This Place of Wonder: A Novel
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- Create Date：2022-07-31 11:21:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Barbara O'Neal
- ISBN：1713662590
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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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。
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。
Reviews
Andi
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I really enjoy her booksI think this is my third at last of Barbara O’Neal’s books。 I love her writing。 There is a magic in her use of language where you feel transported into the story， you fall in love with the characters， and you root for their success。 The levels of emotion she includes in each character， from grief， confusion， frustration， friendship， happiness， and family love， create such a depth to the story that you never want it to end。 Another beautifully crafted book by Ms。 O’Neal。
Kathleen
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Well-written story about a famous chef and the women who loved him。
B。J。 Bowen
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A Touching and Inspiring NovelI loved this book！ It's one of the books I didn't want to end， because I wanted to keep the characters in my life--to learn from them how to keep on keeping on。 A Touching and Inspiring NovelI loved this book！ It's one of the books I didn't want to end， because I wanted to keep the characters in my life--to learn from them how to keep on keeping on。 。。。more
Elisabeth Pringle
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❤️❤️❤️ Loved this book This is by far one of the best books I have read。 The problems in this book are lived by so many of us and especially myself。 The end was both astounding and relieving for all the main characters in the book。 I will suggest this to our book club to read。
Linda Van
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Nothing Unexpected— Just Perfect After reading several dozen or more Barbara O’Neal’s books it is hard to be surprised。 They are never formulaic。 They are always extremely well written。 They always touch the heart。 They never disappoint。 If I wrote fan mail， I would。
Susan Penley
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Augustus is loved by at least four women—an ex-wife， his daughter， his step-daughter and his girlfriend。 When he dies， each woman mourns in her own way; however， their lives are intertwined。 I have read many novels by this author， and I enjoy her descriptions of gardening， food， and cooking。 It’s apparent that she loves these things in her own life too。
Merry
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A Great ReadThis story quickly draws you in making it hard to put down the book。 I assigned only 4 stars due to a few typos in the Kindle version （grrrrrr）。 Otherwise， it's great。 A Great ReadThis story quickly draws you in making it hard to put down the book。 I assigned only 4 stars due to a few typos in the Kindle version （grrrrrr）。 Otherwise， it's great。 。。。more
Rhonda Lother
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Hmm。 This is difficult to review， because Barbara O'Neal writes beautifully。 It was difficult to put the book down， but I left it feeling unsatisfied。 I am interested in Maya's story going forward， but we don't get to see that。 Augustus is a narcissist， and he ruined these women's lives。 I would have liked a few more chapters on how they each moved forward in their lives without him。 Hmm。 This is difficult to review， because Barbara O'Neal writes beautifully。 It was difficult to put the book down， but I left it feeling unsatisfied。 I am interested in Maya's story going forward， but we don't get to see that。 Augustus is a narcissist， and he ruined these women's lives。 I would have liked a few more chapters on how they each moved forward in their lives without him。 。。。more
Amanda
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I went into this book without knowing what it was about only that I had seen this authors name pop up in recommendations before。 I was blown away。 This is a character driven book told from three different points of view。 All three women love the same man。 One as a significant other， one as an ex/life partner， and one as an offspring。 Unfortunately， this book begins with this man's death。 Meadow is Augustus's ex wife。 They started their businesses together and raised their children together。 Nora I went into this book without knowing what it was about only that I had seen this authors name pop up in recommendations before。 I was blown away。 This is a character driven book told from three different points of view。 All three women love the same man。 One as a significant other， one as an ex/life partner， and one as an offspring。 Unfortunately， this book begins with this man's death。 Meadow is Augustus's ex wife。 They started their businesses together and raised their children together。 Norah is Augustus's much younger live in girlfriend and Maya is Augustus's daughter。 Maya is the most interesting point of view for me。 She's a newly recovering alcoholic and has such a wide range of emotions throughout the book。 This book is beautifully written and really showcases love in all of it's forms。 It shows how childhood trauma helps shape us into the people we become as adults。 Both negatively and positively。 How parents trying to fix and protect their children from everything can be harmful rather than helpful。 How we need space to grow。 That while you should be able to count on your support system you also have to save yourself。 No one can do the work for you。 It also shows and validates all of the forms of grief。 How no one person is more entitled to their grief and that everyone grieves differently。 It also shows the importance of feeling your feelings and allowing others to feel theirs。 The three women are very different from each other but are all strong and flawed at the same time。 They all make mistakes throughout the book but have an amazing resiliency that is often overlooked in women。 cw: sexual assault （told in past tense）， death of a parent， alcoholism/addiction， pregnancy loss， cheating， neglect 。。。more
