Another wonderful book by Jess Walter! Like no other author Jess Walter can describe normal, middle-aged people who have somehow let their lives slipped by and still make it an extraordiary reading experice. Beautiful Ruins is just such a book. Through several parallell stories we get to know people, their past and present, what they wish their lives to be, and what they have actually become. This really shouldn't make for a good reading, but it does, and even thinking back on the book now, it gives me a warm, glowing feeling of happiness with my own, very ordinary, middle-aged life. Though everything is not perfect, there are certainly some things that are very good! Heartily recommended!