From award-winning author Jess Walter, is the novel Beautiful Ruins, an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962. Walter brings awareness to each of his characters’ lifestyles and emotions; their dreams and ambitions. The novel alternates time periods, telling the story of the lives of five separate, primary characters, all of whom interact with the others in unique and fascinating ways. Beautiful Ruins is both intriguing and captivating, as Walter’s characters’ story arcs reflect one of the main themes of the book: the ways in which dreams of happiness change over time. Two of the primary characters in Beautiful Ruins, who face troubles and dying ambitions, include Pasquale Tursi, a hometown soul, and Michael Dean, a big-time, Hollywood producer. Walter shows readers how uncomplicated it can be for people 's dreams and aspirations to change or diminish. The author also shares the characters’ frustrations when obstacles block their hopes of success. Jess Walter provides readers with a curious and beneficial insight into each characters’ background. Through the characters Pasquale and Michael, Jess Walters offers the audience of Beautiful Ruins with the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of the theme: the ways in which dreams of happiness change over time and why. Pasquale Tursi is a young man who has returned to his hometown Porto Vergogna to care for and become more acquainted with his elderly mother after the death of his