"Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter

Cinque Terre are five picturesque stuck to the rocky coast villages northwest of La Spezia on the Italian Riviera. Today they are National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site flooded by tourists, including countless young Americans looking for romantic Italy . Until 1874, the sites were accessible only over water or rocky, steep paths through the bush; then built to an adventurous railway line from Genoa to La Spezia, which each place gave a tiny station, wedged between tunnels, stairs, galleries, surf – the boom could begin.

But until the sixties, seventies the area remained a secret for fans of simple, brittle originality, fresh fish and reckless walking.

As the plot begins the novel “Beautiful Ruins” bought Carlo Tursi after the war, a run-down, . disreputable Trattoria with six rooms to turn it into a boarding house when he died in 1962, he leaves his son Pasquale, 21, next to the simple building including visions two capricious up crazy old women. its one side paralyzed widow Antonia and Zia Valeria Pasquale would no true-blue Italians if he did not anything for the family; he is studying and lover (Amadea) in Florence on to loving responsibility for the ” due streghe ” (the two witches) and the legacy of to take over father.

Soon dream t Pasquale an avant-garde American Dream . Although great renovations have so far yet to materialize at the house, a beach must be found and a tennis court – for the wealthy’s forthcoming American. Once again piles up During Pasquale in the surf rocks for its infrastructure and the laughing stock of the villagers.

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must bear ends up – surprise, surprise! – a fishing boat, is a stunning blonde beauty. Friend Orenzio helps her ashore, bringing her luggage and present them Pasquale before: ” La bella ” is “beautiful America,” he radebrecht Dee Moray, 22. breaks rather than the hoped-for overseas tourism going on, but Hollywood chaos in.

Dee has a small role in the epic film “Cleopatra”, the 20th Century Fox is filming in Rome , The media can not be superstars Richard Burton and Liz Taylor out of sight – a hype that is the production company only right, because the most expensive movie of all time driving them to the brink of ruin. Since it is very inconvenient that Burton has nibbled the little Dee, and not without consequences.

But PR manager Michael Deane dike rare that thing already in his own way. Dees symptoms are declared as stomach cancer, is to be removed in Switzerland after Dee has relaxed a few days at a luxury hotel in Porto Venere. By mistake but it lands in Porto Vergogna in Pasquale’s “Hotel for adequate views” and lives there three eventful days. Pasquale falls in love with Dee; the perfidious misdiagnosis flies on; Richard Burton travels to including Michael Deane, to smooth the waves; Zia Valeria chases the two with a curse from the house. The end of the first part.

Fifty years later (2008) makes Pasquale on the long journey to California to investigate to its never gone true love. All he has is Michael Deane’s business card. Now it is only turbulent properly. Deane spares no expense or effort, hires a detective, Dee does finally locate.

In addition to this procedure, Walter is also working on what has been done over the fifty years since 1962 everything. Pasquale versa ruefully back to Amadea; they get married and have four children An annual arrival Direction American WW II veteran is not able to bring his war memories on paper. He comes on the chapter “The Smile of Heaven” not excessive. Michael Deane includes four marriages, can repeat his face lift, until it no longer suits his washed-up base, has missed long connection and overview in the film business and is reflected by by chasing trends that he does not understand.

Dee Moray now called Debra Moore and operates a small community theater in Seattle. Dees (and Richard Burton’s) son Pat was not a very good student, took drugs, caused a car accident, barnstorming through Europe, to get his life under control. the film industry has lost its glamor and flattened in series production and superficiality. Walters concern is obviously also playing with different media and forms of representation. In addition to various literary devices, it integrates those of film, theater, music. He leads us into the midst of the work on “Cleopatra”, but also sheds light on the celebrity hype and its background.

As interesting and colorful this is all Jess Walter as I wish but far too much in his Schmöker packed. Although it retains all the strings in his hands, all the leads together somehow weaves the end even briefly on what happens to the characters that way.

But many seem simply superfluous me how the whole melodramatic is plotline to Pat, the readers on top of that expected in duplicate (in narrated form and as a stage play “front man”, reduced to a bed scene, unfaithful in Pat, is caught while learns that his mother ill with cancer and will die soon … Targets colorful round). and vibrant designed muddle perhaps his part in an entertaining Hollywood version?

Successful phrases like “life arises only from the power of imagination.” or “Some people wait forever, and only at the end of their lives they realize that it is passed while they were waiting for it to begin.” gain in more concentrated novels significance; but here they go smoothly through the maelstrom of events. Who it does not bother and aligns with occasional trips to content lowlands, Kitsch, lard and Boulevard, will spend untroubled, intimate quality time with “Beautiful Ruins”.