Book Review | Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Beautiful Ruins is a tale with many twists and turns and shifting perspectives between intertwining characters. Spanning over five decades, we connect the dots as this love story unfolds.
It's 1962; nestled among the rugged and secluded Italian Coastline sits a tiny village called Porto Vergogna. Accessible only by boat, this is about as remote as it gets for young Inn-owner Pasquale. A handsome man full of wonder and wit, Pasquale is soon to fall head over heels with the beautiful blonde approaching on the horizon. Dee Moray, an American actress, enters the scene in the hopes of spending a few nights at his inn.
Meanwhile, in the height of the '60s, Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Burton are filming for Cleopatra. However, the real glory lies in their scandalous love affair. Hollywood producer Michael Deane goes to all lengths to hype the scandal, sure that this, rather than the film itself, will lead him to fortune and fame.
Fast forward 50 years, we meet Claire, assistant to the present-day Michael Deane and the first port of call for hopeful filmmakers. To pitch to Deane, you must pitch to Claire first. She's just about had it up to here with the hopeless film wannabees until one day an elderly man turns up desperate to speak to her boss. Claire realizes this is not a business-related matter, but personal, as a hopeful gent wishes to rekindle an old flame from his unruly youth. Only Deane can help him on this quest, and throughout the book, we tag along for the ride.
It was the writing in this book which I enjoyed the most. Rich with beautiful prose, I felt like I was reading this story whilst comfortably lounging among the picturesque cliffs in Cinque Terre. Out of all the characters we meet, I liked Pasquale the most. His endearing manner, broken English, and of course, his outlook on life – hopeful, optimistic, and inspired. Among the many hopes and dreams the young Italian man had, I really wanted him to build that darn cliffside tennis court as much as he did.
So yes, the writing was lovely; however, I did not fall in love with this book as much as I wanted to. This was mainly due to the difficulty in keeping up with the back and forth nature of the plot. The story to's and fro's to the extent that at times I felt genuinely confused as to what year we were in and what exactly was supposed to be happening next. While all the protagonists eventually link up, a multitude of peripheral characters add some challenging extra twists and turns to an already busy book.
If you enjoy a book with plenty of characters and a plot to keep you on your toes, then this could be a real gem for you. Though I increasingly lacked patience for this sort of jumpy style, maybe it's a case of the right read at the wrong time.
While I only rate this book 3 out of 5 stars, I am committed to reading some other books by Jess Walter. Beautiful Ruins proves that he can write well, creating likeable characters and charming settings, so I have hopes for some of his other material.