family's home shabby. Julia's mother names the four Padavano girls as if imploring them to save her from the family. Julia likes William, but he is a basketball player and an honors student who is going to major in history.

She wonders if he is as smart as Julia. William was smart and asked questions, but his intelligence didn't register in the form of strong opinions. He had studied with Julia at the Lozano Library, and when making weekend plans, he always said, Let's do whatever you want to do. You have the best ideas. Julia had never considered the idea of physical intelligence until she saw William's recent basketball game. Rose wore a modified baseball catcher's uniform, topped off with a navyblue sombrero, found on the street. She looked ready for some kind of game, but it was unclear which one.

Rose had forbidden any celebration of her birthday, a personal declaration of war against the passage of time. Her mother trained her eyes on the dirt rows