The All You Can Dream Buffet

A Novel

De: Barbara O'Neal

Narrado por: Joyce Bean

Barbara O’Neal’s novel of food, friendship, and the freedom to grow your dreams brings together four very different women longing to savor the true taste of happiness. Popular blogger and foodie queen Lavender Wills reigns over Lavender Honey Farms, a serene slice of organic heaven nestled in Oregon wine country. Lavender is determined to keep her legacy from falling into the profit-driven hands of uncaring relatives, and she wants an heir to sustain her life’s work after she’s gone. So she invites her three closest online friends - fellow food bloggers, women of varied ages and backgrounds - out to her farm. She hopes to choose one of them to inherit it - but who? There’s Ginny, the freckle-faced Kansas cake baker whose online writing is about to lead her out of a broken marriage and into a world of sensual delights. And Ruby, young, pregnant, devoted to the organic movement, who’s looking for roots - and the perfect recipe to heal a shattered heart. Finally, Val, smart and sophisticated, a wine enthusiast who needs a fresh start for her teenage daughter after tragedy has rocked their lives. Coming together will change the Foodie Four in ways they could never have imagined, uniting them in love and a common purpose. As they realize that life doesn’t always offer a perfect recipe for happiness, they also discover that the moments worth savoring are flavored with some tears, a few surprises, and generous helpings of joy.

©2014 Barbara Samuel (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Enjoyable!

There really was nothing I didn't like about this book. I love the explanations. helped me visualize the locations where the characters were. Perfect! voice inflection by the reader was perfect.

female power

This is a beautiful story of women's friendship, courage and strength. I actually grow lavender so I really connected to it. The characters are all different yet lovingly supportive of each other. I would recommend this book.

Very Enjoyable Light Listen

Any additional comments?

This was exactly what I hoped it would be. I've read several of O'Neal's other novels, and have enjoyed them all. I love the attention to detail. The characters all become so real and relatable. I found myself rooting for all of them.

Loved this book

Great story with characters you want to meet. Really hope there’s another story about these people.

Who will inherit the lavender farm?

This is the story of four women who are searching for changes and love. Lavender is an organic farmer specializing in honey and lavender products. She's looking to find someone to take over her farm after she dies. As a member of the blogging "Foodie Four", she invites these friends to her farm to celebrate her 85th birthday, in hopes of finding that someone. These women range from the young, pregnant, and unmarried ,Ruby, to the unhappy photographing middle-aged wife, Ginny, to Val, who was a prima ballerina and has just lost her husband and all but one teen-aged daughter to a deadly crash. As these women gather and plan Lavender's birthday celebration, they grow closer in their friendships and find some meaningful relationships with a couple of men.

This was an interesting story of woman overcoming their difficulties and taking control of their lives. The information about the growing of lavender and extracting the oil for different uses, plus the different types of lavender, was especially interesting to me. In general, this book was very reminiscent of many other similar type woman's' stories. I listened to this on audio and thought it was done expertly.

Amazing book

Wow, this book has it all. The characters all dealing with challenges in their personal lives came together to support and help each other. This is the epitome of true friendship. Fantastic!!

Good story but predictable

What did you love best about The All You Can Dream Buffet?

That the journey the women take help them heal and grow.

What did you like best about this story?

That some one loves to farm and take care of the land.

Which character – as performed by Joyce Bean – was your favorite?

Jennie because she is doing a lot of things for the first time and doesn't give in to guilty and corrosion from people who try to make her afraid of the unknown.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the farm becomes Rudy's and not one of the nephews who want to sell the land.

Any additional comments?

Good story but a little predicable. I like "How to Bake a Perfect Life. " and "No Place like home," better.They plots are more real and complicated.

Fiction of food and friendships

This is the second Barbara O’Neal book I’ve read. I was gifted a hard copy of How to Bake a Perfect life and I kept coming back to it on my shelf for comfort. I love food and fiction, the way she incorporates recipes. Didn’t seem to be as many in this novel. She has a theme and style for people, pets, pregnancy, and describing bodies, trauma and experiences kind of in the same fashion as John Irving or Sue Monk Kidd. But it always intertwines to be a beautiful comforting story and this did not disappoint! I’ll pick up more Barbara O’Neal. I was happy with the narrator, perfect!

excellent, Timeless story of great friendships.

This story follows the journey of four women at a crossroads in their individual lives. This lovely story is woven together with compassion, humor, and surprising poignancy. I loved it from beginning to end.

It was horrible!

I couldn't get into the characters, perhaps it was the narrator. But I just didn't care about any of these ladies.