Within arms reach



In Napolitano's debut novel, we learn of the complex dynamics of the Irish-American McLaughlin family, weaving together perspectives from three generations to tell their story. I thought the inclusion of a family tree diagram at the beginning of the book helped in understanding each family member, given the narrative's shifting viewpoints.

The story begins with Gracie, the granddaughter, narrating the family's history of losses through her grandmother's eyes. The death of her oldest child, a set of twins and her husband is more than one can handle. Despite not having firsthand experiences, Gracie's role as an advice columnist allows her to perceive the underlying emotions and communication barriers within her family. This lack of emotional expression is a recurring theme, passed down through generations, portrayed as cracks in a mirror reflecting familial struggles. This first chapter was a strong start.

Central to the narrative is Gracie's unexpected pregnancy, which serves as a catalyst for examining the family's dynamics, particularly her relationship with her grandmother, Catherine. Catherine's past traumas shape her perspective on the impending arrival of her grandchild. The bond between Gracie and her grandmother was what drew me to this story.

The perspectives of Kelly, Catherine's oldest child, and her husband Louis, offers insight into a failing marriage, though the resolution of this subplot feels somewhat lacking. Lila, the aspiring doctor with an identity crisis, adds to the mix by creating contention between sisters. She’s the character that you “love to hate.”

Napolitano clearly depicts intergenerational struggles within the McLaughlin family, drawing parallels between her personal experiences giving the story authenticity. As Catherine reflects on her life, she sees her family struggles and triumphs as her life’s work and recognizes that what she leaves behind will continue to influence future generations and her family’s legacy. Insightful!

Ann Napolitano writes beautiful books. I had the feeling that was the case when I started on her latest book, Hello Beautiful months earlier, but after reading Within Arm's Reach, now I'm convinced of this.

Within Arm's Reach is actually one of Napolitano's first novels that was originally published 20 years ago, but is being re-issued this year. It tells about the lives of a large Irish family told in multiple point-of-views across three generations. What fascinates me about this book is if Napolitano's writing was this good 20 years ago, then I can't imagine how good it could possibly be in her latest novels, Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful.

The way Napolitano writes each character is so realistic that I was convinced that the character's thoughts on the page were actually my own thoughts. She also has the incredible talent of capturing everyday commonplace things in beautiful yet relatable prose.

The only drawback for me is that the ending felt a bit rushed. It seemed like everything was meant to culminate in one specific final event, but it just didn't feel like an ending; it felt like there would be another chapter or even an epilogue left to tie up some of the loose ends. But perhaps this is the author's intent. In a sense, she could be conveying that no matter how much you want it to, life won't always be wrapped up in a neat little bow in one final chapter; the characters' lives will continue on, even if the reader can't continue with them.

As a disclaimer: if you are in the mood for reading a fast-paced plot heavy book, then this isn't the one for you. However, if you are in the mood for an in-depth character study written in beautiful prose, then this is it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for sharing this digital e-ARC with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Ann Napolitano's Within Arm's Reach is now available wherever books are sold.

I didn’t realize this was written decades ago and went out of print. I can definitely now understand how Ann Napolitano grew to be the writer she is today. This story had a ton of potential, but the characters and story could have been developed a little more. I am a huge fan of her recently published work and will continue to read whatever she releases next.

Within Arm’s Reach was originally published in 2004. Naturally, readers want to read more of Napolitano’s backlist after so many loved Hello Beautiful last year. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end, which shows Napolitano’s dedication to her career as a writer. The author’s note also shares that her grandmother’s life story inspired the main character–so beautiful.

If you loved the family story aspect of Hello Beautiful, you will appreciate the family focus of Within Arm’s Reach. In this novel, the McLaughlins are an Irish-American Catholic family living in New Jersey in what seems to be the late 1990s.

The matriarch, Catharine–the 79-year-old grandmother of the family, has raised multiple children and suffered great loss in her life. In this story, Catharine begins to have visions of the past. She misses her parents, her husband, and the children she lost, and the reader can feel her heartache and the heaviness of her personal history. (Message me for trigger warnings)

This novel tugged at my heart within the first 5% of the story. I love Napolitano’s writing style and stories of motherhood and family.

The McLaughlins are a large family that only gets together once or twice a year, and the family members don’t feel that they have much in common. The novel explores how family members are forced into roles, due to gender and birth order and the past.

I truly enjoyed reading this novel because I felt connected to the characters. Within Arm’s Reach and Hello Beautiful are both 5 star reads for me, personally. I would love to read more family dramas written by Ann Napolitano.

This review is shared on Goodreads (Michelle Beginandendwithbooks) and Facebook and Instagram (@beginandendwithbooks).

