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Ann Napolitano

Biography

Ann Napolitano

Ann Napolitano is the bestselling author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL, which was selected as Oprah’s 100th Book Club pick; DEAR EDWARD, an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and an Apple TV+ series; A GOOD HARD LOOK; and WITHIN ARM'S REACH. For seven years, Napolitano was the associate editor of the literary magazine One Story, and she received an MFA from New York University. She has taught fiction writing at Brooklyn College’s MFA program, New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and Gotham Writers Workshop.

Books by Ann Napolitano

Within Arm's Reach
by Ann Napolitano - Fiction, Women's Fiction

Releasing in a new paperback edition, Ann Napolitano’s 2004 debut novel charts the emotional life of three generations of an Irish-Catholic family. Shaken reluctantly into self-examination by the unexpected pregnancy of its youngest member, the McLaughlin family is forced to confront ghosts of both past and present, and to reappraise its values in a world of rapid change. Narrated through six subjective first-person accounts --- the pregnant Gracie, her sister Lila, their parents, their matriarchal grandmother, and a family outsider with a curious connection --- WITHIN ARM’S REACH dissects the markedly variant responses that such supposedly similar people can have to the same events.

Hello Beautiful
by Ann Napolitano - Fiction, Women's Fiction

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 when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos. But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?

Dear Edward
by Ann Napolitano - Fiction

One summer morning, 12-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Halfway across the country, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor. His story captures the attention of the nation, yet he struggles to find a place in a world without his family. But then he makes an unexpected discovery --- one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do you find the strength to put one foot in front of the other? How do you learn to feel safe again? How do you find meaning in your life?

A Good Hard Look
by Ann Napolitano - Fiction

In the Milledgeville, Georgia of the early 1960s, ailing writer Flannery O’Connor and three other townspeople enter into relationships with disastrous consequences --- for them and the rest of their small town.