Beautiful Ruins

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Average customer rating 4.8 (18 comments)

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This is one of those books that has been near the top of my TBR list for over a year, but it kept getting pushed aside for other books. Then, I received a copy through one of my postal book clubs and had to read it...and I'm so thankful that I did. I have to admit that I was familiar with Jess Walter as a person, but not as an author before reading this. I listen to the podcast he does with Sherman Alexie and the two make a great pair. However, I couldn't quite picture the person from the podcast writing a story as chronicled in the summary. Luckily, it turns out that the man and the story merge perfectly. Reading this book felt like an extravagant vacation--the reader goes to Rome, to a small village on the Italian coastline, to Hollywood, to Idaho, to London and Edinburgh, and to Beaverton (although that last one probably doesn't fall into the "vacation" category!). Obviously, this book is all over the place--not just geographically, but also chronologically. I was worried about that, but it did work for me in this case. I was able to follow all the story lines without any problem. The characters are what really make this book work. I won't go into the specifics about each one (like story lines, characters abound here), but I will say that I found myself relating to all of them, including the one really unlikable (yet entertaining) character. Because there are so many people and story lines, Walter explores facets of the characters instead of developing the entire character. In another book, I would find this annoying. However, there is more than enough here so that Walter's approach is successful. All in all, this was a lovely and satisfying book, with something for every reader. I would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.

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Somewhere between the film "Cinema Paradiso" and the book "The Time Traveler's Wife" sits Jess Walter's "The Beautiful Ruins." The story switches between narratives to tell a tale mixed up in the good and the bad of Hollywood's golden age, a quiet corner on the coast of Italy, and other locales. In the end, "The Beautiful Ruins" is more than a romance - it's also got tragedy and long-delayed coming of age stories mixed into a tremendously satisfying mix.

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You know that feeling when you are nearing the end of an awesome book and it's like when you you are eating a perfect dessert? You try to make it last but then you just end up gobbling it all up. I absolutely loved this story...everything about it. The connections, turns of fate, bittersweet loves, humor, loss, comfort. All of humanity is wrapped up in this perfect novel.

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Remember Altman's _The Player_? This is better, not so inside-Hollywood-icky and involving more civilians, yet equally clear on the repercussions of the business of make-believe. I was disarmed by the characters' portrayals and how effectively the shifts in time/place worked. There are some hilarious insights on a whole range of things.

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I am glad that I did give this book a try. It has historical fiction elements that I love. It has great characters that are ripe for discussion at a book club. It is a book that's did not want to end. But end it did and I am still remembering the story and the characters and wishing it was not over. This book was a wonderful book about decisions made while young and the consequences to those decisions but it is primarily a book based on wonderful characters and the unexpected things that happen during life.

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This was the perfect lake house book. Charming and light with just enough thought to make it worth the hard cover read.

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We read this book for our book club book in December and I really clicked with it. It's been one of my favorite books of our 2012 reads. The book travels back and forth in time between early 1960's and current time and travels location-wise between Italy, Hollywood and the Northwest. I really clicked with the characters who are all imperfect and very human. There are many themes within the book but I would say the main theme, obviously alluded to in the title, is beauty and the effects of time on all that is beautiful. I found the book well-written homage to moments and the lasting effects of momentary decisions. The book could have been too sad to read but the author stabilized it with humor and a sense of hope.

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Richard Burton, the coast of Italy, and the Pacific Northwest in one book? Interconnected stories and locations, real and imaginary people, woven together in a manner which tantalizes the senses. Yes, it works.

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I loved this book.

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This is a beautifully written, multi-layered book that I have added to my all-time favorite list. With so many diverse characters and Richard Burton?!? A fun read.

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I loved this story about love, life, responsibilities, and how sometimes those intersect in an amazing way. I could not put the book down and after I finished, I re-read it for the beauty of the language.

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This book is a must-read!!!

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Beautiful Ruins was the single best novel I read in 2012. The chapters go back and forth between characters building an interesting puzzle. The last two or three chapters come together in the best possible way. It made me go out in search of Walter's other books, and now, three books later, I've yet to be disappointed.

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A brilliant and moving study of the flip side of the American dream.

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A wonderful, warm novel that had the perfect ending.

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My favorite read of 2012 is definitely "Beautiful Ruins". LOVED it. The pacing is quick without sacrificing the emotional resonance of the work. Several of the characters, especially, Dee/Deborah, Alvis, and Pasquale, will stay with me for a long time. Bravo, Mr. Walter, with thanks for a wonderful reading experience.

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This book is wildly entertaining, yet still poignant and philosophical.

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Jess Walter has cobbled together a number of plots in the past and present to produce a very creative work of fiction. And he even threw in Richard Burton.