Hello Beautiful

Compare and contrast how the novel explores teammates and siblings. What are the similarities and differences between the two?

Analyze the references to Walt Whitman’s poetry throughout the novel. How are Whitman’s transcendentalist ideas explored in Hello Beautiful?

Napolitano has said she took care to try to make the sisters both similar and distinct from one another to show how a family operates as a single unit made up of many individuals. Using character analysis, which two sisters are the most similar? Which are the most different? Use textual evidence to support your answer.

Analyze the portrayal of single motherhood in Hello Beautiful. What beliefs and judgments surround single motherhood? Why do Julia and Cecelia decide to raise their children without fathers?

Much of the plot of Hello Beautiful is driven by secrets. How do these secrets create major plot events and impact the way the characters develop and change?

Although Julia relocates to New York City and Rose moves to Florida, the bulk of the novel takes place in Chicago. Why do you think Napolitano chose Chicago as the setting for this story?

When the Padavano sisters first read Little Women, they begin to use the phrase “I am Beth” when one of them is feeling down or in need of comfort. In the end, Julia realizes that Sylvie is Beth because she is the first of them to die. Using other characters from Little Women, analyze the connections that Hello Beautiful draws between the Padavanos and these beloved characters.

Analyze the portrayal of grief and loss in Hello Beautiful, specifically in the aftermath of Charlie’s death.