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Beautiful Ruins  By  cover art

Beautiful Ruins

By: Jess Walter
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
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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

What listeners say about Beautiful Ruins

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    5,184
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    4,058
  • 3 Stars
    2,107
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Performance
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Story
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    4,538
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting story, beautifully acted!

Would you listen to Beautiful Ruins again? Why?

Yes, the story is poignant, funny and life affirming.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The hero was so likable and even though he is in late middle age later in the story, it really is a beautiful "late" coming of age story.

Have you listened to any of Edoardo Ballerini’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will look for more books he acts out.

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

Too many to mention, the pacing was perfect.

Any additional comments?

Probably our favorite audio book ever. You won't be disappointed and for the realist or the romantic, the book delivers. A beautiful story that mimics life in so many ways. Highly recommended!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

lovely story of tragedy and hope and movies

thought this book was much better than thec publisher's description and terribly lame cover make it out to be.

it's a great sweeping tragic yet hopeful story...jumping back and forth and all around through a 50 year period, over three countries, and quite a lot of characters.

the story surprised me with it's thoughtfulness, and well developed plot. the characters never quite surprised me with their uniquely devastating decisions. i really savored every word of this novel...and am so glad i didn't judge this book by its cover, as i would have passed it up and missed out on something quite wonderful.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It's all connected.

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

Very good read. I thought at first that there were several stories, but in the end they all turn out to be connected. Very enjoyable. Great short stories in and of themselves.

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

City of Dreams. (But don't bother with the abridged version, and there is no unabridged audio version, so read the book)

What does Edoardo Ballerini bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His recounting of the Donner Party. The descriptions of the battery emplacements in Italy left over from WWII. His stories about Richard Burton (true or not, you've got to believe that he really was like he was described)

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

I laughed a lot. Especially at the Italian innkeeper's attempt to make his village a tourist stop, complete with beach (which he tried to build) and a tennis court high on the cliffs above his inn.

Any additional comments?

Loved it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't put this down!

Where does Beautiful Ruins rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorite audiobooks of 2013! The story, narration, characters, story were all fantastic. I couldn't put it down yet didn't want it the story to end.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good, not great

I thought this was a good book, but it just didn't grab me the way it seems to have grabbed many others. I found some of the characters shallow and difficult to identify with, although the main guy was great.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ruins that should stay buried

What disappointed you about Beautiful Ruins?

The story line seemed to drag on for a very long time. Many of the chapters could have been edited and reduced. I felt like I would never get to the last hour.

What was most disappointing about Jess Walter’s story?

It was very depessing. It seemed realistic but just too depressing if you are looking for a novel to escape.

What does Edoardo Ballerini bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators ability to provide different accents and tone of voice for each character made it more like a dialogue or conversation instead of just reading aloud a text.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Having visited many of the cities mentioned in Italy, including Cinque Terre, I enjoyed hearing the description of the Italian landscape. I also enjoyed that different chapters focused on different characters and their perspective.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My first audio book

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

Didn't think I'd like being read to, but has made my commute almost bearable. The book was wonderful. Can't wait to find something new to hear.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Lots to keep up with

Any additional comments?

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this book is. The story jumps back and forth in time and there are a lot of characters to keep up with, but it was very engaging. Also, it is beautifully written. The descriptions of the Italian coastal community and exchanges between the characters of Pasquale and Dee, both young and old, were so explicit and heartfelt that I felt like I was there.

I did notice for the first time something that I enjoy with e-books/treaditional books that you can't get with audio books - the ability to highlight. There were quite a few passages that were so well written or that spoke to me that in written form I would have wanted to highlight. Unfortunately, ya can't do that with the audio book.

I highly recommend this one.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sneaks up on you

What did you love best about Beautiful Ruins?

Character development

What did you like best about this story?

The arrangement of the sequencing

What does Edoardo Ballerini bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wonderful reading

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

Nothing. The title is perfect

Any additional comments?

It draws you in and doesn't let go.

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