In 1962, a local fisherman brings Dee Moray, a beautiful American actress, to Italy’s remote, rocky Porto Vergogna, a little village on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Kind, but naive Pasquale is flattered that while the actress waits for her boyfriend, she intends to stay at his Adequate View Hotel, an ancient building carved out of a stone hillside. Her unplanned visit changes the lives of the many characters in Beautiful Ruins, a novel by Jess Walter.
Beautiful Ruins interweaves incidents ranging from 1846, 1943, 1962, 2008, to present day, across continents from Italy to America to London. The novel doesn’t follow linear order, but loops back and forth as the story unfolds. You have to pay attention, not only to the time period, but for the various characters’ stories and how they relate to the whole.
Surprisingly, the 1962 period of the book includes famous actor Richard Burton, who is in Rome filming “Cleopatra.” Although the words mimic the real character, it is, after all, a novel.
As Beautiful Ruins toggles between time periods, the plot moves forward. The innovative story ranges from tragic moments to hilarious scenes. I thought the book smart and savvy. Being of linear nature, I kept trying to straighten out the time-line, but soon gave up and just sat back and enjoyed the story.
Mary, I agree, sometimes when authors move back and forth between time periods can be troublesome, but your suggestion to simply relax and enjoy is good advice.
This book, especially, changes time periods frequently. But the author does a good job of tying it all together.