The White Palazzo
Coffee House Press, 2002
I wanted to write a love story and this is it. I was inspired by a real-life falling in love situation I knew about, and observed, between an older woman and a younger one: it took them by surprise, and that for me was the starting point of my story, which ended up being influenced by the small Massachusetts town where I grew up, my own Italian-American relatives, and my fascination with folk and fairy tales–plus my lifelong impulse to create independent female characters who are strong in spirit and uninterested in following any sort of role definition they didn’t come up with themselves. I loved writing this novel. In fact, it’s a sort of ancestor to A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies, not in terms of plot or people, but in terms of imagination, adventure, and comedy mixed with tough things to handle.
Praise & Reviews
“Tara Barlow has every aspect of her life planned down to the slightest detail, including her upcoming wedding. But when her chosen site for the nuptials burns to the ground four days before the big day, Tara hops into her Mustang and takes off for parts unknown. (‘I’ll go west, she decided. I’ll go west like the setting sun.’), leaving behind no clue to her whereabouts. The book’s viewpoint switches to that of Guida Santucci, the local psychic who is hired to track her down (‘I was Italian, and I was Catholic, and I was fat. And one day, it was raining,’ begins Guida’s narrative about the discovery of her oracular powers. Guida does manage to find Tara, although it’s through old-fashioned detective work. To the amazement of the 24-year-old Tara and the 53-year-old Guida, a strong mutual attraction immediately develops. The affair is sweetly rendered, and their dizzy interior lives possess a whimsical charm.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The White Palazzo by Ellen Cooney is a superbly crafted novel of two women who discover one another in a journey that leads to love, abiding faith in one another, and a free-spirited road trip that opens the soul…A poignant reflection on destiny, and a unique, enthralling reading experience.”
—Library Bookwatch