Shadows of Blue Hydrangeas

Shadows of Blue Hydrangeas

A gripping historic saga based on the author's Portuguese ancestors. The settings and events are historically accurate while the narrative is fictional. An Azorean family leaves the poverty stricken Island of São Jorge in 1877 and emigrates to California. They join their Portuguese relatives in San Rafael, Marin County, California and their tumultuous family history unfolds.
Captains Morais and Bettencourt establish a maritime hauling service on the San Francisco Bay. Beautiful, headstrong, Frances, marries at age 14, has four children, separates from her philandering husband at age 21 much to the disapproval of her mother and the Catholic Church. To support herself, her children, widowed mother and two sisters, she starts a family millinery business. When this enterprise dies she becomes a stewardess for transpacific steamships. Her youngest son, Rafael, is a precocious artistic genius who successfully enters the San Francisco art world. His homosexual lifestyle leads to a traumatic climax. The story provides historical facts and background as the family copes with a new culture, family discourse, courtroom dramas, a murder, personal tragedies and triumphs, scandalous steamship tales, prejudice, and art achievements. Azorean customs and folklore are integrated throughout the story.

The author is currently living in Portland, Oregon. She is a fourth generation Californian, graduated with a BA from the University of California at Berkeley, obtained a MS Degree from California Lutheran University and a Doctor of Education from Brigham Young University. She worked in Special Education as a teacher, administrator and a school psychologist until retirement. A three-year tour with the Department of Defense was spent on Terceira Island, Azores, which allowed the author to reconnect with her Azorean roots. Her hobbies center on gardening and a passion for family history research.