Tara Barlow made a list of what to do next, and four things were on it:

                                      Quit my job!
                                      Leave Mom and Dad a goodbye note!
                                      Pick somewhere to go!
                                      Cancel the real estate!

     She was not in shock although it seemed so. She knew she wasn’t in shock because people in shock have glazed-over eyes and feel stupefied. Her eyes were wide open.

Buy in Maine:

    “Tara Barlow, a young, small-town employment agency scout, and Guida Santucci, the local professional psychic, have always done things their own way. The last thing they expect to do is fall in love, but Fate has other plans, and their attraction to each other is like a force of nature, like gravity. The White Palazzo is part romance, part road novel, part investigation into the nature of love, and fully a free-spirited comedy, with all sorts of vivid characters, including a car.” From the jacket

    “When you’re done with The White Palazzo, you will feel as if Tara Barlow and Guida Santucci are from your hometown, you’ve known them for years, and you’d invite them to your house for dinner. That’s how real they are...Cooney’s vivid imagination, delightfully unpredictable metaphors and colorful phrases make this ride eminently worthwhile.” Lambda Book Report

    “Ellen Cooney has written a hilarious book about two women falling in love without any previous understanding that they were attracted to women. As the back cover says, ‘Sometimes you don’t come out; you just fall in love.’ This is a light-hearted and touching story, without the heavy overtones or angst that accompany many books dealing with gay themes.” New Pages Book Reviews

    “The White Palazzo by Ellen Cooney is a superbly crafted novel of two women who discover one another in a journey that leads to lesbian love, abiding faith in one another, and a free-spirited road trip that opens the soul...A poignant reflection on destiny, The White Palazzo offers a unique and enthralling reading experience.” Library Bookwatch

    “Tara Barlow is a young Massachusetts woman who 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