Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jun 2012
352 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
The acclaimed, award-winning author of the national bestseller The Financial Lives of the Poets returns with his funniest, most romantic, and most purely enjoyable novel yet: the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962 ... and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later.
"Any reservations the reader might have about another book about Hollywood, about selling one's soul (or someone else's, and pocketing the change) will probably be swept aside by this high-wire feat of bravura storytelling. Walter is a talented and original writer." - Helen Shulman, New York Times
"I have weeks, as a book reviewer...when it seems like every new book is a riff on Jane Austen, or a young adult vampire/warrior, shape-shifter fantasy, or yet another homage to dead dogs. And then a literary miracle like Beautiful Ruins appears, and once again I'm a believer." - Maureen Corrigan, NPR
"Beautiful Ruins is first-rate storytelling. It is a novel filled with delightful humor, wit and scathing sarcasm for Hollywood and its "industry." Some of it is hilarious, and some touching and genuinely moving. It is profound and frivolous, poignant and zany. It's a fine piece of writing and great fun to read." - Corinna Lothar, The Washington Times
"Well-constructed…quirky and entertaining tale of greed, treachery, and love." - Publishers Weekly
"Why mince words? Beautiful Ruins is an absolute masterpiece." - Richard Russo
"This is a blockbuster, with romance, majesty, comedy, smarts, and a cast of thousands. There's lights, there's camera, there's action. If you want anything more from a novel than Jess Walter gives you in Beautiful Ruins, you're getting thrown out of the theater." - Daniel Handler, author of Why We Broke Up and creator of Lemony Snicket
This information about Beautiful Ruins was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jess Walter is the author of eight books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller, Beautiful Ruins; The Zero, finalist for the National Book Award; and Citizen Vince, winner of the Edgar Award. His work has been published in 32 languages and his short fiction has appeared three times in Best American Short Stories.
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