Victoria
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good readI didn’t have high hopes for this book and it started sorta of slow and depressing but I ended up loving it。 I think it hit on several topics that I’ve observed during my life and I revisited them。
Jackie
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A favorite author of mine， but not my favorite of her books。 She is， as always， on target about human experiences like family conflict， grief and addiction。 I just didn't buy the plot so much。 A favorite author of mine， but not my favorite of her books。 She is， as always， on target about human experiences like family conflict， grief and addiction。 I just didn't buy the plot so much。 。。。more
Julia Burk-dunahoo
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Well worth the sortingBarbara O'Neal Brava！ While most of her books leap off of the pages， this one was a slow burn for me， but hang in there， it takes time to unravel all of the complexities of each one。 Character development was particularly interesting and I could picture each with such clarity。 The story has definite triggers， Abandonment， addiction， rape but all necessary to the story Well worth the sortingBarbara O'Neal Brava！ While most of her books leap off of the pages， this one was a slow burn for me， but hang in there， it takes time to unravel all of the complexities of each one。 Character development was particularly interesting and I could picture each with such clarity。 The story has definite triggers， Abandonment， addiction， rape but all necessary to the story 。。。more
Melia Heppler phelps-godinho
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Another superb Barbara O'Neal。。。 You want to bury yourself in it😍Loved， loved， loved， loved， loved。 Not to be missed。 Barbara is a master at submerging you into her characters lives。 A treasure。 Another superb Barbara O'Neal。。。 You want to bury yourself in it😍Loved， loved， loved， loved， loved。 Not to be missed。 Barbara is a master at submerging you into her characters lives。 A treasure。 。。。more
Patty
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I picked this book because I loved one of the authors other books。 She has interesting characters but I am somewhat disappointed because this book has so many similar things as the book I loved- and definitely was not as good as the first。 A bigger than life strong male restauranteur who dies and the impact it has on the women that survive him。 The other book was fantastic- this was good but I wouldn't rave about it。 I picked this book because I loved one of the authors other books。 She has interesting characters but I am somewhat disappointed because this book has so many similar things as the book I loved- and definitely was not as good as the first。 A bigger than life strong male restauranteur who dies and the impact it has on the women that survive him。 The other book was fantastic- this was good but I wouldn't rave about it。 。。。more
Susan
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Good book！Interesting character development and reflections on family relationships over time。 Some mystery， sometimes predictable， but still well woven。 I enjoyed it。 3。5☆s [due to predictable 'twists'， even well in advance] rounds up to 4☆s because it is still an engaging read。 Good book！Interesting character development and reflections on family relationships over time。 Some mystery， sometimes predictable， but still well woven。 I enjoyed it。 3。5☆s [due to predictable 'twists'， even well in advance] rounds up to 4☆s because it is still an engaging read。 。。。more
Phyllis Saunders
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5 Stars5 stars for This Place of Wonder。 A touching story of Augustus and Meadow and their lives， loves and blended family。 Reaching past death， to heal the hurts and learn to live again in the way we all want。
Gail Herrmann
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I found this book very refreshing and out of the norm。 I have been reading so many books about women going back to their past， by visiting， inheriting or helping someone in need。 The characters in this book are so well developed and different from each other， but with a very strong common bond。 Not at all sure where the author was going with this story， but that in fact turned out to be the most interesting aspect of this book！ Themes of alcoholism， rape， dysfunctional， friendship， hitting rock I found this book very refreshing and out of the norm。 I have been reading so many books about women going back to their past， by visiting， inheriting or helping someone in need。 The characters in this book are so well developed and different from each other， but with a very strong common bond。 Not at all sure where the author was going with this story， but that in fact turned out to be the most interesting aspect of this book！ Themes of alcoholism， rape， dysfunctional， friendship， hitting rock bottom， and success。 。。。more
Gail Herrmann
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I found this book very refreshing and out of the norm。 I have been reading so many books about women going back to their past， by visiting， inheriting or helping someone in need。 The characters in this book are so well developed and different from each other， but with a very strong common bond。 Not at all sure where the author was going with this story， but that in fact turned out to be the most interesting aspect of this book！ Themes of alcoholism， rape， dysfunctional， friendship， hitting rock I found this book very refreshing and out of the norm。 I have been reading so many books about women going back to their past， by visiting， inheriting or helping someone in need。 The characters in this book are so well developed and different from each other， but with a very strong common bond。 Not at all sure where the author was going with this story， but that in fact turned out to be the most interesting aspect of this book！ Themes of alcoholism， rape， dysfunctional， friendship， hitting rock bottom， and success。 。。。more
