Beautiful Ruins

by Jess Walter

Alright readers, I'm sorry for my prolonged absence! I must now make up for lost time by giving you mere sentences on books which are deserving of much more praise! Including Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. This book had been featured in all the bookstores for some time, and I finally got my hands on a paperback copy. P.S. If you didn't know, reading 50 books in a year can be expensive. Thank goodness for paperback and the library! (Don't you dare tell me I should switch to an e-reader. We will have words.)

This book is crafted beautifully. Walter is a master storyteller, weaving the lives of many people in different times together. There are many characters to follow, but the story itself is easy to understand and somehow it all comes together!  I actually finished reading this book in May, and have thought of it many times since then. He incorporates old Hollywood glamor, the Italian coastline, disillusionment after the war and interpersonal drama in an epic story that begins in the early 1960's and comes to a close in modern day. The characters are all well developed, their motivations are clear, and they stay with you even after you close the pages of this masterpiece. Two thumbs way, way up.