This Place of Wonder

A Novel

By: Barbara O'Neal

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo, Amy Landon, Alaska Jackson

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In the wake of a personal tragedy, four women face the past, their futures, and each other in a novel of broken ties and healing by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

When famed chef Augustus Beauvais dies, he leaves behind a celebrated reputation—and four women grappling with loss, anger, pain, and the question of how the world will turn without him...

Meadow, the ex-wife with whom Augustus built an empire—and a family—still holds a place for him in her heart, even as she continues to struggle with his infidelities, which ended their twenty-year marriage. More unforgiving is Maya, his estranged daughter, who’s recently out of rehab but finally ready to reclaim her life. Norah, his latest girlfriend, sidelined her own career for unexpected love and a life of luxury, both of which are now gone with Augustus. And then there’s Rory, Meadow’s daughter, the voice of calm and reason in a chorus of discontent.

As Meadow, Maya, Norah, and Rory are flung together by tragedy, grief, and secrets yet to be revealed, they must accept—or turn away from—the legacy of great intentions and bad decisions Augustus left them. And when the circumstances around his death are called into question, their conflicted feelings become even more complicated. But moving forward is the only choice they have, and to do so, they’ll need to rely on family, friendship, and inner strength.

Set on the stunning, rugged California coastline, This Place of Wonder is an emotional, lush, and empowering story of four women finding their way in a changed world—and what a wondrous journey it will be.

©2022 Barbara Samuel. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Kristin Hannah readers will thoroughly enjoy the family dynamic, especially the mother-daughter relationships.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Barbara O’Neal’s latest novel is simply delicious. Engrossing, empathetic, and profoundly moving, I savored every sentence of this story of several very different women who find solace and second chances in each other after tragedy (though not before facing some hard truths and, yes, a few rock bottoms). This Place of Wonder is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.”—Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Everything Must Go

“This Place of Wonder is a wonderfully moving tale about four women whose journeys are all connected by one shared love: some are romantic, some are familial, but all are deeply complicated. Dealing with loss, love, hidden secrets, and second chances, this stirring tale is utterly engaging and ultimately hopeful. Set along the rugged California coastline, This Place of Wonder will sweep you away with the intoxicating scents, bold flavors, and sweeping views of the region and transport you to a world you won’t be in any hurry to leave.”—Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author

best book I've read in a long time

mesmerizing. honestly I sobbed through the whole last chapter. so beautiful. and honest. highly recommend.

Great story

The story of Augustus and his women was hard to put down. I was done in two days!

Good book

This was a very enjoyable read. I would highly recommend to anyone I would review more books if they didn’t have this foolish word count

Draws you in immediately!

What a compelling story of family, secrets, love and coming together!
I enjoyed each of the main characters and didn't want the story to end!
Great for a road trip!

Beautiful story

Beautiful story of acceptance and redemption or maybe just survival. Performance was excellent. Worth the time if you have time to think about it afterwards, because you will be thinking about it.

Kept me interested

It was anticlimactic but I enjoyed the characters and the story was good. I would recommend it to read.

Good book

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narration was great. The story flowed for me. I have listened to a few of Barbara O'Neal's books. I haven't been disappointed yet.

Good

Narration and the content is good. I enjoyed the book. As the progression of reading advances the inquisitiveness too is enhanced

Good story and great narrators

I had a hard time rating this book because it brought up some painful memories. There’s a tragic death and addiction content which hits home with me. I then realized that the author did a great job writing about the grief that people feel after someone they deeply love dies. She also hit the nail on the head with what addiction looks and feels like. The narrators pulled me into the characters and I felt very emotion they described as the character. Wow!

Most enjoyable

I recommend this book. the narration kept me interested. I's full of all the usual ups and downs that happen in all our lives. in the end it's how we handle them that make the difference.