From the Bookshelf of Read Between the Wines…

Beautiful Ruins

Jess Walter

Start date: April 1, 2013

Finish date: April 30, 2013

Discussion: Book Club Discussions

Why we're reading this: This book was nominated by Gary.
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Discussion: The Diary of a Young Girl
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last updated May 25, 2017 06:30AM

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What Members Thought

Oct 30, 2012 Jason rated it really liked it

Shelves: for-kindle, wine-club, reviewed

Preconcetti sventato ancora una volta!

Whoever designed the cover of this novel and came up with its title (because I refuse to believe either of these disasters were Jess Walter’s doing) must have had one thing in mind: make this book appear to be as much of a chick-lit beach read as possible. And yes, while there are certainly elements of the chick-lit beach read here—some tender relationships, a sprinkle of sentimentality, a romance or twelve—it would be highly unfair to categorize it as so, b Preconcetti sventato ancora una volta!

Whoever designed the cover of this novel and came up with its title (because I refuse to believe either of these disasters were Jess Walter’s doing) must have had one thing in mind: make this book appear to be as much of a chick-lit beach read as possible. And yes, while there are certainly elements of the chick-lit beach read here—some tender relationships, a sprinkle of sentimentality, a romance or twelve—it would be highly unfair to categorize it as so, because this book smashes that label to pieces and even transcends whichever other label one might try to apply to it. Beat that, labels!

Walter is a skilled writer. For such a short book with its surprisingly large cast of characters, including (believe it or not) Richard Burton, Walter manages to do draw out each of them fully and beautifully, flaws and all. Traversing from post-war Italy to modern-day Hollywood and back again, the plot is expertly constructed. Though it does, at times, meander into predictable territory, it never stays there long, and the care with which Walter crafts the relationships among his characters—whether it be between a mother and her son, a young man and his comrade, or a widow and her never-forgotten flame—is a care reminiscent of that shown by Krauss in The History of Love. In fact, I think both novels succeed on a similar level (besides shattering my preconceptions), which is to address the often competing themes of desire and responsibility, imagining the possibilities of a life-that-could-have-been while ultimately reconciling it with the life-that-is.

But also, yes. It is a love story:

And the robot loves his master, alien loves his saucer, Superman loves Lois, Lex, and Lana, Luke loves Leia (till he finds out she’s his sister), and the exorcist loves the demon even as he leaps out the window with it, in full soulful embrace, as Leo loves Kate and they both love the sinking ship, and the shark—God, the shark loves to eat, which is what the mafioso loves, too—eating and money and Paulie and omertà—the way the cowboy loves his horse, loves the corseted girl behind the piano bar, and sometimes loves the other cowboy, as the vampire loves night and neck, and the zombie—don’t even start with the zombie, sentimental fool; has anyone ever been more lovesick than a zombie, that pale, dull metaphor for love, all animal craving and lurching, outstretched arms, his very existence a sonnet about how much he wants those brains? This, too, is a love story.

And also, yes. Parts of it do take place on the Italian Riviera.

Get over it. ...more

236 likes · Like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Gary the Bookworm rated it really liked it

Beautiful Ruins is a revelation. It contains shimmering prose and a life-affirming message. Spanning 50 years and two continents, it asks some tough questions about how to define success and happiness in our media-driven, celebrity-obsessed culture. It artfully encompasses such disparate events as the filming of Cleopatra in the 1960's and the tragedy of the Donner Party over 100 years earlier. It skewers the modern entertainment industry for its preoccupation with ratings and admonishes u ...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Keryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: human-drama, humour, travel, romance

I loved this book! One of our Goodreads Book Club selections for earlier this year, it took me a while to get a copy, but it was worth the wait. It does help that I have wonderful memories of Italy and I so enjoy a well written book. NPR's Fresh Air describes it as "A literary miracle". Published in 2012 and set mostly in two storylines (Italy in the 1960's and USA in the present day), the characters are beautifully and sensitively woven together, keeping you hooked from the first page. The stor ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 23, 2014 Michelle Silvestri-Oetinger rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, audio

I enjoyed this love story set back in 1962 in Italy. The characters are either very likable or very unlikable. The ending is somep predictable but still enjoyable.

1 like · Like · see review