July 22, 2011

Fade to Blue and Hearst Castle

I just finished reading "Fade to Blue" by Julie Carobini.  I really enjoyed this book. It's set on the coast of California with the back drop of Hearst Castle. Suz, a single mom, lives in the small seaside town of Otter Bay and restores artifacts for the castle.

She is divorced and unexpectedly runs into an old flame, but when her ex comes back into the picture, after being released from jail and claiming to have changed, she has some hard choices to make.

The author deals with these delicate issues very well and also did a wonderful job with all the details in this book. I loved the way she describes this little town, the castle, and the landscape around it. It brought back memories.

About five years ago my husband and I took our kids to Hearst Castle on one of our family vacations. I remember it was a hot August day and the long  bus ride up the hill (with no air conditioning) was hard on them. Once we got to the top, the first thing we saw was the inviting Neptune pool and we all literally wanted to jump in!

There is so much to take in at the castle, its overwhelming, especially if you are interested in history and art. You could spend all day in just one room learning the history of each piece of furniture and each piece of art.

And oh what a view! I could sit up there on the balcony reading a book all day. :) Here are a few pictures of my favorite places on... "The Enchanted Hill"












5 comments:

  1. Wow! With your review and pictures, I not only want to read the book but visit there!

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  2. I agree with Susan: wow! Sounds like a good book, and I just love the pictures you included! How neat that you've been to Hearst Castle--sounds like a wonderful place to visit. :)

    ~Amber

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  3. Susan and Amber - It's a beautiful place and the book was a great summer read! :)

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  4. I haven't read Julie's book, but THANK YOU for sharing those gorgeous pictures! What an amazing place to visit! (And thanks for visiting my blog too!)

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  5. Ruth - thanks for stopping by! Thought your review on Captain America was very good. I took my kids to the movie last night and really enjoyed it! :)

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Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments. I try to respond to all of them by the end of the week. : )