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

One of the best narrations I've heard

I was laughing out loud, crying and enjoying every turn of this delightful story. If I could give the performance 10 stars, I would. His was easily the best narration of a novel I've ever heard, and I listen to a lot!

The plot was charming and kept my attention, but the structure of the novel was quite unique. I enjoyed the delivery of character perspective through various media. It reminded me a little of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and I tip my hat to writers who not only author the book, but who invent additional art within stories. It's an admirable talent.

I probably wouldn't have picked this one up had it not been for my book club, but I'm glad I did. And I would 100% recommend the audiobook over the printed word because the narration can't be beat!

A witty and charming story to always keep you guessing what happens next!

Love the adorable charm of Pascal and his dreams of life and love. Exciting views of Demore and what was gong to happen with her life and love. From present to her life with her son. With a surprise ending

YOU...MUST...READ...THIS.

This is one of the most beautiful and entertaining works I have read in a very long time. I had never heard of Jess Walter, but I sure will watch for him now. I had heard the voice(s) of Edoardo Balerini, reading Lou Berney's Gutshot Straight, and I loved the narration. Balerini's Italian is magical. The language just flows off his tongue with such gorgeous melodies and passages that you just want to visit Italy right now. The story itself is very complex (Braided is the author's word for the structure, and, duh, it is the perfect word.) The book follows the lives of a few Italians who live in a tiny village called Porto Vergogna, a place so small that it can only be reached by fishing boat. The other characters are Americans. Deborah Moore is a tall, beautiful actress who is sent to the town for spurious reasons. Rome is lit up by the filming of Cleopatra, and the world is lit up by the romance of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. Many other characters come into and out of the lives of the protagonists, and the book spans the time between 1962 and the present. The writing is extremely skillful. Several chapters are written in different voices, and Walter manages this feat beautifully. I loved this book without qualification. It is full of life, hope, sadness, genuine redemption and most of all, love. I cannot imagine an Audible reader not loving this book.

Beautiful Ruins....Beautiful Book

Fabulous narration, fabulous story. Very enjoyable. Ballerini's narration made you see the story play out, not hear it like it was being read to you. Jess Walter hit a home run with this one. You wont regret listening to this audiobook.

Captivating performance; entertaining story

The performance by Edoardo Ballerini really brought each character into focus and his voices captured not just their personalities and traits but the essence of each character. Pasquale is an excellent character - his journey and transformation and education is the most compelling. At times, a few of the chapters unnecessarily "recapped" what we already knew without adding much, but this is the only point where the story dragged. Perhaps a couple spots of predictability, but mostly in hindsight, making the overall experience of listening to Ballerini's performance enjoyable and something to look forward to when setting off on a long commute.

Literary dessert served by talented narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of Beautiful Ruins to be better than the print version?

The audio version was a better choice for me, given the dialogue and accent. Ballerini is so talented a narrator my kids thought throughout the book it was a cast of people telling the story. For this book, the audiobook is a better choice than the physical book.

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

Any of the parts set in 1962 were so lovely. I don't typically enjoy books that skip back and forth between times, but it was flawlessly done here.

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

Yes and no. I couldn't wait to listen to more, but I also enjoyed stretching it out and enjoying it over a longer period. One thing is for sure, when it was over I was so sad.

An unexpected delight

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

The narrator's ability to switch between voices and accents was amazing. I have a new appreciation for the narrators...they don't just read, they breathe life into the book! This particular reading was extraordinary.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pasquali was my favorite character. His love for Dee knew no bounds, yet his devotion to the woman with whom he had a child is admirable. Yet still, 4 or 5 decades later, he seeks out Dee; his love for her held fast through the years. That's what I call love!

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was where Pasquali went with Dee up to the ruins where she discovered the frescos. They created a little imaginary story about the artist, a German soldier, who did the painting. They imagined him marrying the beautiful girl in the painting...they were sure they got back together. The reality was revealed, but they never learned the truth.

If you could rename Beautiful Ruins, what would you call it?

I can't imagine a better name...Beautiful Ruins describes the book perfectly.

Any additional comments?

A gentle, tender romance without the lust of many novels. Pasquali's love was pure and unadulterated. Now Michael Deane was another story...

Just a beautiful book

Give this 30 minutes, (it starts a little slowly) and you will be hooked. A wonderful weaving of story lines, with a lot of humor thrown in. At times it reminded me of Carl Hiassen's work. I just LOVED this book - great recommendation from other readers!

Excellent!

This is the kind of book that for me is perfect to listen to than to read. It's multi-layered in characters, plot lines, and time. But listening to it was easy and very enjoyable. I thought the narration was also excellent. There was one plot line that was a little dull for me, but it was very minor. In general I really liked the Hollywood people making a movie in 1962 and revisiting some of them in the current time. I would recommend this one to others.

Terrific listen

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

Superb narration, excellent writing, lively story, poignant and humorous

Any additional comments?

Listened to this book while driving through Montana & Wyoming, and it made the trip fly by. This is truly one of the best books I've either read or listened to in years. Jess Walter is an excellent writer, and I can't think of enough superlatives to describe the narrator. He was outstanding, and his ability with accents was spot on. There were times while listening to Beautiful Ruins that my wife and I found ourselves belly laughing. Yet there were other times when we found ourselves reflecting on some of the insightful truisms Walter included in this telling of this wonderful story that we were discussing after the audio book had ended (too quickly, I might add.) This audio book is highly recommended.