Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins
tells the interwoven stories of many realistic characters across several
decades and continents. First we're introduced to Pasquale, the young and
hopeful proprietor of a run-down hotel in a sleepy Italian fishing
village. From there we meet Dee, the beautiful American actress who
arrives in the village on a boat, like his dream come true, fresh from the set
of the 1963 film Cleopatra. The stories of these characters spin off into
those of their friends, relatives, and foes, exploring the reasons and
consequences for the choices they make. Each chapter has a unique narration
to reveal more about the characters' paths in life, sometimes even an
unconventional one like a screenplay excerpt or a fictitious manuscript
chapter. When aged Pasquale show up to a Hollywood production company in
the present day to try to track Dee down through past acquaintances, we get to
ride along with the people and events that led them to where they are today.
The cast of characters defining their lives for the past 50 years makes this
novel difficult to put down.
Recommended for Young Adults and
Adults
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