Three generations of an Irish American family face life's challenges and their own history in this beautiful book. Ann Napolitano does family drama so well and I've always been deeply engrossed and invested in her stories. Past and present come together in this family, even if they don't themselves realize it. I definitely enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available April 30, 2024.

Prior to receiving this ARC, I heard that Ann Napolitano is an incredibly talented writer who creates such beautiful prose within her pages. After completing Within Arm's Reach (my first Napolitano read), I will say I can testify that is true. This novel explores the difficulty in the things we cannot say, something I am all too familiar with.
This story is told from 5 points of view. At first I had trouble keeping up as I was just getting to know the characters. But the family tree in the front of the book was super helpful. Within Arm's Reach touches on so many serious topics (for the sake of spoilers I won't get into ) that I feel are so important in being able to communicate and work around in a family dynamic.
Overall , this novel was great. I highly recommend it for a summer read. As I stated previously, this is my first Napolitano book, and I find I must go get Hello Beautiful or Dear Edward immediately!

Thank you to Random House, Net Galley and especially the brilliant, Ann Napolitano for the opportunity to read this ARC. I will need a copy for my shelf on release day.

This family drama is a reissue of Ann Napolitano’s first published book before Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. I was curious how I would like this one, considering how much I’ve loved her recent two, but her writing from over 20 years ago still shines through! As Ann writes in her author’s note, “I’m a different writer at fifty-one than I was at twenty-nine…But this is the best book I was able to write when I wrote it.”

It is told from many points of view from members of the McNamara family, which is going through grief, love, loss and lots of turmoil.
The matriarch Catherine has definite ideas how her family should be, daughter Kelly is trying not to appear angry despite not being happy with her life, and granddaughters Gracie and Lila are still trying to find themselves.

Napolitano is so good at making observations about parent-child and sibling dynamics. That already jumps from the page loud and clear in her debut novel. I’m so glad that this book gave her the confidence to continue writing.

I definitely recommend this novel to those who have enjoyed Napolitano’s novels. Thank you to #thedialpress and #NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6438226754?book_show_action=false

We follow three generations of an American Irish Family. From the matirach Catherine, her 6 living children, and 5 grandchildren. In the McLaughlin family no one shows emotion, complains, or acknowledges anything. As things start to change too quick to keep up with, many members of the family reach their breaking points, and must finally face things they have been putting off.

The writing in this book was stunning, and I think the author did such a great job of exploring different family dynamics. My major problem was that the characters were so flawed and real that i hated them all and could not root for any of them. This book relies heavily on your connection to the characters and their struggles, but I could not feel a kinship with any of them. While many characters grow throughout the novel it was a little late for me to root for them. Every character needed serious therapy. That being said it did not work for me, but it is a wonderful novel.

A family saga spanning 3 generations. This debut is about the trails and tribulations of life, what it means to be a women and what you would do for your family.
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I fell in love with Ann Napolitano after reading Hello Beautiful last year. I quickly read Dear Edward and realized she was an auto buy author for me. I can see why the success of these two books prompted her publisher to re release her debut. This book was equally as impressive. I loved the strength found within each of these characters. I love the family dynamics and Napolitano’s writing was as beautiful as always! Bravo!

3.5 stars
There is lots to love about this book and these characters and if you’ve read more recent books by the author you will delight in the similarities and applaud the growth her writing has seen. This is about families and people tying to do their best, but realizing that things get complicated and sometimes we don’t live up to expectations… but that’s ok, we can still have a beautiful, meaningful (if sometimes messy) life.

The premise of this book was promising. It was the execution of it that I’m like eh about.

I liked the family dynamic and the issues within the family. It felt realistic and I think a lot of people can relate to it. However, I don’t think there was a good conclusion? I feel like I read for nothing.

While yes it might seem like issues were “resolved” to Catherine, I wanted to see the after. Did Gracie marry Grayson? Did Lila and Weber ever work out? Did Louis ever find out about Kelly?

We are just left with little answers and I’m not a huge fan of that.

A good book, great build up but no explanation.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Happy pub day of the re-release of Ann Napolitano's debut novel "Within Arms Reach".


Thank you net galley and random house for the advanced reader copy of Ann Napolitano's debut novel "Within Arms Reach". I provided a review of "Hello Beautiful" which resulted in an email from the publisher inviting me to the re-release of her debut novel. 


If you loved "Hello Beautiful" you will most certainly enjoy "Within Arms Reach". Ms Napolitano has a certain knack for exploring all the characters feelings and experiences and then connecting and intertwining them. I love how she goes deep to show the inner battles of all 3 generations featured in the novel. It certainly gives me deep pause of the intentions and reasons for why various members of a family act the way they do. 


