Within Arm's Reach

This re-release of the author's debut novel will be celebrated by all who love her recent popular books, Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. She is brilliant at telling family stories better left untold with multiple narrators, all admittedly based on her own experience. The McLaughlins are a clan of nine children, and the three who did not survive have a brutal impact on the surviving mother, father, other children, and grandchildren. Two of the girls, sisters Gracie and Lila, adore their Gram and dislike each other. Gracie enjoys meeting strangers in bars and Lila, a medical student, hates most contact with patients and with her own family. No one except Gram is easy to love, and she's living between the fantasy world of her youth and show more her troubled family. It sounds bleak, but only in spots; there's great humor and unusual situations to be savored, as well as a revealing author's note and reading group guide. A sheer immersive pleasure. show less

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 show more 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.
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There is no such thing as love without loss.
from Within Arm’s Reach by Ann Napolitano

After the success of her third novel Dear Edward, which my book club loved, and last year’s Hello Beautiful, which I recommended to the book club, we now can read Napolitano’s first novel. It is inspired by her own grandmother and family stories.

Catharine was determined that she would not leave behind a broken family. Each generation carried its scars into the next, each generation putting up barriers and hiding the truth.

Catherine had suffered so many losses– a husband, a daughter, the twins. She never got it right, failing each child. Her daughter Kelly is dealing with a husband broken by grief and guilt after his employee died on the job. He show more goes through the motions, but is totally closed off. Underneath her hard exterior, she is vulnerable and needy. Her daughters are struggling. Lila was a stellar student in med school, but does not have the patience to deal with real people. And Gracie’s wild life has resulted in pregnancy, and she is determined she will be a single mother. The only family who supports her is her Gram, Catherine, who sees the baby as a second chance for the family, a new generation; maybe this time they can get family right.

Each character tells her story in alternating chapters. This big, dysfunctional, Irish American family is filled with colorful characters struggling with relatable problems. It is a lovely read, compassionate and moving.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book. show less

Something magical happens when a family produces the next generation. I remember how it reinvigorated my family when my niece was born 30 years ago. This book captures the family dynamics of various generations before the birth.

Within Arm's Reach is the author's debut novel, and it is good if you like stories about large dysfunctional families. I look forward to reading her other novels, as they are highly rated, but this is a great effort for a first book.

There is an overwhelming amount of drama with this story of an Irish Catholic family. Ann Napolitano is known for bringing her characters to life and she gets the reader involved quickly.

Growing up in the 60s, I remember a lot of Catholic families to be large. It was no surprise that the mother, Catharine, in this book had nine pregnancies. Six children survived. Fortunately, Patrick McLaughlin, the father was a successful lawyer and gave his family the means for a good quality life.

After he passed, it was up to Catharine, the mother and grandmother, to hold her family together. She believed the key was to have gatherings during the year at holiday times. Multiple characters shared their secrets which kept me engaged with the story show more until the last part when it started to slow down. Let’s just say the sisters and adult grandchildren didn’t necessarily have text-book relationships. As I raced to discover how everything would be resolved, I found the ending to be not as expected.

My thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book with an expected release of April 30, 2024. show less

I loved Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful so I was thrilled to get an ARC of the reissue of Ann Napolitano's first novel, Within Arm's Reach. It was another excellent family drama. The characters were all very real and their relationships with each other were very believable. I was disappointed in the ending - I wanted a little more closure for each of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I loved every minute of this book. The people felt so real and relatable. Interesting to have three generations of a family, one of whom is aging and frail. So touching. You might need a handkerchief but you will feel like these characters are stepping off of the page and into your life.