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

Definitely worth your credit!

Would you listen to Beautiful Ruins again? Why?

Yes, the story is one of sadness and hope, reminding us not to waste even one moment of our life

Which character – as performed by Edoardo Ballerini – was your favorite?

Probably Pasquale as he had the most integrity and courage of all the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, although I found the beginning a little difficult to get through. However, the narrative is exceptional and quickly captures your imagination.

Any additional comments?

Definitely worth the listen!

Visit to Italy

The story brought me back to my visit to this part of Italy. Great characters and times.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Loved Beautiful Ruins

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

I have recommended this book to friends.

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

Finding out that Pasquale went back to find his first love and marry her and raise his family.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Eduardo Ballerini did a wonderful job of narrating. Except for the voice of Dee/Debra.

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

Pasquale was my favorite character. He had such beautiful dreams and a strong sense of responsibility.

Any additional comments?

Dee's son was a real disappointment.

Enjoyable!

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

Beautiful Ruins always had my attention. I was never bored.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved how each chapter took me to a different place and time or even a different book or play. You never knew where you would be next and that kept it exciting.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Absolutely loved the reader. Great job.

So beautiful it makes you ponder the title.

Yes it is a love story, in fact many different ones woven in the tale. So beautiful it makes you ponder the tittle. The characters are so well developed you wish you could meet these people. Some you want to put your arms around, and some you want to kick. The author transports us semlessly betwen the past history of the characters and present day.

must read

I am looking forward to hearing more from the author, Jess Walter, and the reader. transcending.

Feel good listen

I found this a very heartwarming story, with a lot of interwoven plots, which I love. Humor smattered about. But, the crown jewel was the narrator's command of accents, especially between Italian and American. He was in perfect command, and it added to an already compelling story.

Absolutely loved this book!

Jess Walter makes you care about these characters by masterfully introducing them, then going back to their full story while weaving the stories together. It takes place in coastal Italy, in Hollywood, in Seattle and Idaho with a quick trip to Great Britain. The way the story builds makes it hard to put down.

The reader of this book is more than that, he’s a performer. Loved the bits of Italian.

Unique international take on a complicated love story

Really enjoyed the dimensions to all characters in the novel and the plotline. Felt a few storylines with side characters could have been better organized within the chapters. It may be more clear with a physical book copy, but was slightly confusing audibly. Overall loved the book & the unique take on a complicated love story from Italy back to the U.S.

I’m so fussy, but I adored this book!

Beautiful story, impeccable narration by my favorite narrator, about to listen to it again! …and I’m very hard to please. Thank you Eduardo Ballerini for speaking directly to my soul once more. Thank you Jess Walter for all your research to create this piece of art.