Patricia S. (lucky7) reviewed on 1/16/2010

Helpful Score: 2

"Restoring the sixteenth-century Gwydir Castle" on the back of this book caught my interest as I've so enjoyed reading Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh HF books. There's a "romantic aura" to the idea of actually buying and restoring a "crumbling old stone mansion". Also, it brought back memories of my first house that required a significant amount of remodeling. Although my husband and I did knock down a wall with sledge hammers and do most of the other work ourselves it in no way compared to this historical undertaking (we're talking about 40 rooms here). I mention this only because if you've done some DIY projects, you'll be amazed at their accomplishment. In America, I've no doubt these "ruins" would have been razed decades (if not centuries) ago, such was the disrepair.
In northern Wales, this young couple faced squatters, bats, and rodents. They found skeletons, reported ghosts, and met some incredible challenges from nature. There were chapters where I thought, "this is where I would have bailed out". Judy Corbett writes her narrative as if she's sitting opposite you sharing a cup of tea. Every component of the restoration is fascinating. Her description of bone-chilling damp cold had me pulling up the comforter and I felt her exhaustion after 18-hour days of toil and grit. There's humor when fund raising needs bring paying visitors, the suspense of a surprising deal with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and even a sojourn with royalty. I'm glad she decided to share the "adventure". One negative...I craved more detail, most chapters were disappointingly too short.
The plus... they have a website describing the rooms they rent, weddings they host, and a general history of the former occupants.

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