Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
It's 1962 and Pasquale has returned from his studies in Florence after his father's death to run the family business in the tiny village of PortaVergogna. His mother has put herself to bed mourning the loss of her husband so Pasquale is left to manage the Hotel Adequate View alone. One day a beautiful American actress arrives to stay at the secluded hotel and everything changes for him.
Dee Moray has been in Rome working on the film Cleopatra with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. When she gets sick, she's sent away for some rest and relaxation. Pasquale falls in love. Fast forward to the present day and an elderly Pasquale turns up at Michael Deane's office in Hollywood. Deane, as a young man, was sent by the studio to fix the disaster that the film had become. Pasquale remembers his name and logically comes to him looking for Dee.
Jess Walter writes with a funny, sarcastic tone that will keep you guessing. His ability to weave the past and present together is fantastic and his prose is full of lush descriptions. You will see the Italian cliffs of the fishing village in your mind and the picture will never leave you. And he has a very special way of wrapping it all up in a neat little bow at the end.
Beautiful Ruins is a tale of love lost and found yet not overly romantic. The reader is taken on a journey to a charming Italian seaside village, a road trip with a drunk Richard Burton at the wheel both intermingled with the glamour of Hollywood past and present. Certain scenes will have you laughing out loud and others will warm your heart. I think you'll love Beautiful Ruins.
It's 1962 and Pasquale has returned from his studies in Florence after his father's death to run the family business in the tiny village of PortaVergogna. His mother has put herself to bed mourning the loss of her husband so Pasquale is left to manage the Hotel Adequate View alone. One day a beautiful American actress arrives to stay at the secluded hotel and everything changes for him.
Dee Moray has been in Rome working on the film Cleopatra with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. When she gets sick, she's sent away for some rest and relaxation. Pasquale falls in love. Fast forward to the present day and an elderly Pasquale turns up at Michael Deane's office in Hollywood. Deane, as a young man, was sent by the studio to fix the disaster that the film had become. Pasquale remembers his name and logically comes to him looking for Dee.
Jess Walter writes with a funny, sarcastic tone that will keep you guessing. His ability to weave the past and present together is fantastic and his prose is full of lush descriptions. You will see the Italian cliffs of the fishing village in your mind and the picture will never leave you. And he has a very special way of wrapping it all up in a neat little bow at the end.
Beautiful Ruins is a tale of love lost and found yet not overly romantic. The reader is taken on a journey to a charming Italian seaside village, a road trip with a drunk Richard Burton at the wheel both intermingled with the glamour of Hollywood past and present. Certain scenes will have you laughing out loud and others will warm your heart. I think you'll love Beautiful Ruins.
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