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. Hailed by critics and loved by readers of literary and historical fiction, Beautiful Ruins is the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962…and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later.

Beautiful Ruins: A Novel by Jess Walter is a captivating story that takes place in the Italian coastal town of Porto Vergogna. The novel follows the lives of several characters, including Pasquale Tursi, a young man who dreams of transforming his small hotel into a luxurious resort, and Dee Moray, a beautiful American actress who arrives in Porto Vergogna to film a movie. As their lives intersect, the characters face love, loss, and the challenges of pursuing their dreams. With its vivid descriptions of the Italian landscape and its engaging characters, Beautiful Ruins: A Novel is a must-read for fans of literary fiction.