“At peace? Who but the insane would ever be at peace? What person who has enjoyed life could possibly think one is enough? Who could live even a day and not feel the sweet ache of regret?”
Or the sweet ache of turning the last page knowing that the story is over, and you need to go and live your real life.
Walter has a gift that I’ve seen in only a few authors. He has an ability to weave a story from a multitude of perspectives yet leave you as if you read it through the eyes of only one soul. Just breathtaking. I had to put the whole thing down and stare out the window until I felt the shock wear off and I could breathe again.
How did he do it?
Yes, I won’t say that it worked the entire time. From the start, it was really hard to tell where things were going to go. A bunch of characters are thrown in right at the beginning. We think it’s going to be from the perspective of a set few only to realize that their roles are more as background actors to the main stage. But if that wasn’t enough, we are thrown into new roles in the middle and must accept their part to be played. And to top it off, that one character, briefly mentioned now, plays a massive role though not told out as long as you would have liked.
Does this feel like a whirlwind yet, because it stays that way for the whole wild ride?
Hold on though, because when you get to the end and you see what Walter was trying - maybe sit with it for a while - the beauty of the story comes alive and you realize that you just witnessed a masterpiece.
“I think so, too. I know I felt that way. For years. It was as if I was a character in a movie and the real action was about to start at any minute. But I think some people wait forever, and only at the end of their lives do they realize that their life has happened while they were waiting for it to start.”
So at the start, we think the story is about all of these characters, but it really comes down to the two introduced from the start, Dee and Pasquale. Maybe I’m breaking my own rule of no spoilers, but I think this might help you to make it through. I don’t want you to suffer like I did sitting there and wanting more Claire but realizing that she just isn’t the one to make the real dramatic plays. Her character comes out more as background noise.
And there comes one of my biggest complaints. Why so much when the real story isn’t centered around every characters’ backstory? Do we really need to see Claire’s boyfriend drama played out, Alvis’s war wounds, or Shane’s ACT lifeline? Seeing it all done, I think the answer is yes. I feel the drift from the core components was the point. The idea of look, 50 odd years later and all of these lives are changed because of what happens, and, that in some way, we are all the same. All needing the same wakeup call.
Walter throws real life in your face. There aren’t happy endings. It’s messy and the decisions we make can’t always be easy and it just isn’t going to be a fairytale. The guy sometimes can’t get the girl but that doesn’t mean life still isn’t beautiful and fulfilling. Walter covers so many topics that at times it’s overwhelming. But that is life.
I read the reviews and they aren’t entirely the best. But, I get where people got lost. First off, the marketing department didn’t do the greatest job. It’s The Village all over again. You think you’re heading into a scary thriller only to discover there was always a way out, it’s just a sham. Beautiful Ruins goes through the same pains. Luckily, I read the genres and didn’t fall into the trap of cover and name. This is not a light summer read. This is hard, dirty, and may make you cry. That or throw the book in anger.
“His life was two lives now: the life he would have and the life he would forever wonder about.”
And, because I must always talk about craft at some point in my reviews, I’ll cover Walters stunning choice of words. I don’t know how he did it - and I think I can say something on this topic since I’ve been to the Italian coast and Rome - but each time I opened this book, I felt Italy coming back to me all over again. It was marvelous. Lifted from your seat, you’re set in the glittering waters before the Hotel of Adequate View. Turn the page and you can find yourself in the dark pillbox after a hike, sun catching the corner of a hand painted image. But, then in the next instance transported in time to the realities of current day show business.
Maybe this will make you read the book, maybe not. We all have things that touch our hearts and come at the right time in our life. I think this book was meant for me right now. I will give it 4 stars. Though I loved every moment, a few things rubbed me wrong. Walter went on a limb with some of his choices, but certain things like the book chapter and such just fell flat. If you do decide to read it, I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
Love Kait
Reading Challenge: 49/100