I don't ordinarily read the author notes but I was compelled to understand a bit more behind the book and Ms Napolitano's writing career.  I really enjoyed the notes and highly recommend that you read them as well. She summarizes her writing better, than I ever will, since I'm not a writer:


"But I think in my writing I’m always trying to unlock the people I grew up around, who often suffered terribly and did not speak of it. I want to write down their secrets, their hidden, fractured beauty, in the hope that I can set them free."


Kudos! I still need to read "Dear Edward"


#WithinArmsReach #NetGalley

I’m so glad this was republished! I’m a big fan of Ann Napolitano and wanted to read her backlist. This was her debut novel and what a debut. She’s the queen of family sagas that make your heart break and mend at the same time! This is no exception. I love how it focuses on the sisters as they grow from a tenuous relationship to a loving one. I can’t wait to read more from Ann.

I got about 40% into this book before deciding to DNF. I just read Hello Beautiful last not too long ago and loved it. Therefore, I can see way too many similarities in the characters.I do know this is the author's debut so technically these would come first. Also, there were way too many POVs and names being thrown around. It was hard to keep up with the story. I think the writing is good and the story seemed good. I just could not keep going.

I started reading this book before I knew it had been published previously. I thought some of the characters and storylines seemed a bit familiar, but I recently read Hello Beautiful by this same author - Ann Napolitano. After completing the story and reading the authors notes it all became clear. She sees the similarities as well!
Even though there are similarities between the two books, I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well! Big Irish Catholic family and lots of drama. But so much love. Good read - four stars! Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the digital ARC!

Within Arm's Reach is the debut novel by Ann Napolitano. I began reading this book with some trepidation, as I was an outlier and did not care for her book Hello Beautiful. However, I enjoyed this book about three generations of women of an Irish American family and those in their lives. There are a lot of characters in this book, and they all have a part to play.


Family can be messy, and this book shows the messiness of this family in all its glory. It also shows the complexities of the individual characters. Within Arm's Reach explores family dynamics, guilt, love, expectations, traditions, mental health, secrets, communication issues, and infidelity to name a few. I typically do not enjoy books which are on the slower side, but I enjoyed how this book meandered through the characters and their lives.

One thing that I appreciated about the book was the questions of what will bring the family together when the Matriarch of the family passes away. What will become of a family when the glue that holds them together is gone?

Many reviewers are mentioning the ending, and I must agree with them. When I read the last page, I thought "that's it?" and "this is how it ends?". The book ends leaving readers with bated breath. Was this on purpose to have readers wondering what was to come in the way that many of the characters were wondering what was to come next?

For me this was an enjoyable book. I enjoyed it, didn't love it, but found it a worthwhile read despite wanting more closure.

3.5 stars

While this was actually Napolitano's first novel, it is being reissued after the success of her two more recent books Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. Based somewhat on Napolitano's family, Within Arm's Reach follows a large multigenerational Irish family living in NJ. There is a family tree included so you can keep track of who everyone is - helpful since the book is narrated by various family members. The author's writing has definitely improved over the year's and this lacks a bit of the richness of her more recent books, but overall I still liked this one and appreciated a tale of family issues that we can all relate to - love, loss, sibling rivalry, mental health, parental relationships, self identity, guilt, etc. Plenty to discuss if you want to make this a book club choice.

Note: thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Dial Press Paperback for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest exchange.

I really liked this book. It dealt with a family and all the issues each one is facing. It is told through the perspective of grandma, mom, two sisters and the dad. I really enjoyed everyone’s point of view. The ending was a little sudden and I was heartbroken more over the questions I have. 3.5🌟

Today marks the re-release of this captivating and beautiful book centered around a big Irish family. Written two decades ago by Ann Napolitano, this book has resurfaced during her most recent success (she is also the author of Dear Edward, also a new Apple TV series). I wholeheartedly endorse this books, which unfolds through the perspectives of a traditional and vibrant Irish family.

Fans of Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful won’t want to miss the re-release of Ann Napolitano’s first book, Within Arm’s Reach. Lovers of complex family dramas like Mercury, The Connellys of County Down, and We are the Brennans are likely to enjoy this one too. Within Arm’s Reach tells the story of three generations of an Irish American family, told from the point of view of the matriarch Catherine, as well as several of her daughters and granddaughters and Catherine’s nurse Noreen.

I always enjoy seeing where authors “came from”, so it’s a treat to see the beginnings of Napolitano’s great talent and glimpses of her future brilliance. This is a poignant book with nuanced characters brought to life by lovely and evocative prose. I love the deft portrayal of “ordinary” characters… they are imperfect, flawed, and facing everyday problems and conflicting emotions. Themes of generational trauma, grief, loss, and second chances are handled with tenderness and care.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and The Dial Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.