This novel makes a good case study of how people in a family all respond to a series of events in different ways. The characters were well developed and each had their own plot line and level of dysfunction. Personally, I did not feel overly interested in any of the characters' storylines except for Gracie and the novel was very slow until the very end. I wanted to feel more connected to the characters than I did. As a teacher, I feel like this novel has many aspects of a good book study based on the complex characters and relationships. I would recommend this book for a book club discussion.

I enjoyed the change of character from chapter to chapter. The story tells of complex relationships, secrets and finding one’s self. It does feel as if the latter is unattainable to the daughters, who they really are does not get tied up in a bow. The end leaves a bit to be desired as to if anyone will find happiness and I found myself wanting more.

Thank you net galley and random house for the advance copy.

I really enjoyed Ann Napolitano’s previous novels, “Dear Edward” and “Hello Beautiful.” I didn’t realize until I downloaded the ePUB that “Within Arm’s Reach” was written in 2002 and getting a re-release since she is now a best-selling author. This book has interesting characters, notably Catharine, the very traditional matriarch of an Irish-American family, although her “visions” of deceased family members and future events were a bit cloying. This book has family conflicts, love, sex, infidelity, death, extreme grief, an unplanned pregnancy, unfulfilled career ambitions, and more — perhaps a bit too much going on. The abrupt ending also didn’t sit well with me (although it will fulfill the abruot ending prompt for my 52-Week Book Club: 2024 Challenge!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ePUB advanced copy.

I was glad to see this book rereleased, as I had been meaning to read it after loving Hello Beautiful last year. And I love a family story, so I was so excited to read this family drama spanning three generations. At first I was intimated that the story was told from so many POVs, but I thought it actually really added to the interconnectedness of the family and their relationships. This would be a great summer read, and I hope it does well the second time around!

After the success of her two recent books. Within Arm's Reach was republished 20 years after its original publication. I am not sure whether edits or changes were made, but if you read Ms. Napolitano's two more recent books, you can see the growth of her writing. And, based on some of the writing including terms that are no longer acceptable, I'm guessing there wasn't any update made. That is okay as long as you view it as helping place the story within the historical time frame. Character development was still the main focus of the book. This wasn't as accomplished as strong as in the more recent books, it felt a little uncertain and uneven. But, with so many characters and points of view, this didn't make that development any easier. As always with her books, the characters made me want to reach out to them and give them hugs, shake them, tell them to just talk to each other, etc. That is the beauty of Ms. Napolitano's books and characters.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Within Arms Reach by Ann Napolitano. Her books are always reliable for poignant story lines with rich characters. This one was no different. I liked the touch of magical realism with the grandma. I also like how she writes her characters realistically with flaws. My only criticism is that there were too many points of view to keep track of and it kept the reader from really getting to know the characters.

Catharine is the aging family matriarch. She is the mother of 9 and gets into a car accident where she sees visions of her dead babies and husband. While she is hospitalized, you also see the story of her children and Grace, her granddaughter, who finds herself pregnant and alone. Each story is interwoven with their past and present as they navigate these situations.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Hands down , last year my favorite book was Hello Beautiful. A gripping family drama that couldn’t have been better. How lucky we are that the publishers decided that we needed to be reminded of its predecessor, Within Arm’s Reach. This family drama grabs you from chapter one as we learn about the history of this big Irish family and the love between generations of woman (even some who were misunderstood).

My favorite thing about Napolitano, is that her books are real. There is no perfection. There is sadness, joy, happiness and all the other emotions we feel in this journey of life.

A multi-generational multi-POV story with incredibly flawed characters who keep you jumping from chapter to chapter. What else could you need in a book!?

This book was a ride! A family matriarch embarks on a new chapter with her family when her granddaughter becomes pregnant out of wedlock. Will this traditional family with huge chasms be able to come together to support the new generation? Or will previous traumas prove too large to overcome?

This book had such beautifully written characters who I both loved and despised at different times, while also understanding them. This is a deep character study type novel, so if you’re looking for a thunderous plot, this isn’t the book for you. I love the author’s style and is a good retreat into characters in a time when it feels like every book must have a plot moving 400 mph. Definitely enjoyed!

I read the author’s note at the end of this book and it certainly colors my reading experience different. This book was difficult to get involved with the characters. They were complex but unrelatable. They made a lot of bad decisions and felt entitled to their behaviors. There were bright spots where i found myself lost in the story but for the most part, I wasn’t interested in this story. The writing itself was great and I would give this author another chance.

After loving Hello Beautiful I was delighted to get this advanced copy. What beautiful, captivating storytelling we receive from Ann every time! Pulls on your heart strings!

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of the re-released Ann Napolitano book, Within Arm’s Reach. I really enjoyed this story of a family. Catharine is the grandmother, and we meet her and especially her granddaughters, who are young adults and struggling through life. Good relationships and family issues. #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #withinarmsreach #annnapolitano #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

3-1/2 stars rounded up (because I did like this better than my last 3-1/2 star book). While not quite as well-written or cohesive as Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, this is another enjoyable story of a multi-generational Irish-American family. Told from six different points of view, it reveals a family coming apart but holding out hope of coming together again. In a family of silences, secrets, and repressed emotions, Gracie’s secret has the potential for great destruction or great reunion, and it’s a secret that will soon reveal itself whether she wants to or not.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an objective review.

Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano is a highly recommended literary family drama featuring three generations of an Irish-American family. First published in 2004, this was Napolitano's debut novel and showcases her early skillful ability to create finely drawn characters and bring them to life.

Catharine, the matriarch of the Irish-American McLaughlin clan, is approaching 80 years-old. Catharine has the gift of visions and has conversations with deceased relatives, a gift of her heritage. She has 6 surviving children after losing three. Kelly, 56, is her oldest surviving daughter, is married to Louis and mother to Lila and Gracie. Now Gracie is pregnant and Catharine is sure this baby, this start of the next generation will help bind the family together again. Right now the whole family keeps a tight rein on their emotions. This new addition may change everything.

The narrative unfolds through the point-of-view of six different characters : Gracie, Catharine, Louis, Lila, Kelly, and Noreen Ballen (Catharine's nurse). These are all fully realized, exquisitely written characters who came to life on the page. They are all portrayed as real individuals, with different opinions, flaws, strengths, and conflicting emotions.

The writing is excellent in this portrait of three generations of a family. Within Arm’s Reach demonstrates how interconnected the members of a family can be and how they inherit more than they realize from their ancestors. I enjoyed everything about this novel except for the fact that it was left open ended. Certainly it showcases the developing talent of a gifted writer. It was a pleasure to read this debut novel from 2004 since I loved and adored both Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I was a little surprised to open and see this is not a new release - its a rerelease! that being said it definately feels like her more junior work that was perfected in hello beautiful, alot of the same themes and ideas but not the depth or pull.

Dysfunctional family story in the debut novel by the author of Hello Beautiful. I initially was going to rate this 1 star as I found the story boring and with not one character that I liked.. But then I realized that my extreme dislike for some of the women (Kelly in particular) was me being invested in the story after all. The ending seemed anticlimactic. And I did not like the ghosts that appeared occasionally.

Summary: Within Arms Reach is a story of a family that lives in service of its matriarch, an outwardly cold but inwardly loving grandmother. The story follows her daughters and grandchildren as they all attempt to fulfill the high standards of a family that lives in a culture which is deeply influenced by the Catholic Church. When one of the grandchildren falls pregnant out of wedlock, it forces their grandmother to deal with the untimely death of her child, as well as a gruesome stillbirth of twins. This family truly does not know how to be vulnerable with each other, communicate feelings, or be there for each other in a functional and healthy way. They are the prime example of what not to do and would be a poster family for group therapy!! But you can't help but want to root for them.

Review: I really wish they would include a trigger warning page at the start of this book as it describes fairly in depth instances of stillbirth and death of a young child which I found disturbing. I typically love family dramas however this one fell a little flat to me. The shifting perspectives wasn't as seamless as her other novels and I felt really frustrated by the ending. However it should be mentioned that this is a rerelease of Napolitano's previous work and her growth as a writing is so apparent!

Within Arms Reach is another sprawling family drama from Ann Napolitano, writer of Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward. The story is based on three generations of women in an Irish American family, told in alternating points of view from 6 people, which can get a little daunting to keep up with initially, but becomes easier the more you read. In this book you get all the relationships, the heartbreak, the secrets, the hopes and dreams, as one family deals with the changes brought about by an unplanned pregnancy. Catherine, as matriarch, reflects on how a lack of communication and reluctance to express feelings of grief and loss scars both children and parents, creating generational trauma passed down but never dealt with. Ann Napolitano does a wonderful job of making all the characters feel real and very relatable as they are shaken up and then pulled back together.

After the success of Napolitano’s last two novels, Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful, her debut novel - a family saga in a similar vein to Hello Beautiful, is getting a new cover and a rerelease.

I absolutely loved Hello Beautiful so I was excited to read this novel for the first time. And while it feels unfair to compare work separated by 20 years of experience and growth, Within Arm’s Reach never reaches the same heights as Hello Beautiful. The characters are just a little less compelling, and the plot just a little more melodramatic. I was never fully invested, but it is clear that Napolitano has always been an incredible writer - she’s just gotten better with age.

In this book, the reader explores 3 generations of an Irish American family, mostly women, where no one is happy and everyone is struggling with something. People are dying, having affairs, unhappy with their degree choices, etc. You name it, they don't like it. The saddest part is, they aren't even happy with each other, so most of these family members don't seem to have someone in their corner. Then, Gracie (granddaughter) makes an announcement that Catherine (grandmother) is certain will help everyone remember exactly what it means to be a family.
This book was a solid 2 for me before I read the author's note at the end. I always take the time to read those, and it matters with this book. I didn't realize until the end of the book that this is a republication of Ann Napolitano's debut. That definitely changed how I view things.

My first book by Ann Napolitano was HELLO BEAUTIFUL, so my expectations were set high for Within Arms Reach.

Unfortunately , I found myself struggling to relate to the plot and characters. There was a disconnect that I could not overcome.

This experience definitely does not hinder me from reading her upcoming books. She’s an excellent writer and a gifted storyteller. Every reader experiences every book differently.