Set against the backdrop of the romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during the filming of the multi-million dollar movie, Cleopatra, Beautiful Ruins is a grand story about how situations affect people by either spiraling out of control or being redirected. Do events control people or do people become the masters of their fate to ensure a happy and satisfactory life?
These quotes from the author describe the direction of the story:
“His life was two lives now; the life he would have and the life he would forever wonder about.” ...
“Sometimes what we want to do and what we must do are not the same, Pasquale. The smaller the space between your desire and what is right, the happier you will be.”
The author neatly ties up all loose ends at the conclusion of the book which group members wholeheartedly appreciated. It was easy to see whose life was on the right track and whose life was ruined. The book discussion elicited many personal connections to the characters' stories and general enjoyment of the book
The description of the Adequate View seemed realistic, and the group would have been happy to visit the cliffside hotel and meet Pasquale, his mother, and his aunt.
