Hi all- Since my post is about the actions of Julia, it contains a lot of spoilers.
It’s admirable that Ann Napolitano, the writer, is sympathetic to all characters in Hello Beautiful. Unfortunately, while I can understand Julia’s actions, I cannot commiserate because she, for the most part, showed no remorse for her actions. I wonder how you guys interpret this character in Hello Beautiful. Did you feel differently than I did, if so, care to elaborate?
Imo, Julia lacked the self awareness to see how domineering and controlling her actions are. Her first instinct is to fix the problem and her solutions are self-serving. she seems like a selfish person. For example, when Rose disowned Celelia for being pregnant out of wedlock, Julia’s first thought is “I’m supposed to have the first baby” and then her solution is to also get pregnant so that “her pregnancy would be celebrated… Julia would put her pregnant belly beside Celelia’s. Rose and Charlie would embrace both their grandchildren, because they would come as a set.” When I read this, I thought her reason of them “come as a set” not only makes no sense, but also selfish given she has already made up her mind before discussing it with William.
Throughout the book, she wrote people off as soon as she perceived that they had betrayed her. She showed no concern for Williams when he went missing, when he was found to have attempted suicide, when he spent months in a psychiatric hospital. In fact, she acted annoyed when her sisters showed any care towards Williams. As for her sisters, she cut contacts with all 3 after finding out about Sylvie and Williams. Eventually, she also fell out with her mother for a few years. This woman can hold a grudge, and lack the awareness to know that it is to the detriment of her and her daughter wellbeing.
Above all, what makes me dislike this character is her inability to sympathize with others. I understand the initial reaction of hurt when you feel wronged by others. But in my experience, people tend to cool down and come around after some time. Julia never truly understands Sylvie and William relationship. Another small but significant thing I gather at the end of the book is that she has no real friend outside of her family and she does not truly care for her employees. To me, it seems like she lacks the ability to sympathize with people.
by ThrowRA_concwrn