Beautiful Ruins

By: Jess Walter

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Fiction and Best Solo Narration, 2013

The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying.

And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot - searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.

What unfolds is a dazzling, yet deeply human, roller coaster of a novel, spanning 50 years and nearly as many lives. From the lavish set of Cleopatra to the shabby revelry of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Walter introduces us to the tangled lives of a dozen unforgettable characters: the starstruck Italian innkeeper and his long-lost love; the heroically preserved producer who once brought them together and his idealistic young assistant; the army veteran turned fledgling novelist, and the rakish Richard Burton himself, whose appetites set the whole story in motion - along with the husbands and wives, lovers and dreamers, superstars and losers, who populate their world in the decades that follow.

Gloriously inventive, constantly surprising, Beautiful Ruins is a story of flawed yet fascinating people, navigating the rocky shores of their lives while clinging to their improbable dreams.

©2012 Jess Walter (P)2012 HarperCollins Publisher

Loved this story!

If you could sum up Beautiful Ruins in three words, what would they be?

Wonderful love story!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beautiful Ruins?

The description of the paintings in the caves.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

His fluent Italian and his spot on accent of an Italian speaking broken English.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end.

Any additional comments?

This story was very entertaining and made even more so by the narrator!

An enjoyable listen

What did you like best about this story?

The narration is excellent and the descriptive writing of the author come alive through this excellent performance. I had the privilege of visiting Rome and Edinburgh, two places mentioned in this book, so I could relate to certain parts of the story quite well. I also liked how so many of the characters stories were intertwined and developed throughout the novel.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Use of accent, dialect, expressive voice were all fantastic.

Any additional comments?

Although this book did not blow me away it is a worthwhile listen. As I said the performance of the Edoardo Ballerini, the beautiful setting of the book and the warm heartfelt story really do shine through.

I didn't want it to end!!

My favorite character was the beautiful, sensitive Pasquale. I took his feelings to heart ... he was such a good person. And I grew to love Cinque Terre, where I will be going in a few months. It's like, through the story, I knew it "when" ... before the tourism invasion, and I will see it through the eyes of Dee and Pasquale. Beautiful Ruins ~ a beautiful story!!!!

Delightful story and clever writing!

What did you love best about Beautiful Ruins?

The writing is very amusing - witty and clever. Interweaving the essence of small town Italian culture with the decadence of Hollywood provides a lot of opportunity for amusing encounters. The prose is delightful and the author deftly moves between the stories time sequences. This is one of those all too rare books that will make you smile, occasionally laugh out loud and also appreciate the sorrows of life and love.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beautiful Ruins?

About a third of the way through the book, the reader is given the opportunity to understand how all the stories are interconnected. Although this can be a very funny book, it feels bittersweet to sense the deep emotion and history of the characters.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

His narration and accents allows you to visualize the characters.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended - a delightful book.

So pleased I read Cindy's review

Cindy said it was the best mistake she ever read ... there was nothing about the Publishers Summary that pushed my buttons - but Cindy's comment jumped out ... and I purchased it. Love love love it. Can feel the warm water and the sun, and live with the characters. Well worth the credit.

Great Story

What did you love best about Beautiful Ruins?

The intertwining of all the stories

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Everything. He was an excellent narrator

If you could take any character from Beautiful Ruins out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Dee Mora -she seemed like she had the most depth to her

Utterly Wonderful

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This is not just a wonderful book, but a great marriage of narrator and story. Edoardo Ballerini brings life to Jess Walter's compelling and unforgettable characters. It's hard to believe a book can be so many things at once-- a critique on today's pop culture, a love letter to coastal Italy, a stirring homage to a time and place that are the stuff of modern legend, a story about the way we tell stories-- and accomplish it all in just a little over 300 pages. And yet, it never feels overstuffed.

What other book might you compare Beautiful Ruins to and why?

It's hard to say. I haven't encountered another book quite like this one. If you've read Walter's also excellent The Financial Lives of the Poets, you won't want to miss this one. The characters could be out of an early John Irving novel, the humor straight from Tom Perrotta, and the "inside showbiz" vibe right out of Nick Hornby's Funny Girl (albeit slightly more from the sidelines than in that book). But the truth is, this is a Jess Walter book all the way, a label which makes me more and more excited with every novel he writes.

Which scene was your favorite?

Honestly, every scene contributes to the narrative, tone, and characterization, but the final chapter is such a beautiful, moving summation of everything we've read so far, it stays in the mind long after. It is the closest thing I've encountered to a perfect chapter so far this year.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Don't be surprised if you find yourself unexpectedly tearing up or grinning at some points. Any book with this much life in it provokes a reaction.

Any additional comments?

Buy it. Read it. Love it. Seriously, Jess Walter has now officially graduated from being "one to watch" to "one to love."

Great Book!

This is a very entertaining book whose story covers many time periods and topics. This all fits together perfectly for the listener's pure enjoyment. I like to listen to a variety of types of books and this one is great for such a fun and inventive fictional journey. Have fun.

So glad I discovered this book!!

This audiobook has it all - storyline, characters, setting, but most especially, an amazing narrator.

Ah, how refreshing!

What made the experience of listening to Beautiful Ruins the most enjoyable?

The narration by Edoardo Ballerini was just amazing, he has a true gift and brought the story to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beautiful Ruins?

Finally, an ending worth raving about! Seems I have been in a lull with good, unpredictable and satisfying endings but this did not disappoint!!

Which scene was your favorite?

Visualizing Porto Vergogna, the author did a great job and the cover was very helpful too.