Lori Boyd
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Review to follow！
Jasminegalsreadinglog
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CW in the book: Addiction， References to PTSD and sexual assault， child neglect， Infidelity Augustus has died and now the women in his life not only have to deal with their grief but their own problems as well。This Place of Wonder is a story of a dysfunctional family。 Everyone's relationship to each other is different and when the so called patriarch dies， each one of them has to deal with their grief。 The story is told in the perspective of four women who have had connections with Augustus。Like CW in the book: Addiction， References to PTSD and sexual assault， child neglect， Infidelity Augustus has died and now the women in his life not only have to deal with their grief but their own problems as well。This Place of Wonder is a story of a dysfunctional family。 Everyone's relationship to each other is different and when the so called patriarch dies， each one of them has to deal with their grief。 The story is told in the perspective of four women who have had connections with Augustus。Liked: The author handled hard subjects like addiction very well。 She showed the real side of it and described the challenges of a person who is always in danger of relapse。 I loved the character of Maya and Meadow who are flawed but trying their best to thrive。 Rory I wanted to read more about。Disliked: I did not like Norah at all。 I understand her reasons but still don't like her。 My biggest issue though was how the author used PTSD in the whole book。 It seemed a bit thoughtless on how she used it in some parts。 Augustus was not a character that I liked。 I could not understand his enigma。Overall， I did like the book and I give it a 3。5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Pubishing for the advanced reader copy of this book。 。。。more
Adrian Dooley
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When a famous chef dies suddenly， four women are left to pick up the pieces and reflect on their pasts and their futures as they come to terms with the death of Augustus。 The four women being his ex wife， his two daughters and his current girlfriend。Well I absolutely loved this one。 The characters are engrained on my brain。 Meadow（his ex wife） and Maya（daughter） take centre stage really throughout and are two brilliant written characters。 Maya especially I felt great empathy with as she battled When a famous chef dies suddenly， four women are left to pick up the pieces and reflect on their pasts and their futures as they come to terms with the death of Augustus。 The four women being his ex wife， his two daughters and his current girlfriend。Well I absolutely loved this one。 The characters are engrained on my brain。 Meadow（his ex wife） and Maya（daughter） take centre stage really throughout and are two brilliant written characters。 Maya especially I felt great empathy with as she battled addiction and trying to come to terms with her fathers abandonment of her when she was a little child。I really cant think of anything negative to say about this book。 I really devoured it and didnt want it to end。 I was totally drawn into their world。Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley。 。。。more
Jeanne Adamek
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A book to make one think。。。
Shelley
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Maya is in rehab when her father has a heart attack and dies， leaving her his house; his restaurant， and regrets。 Her stepmother is devastated， her sister doesn’t know how to handle the grief， and her father’s girlfriend is hiding in the room over the garage。 The four women’s lives intertwine as they try to come to terms with death of the most important man in their lives。If you loved When We Were Mermaids， you’ll enjoy this one。 There are a lot of familiar notes—sisters， a couple obsessively in Maya is in rehab when her father has a heart attack and dies， leaving her his house; his restaurant， and regrets。 Her stepmother is devastated， her sister doesn’t know how to handle the grief， and her father’s girlfriend is hiding in the room over the garage。 The four women’s lives intertwine as they try to come to terms with death of the most important man in their lives。If you loved When We Were Mermaids， you’ll enjoy this one。 There are a lot of familiar notes—sisters， a couple obsessively in love， a chef with a famous restaurant and a huge personality， set on the coast of California threaded with mentions of Australia。 Barbara O’Neal is a fantastic storyteller， knowing how to both keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know how all the threads of the story fit together and how to tug at all of your emotions。 Her characters are bright and bold， making you want to bask in their presence。This is my third book of hers and I cannot wait to read more！ 。。。more
Terri L Kendall
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Loved this book！A great story of family relationships and the complications that go along with them。 I loved everything about this book！
Meesa
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⭐️4。5⭐️
Carly Rushforth
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I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Augustus Beauvias a renowned famous chef dies suddenly in his restaurant of a suspected heart attack。Maya who is Augustus’s daughter from his first marriage is two weeks away from finishing Rehab。Meadow who was married to Augustus for twenty years is absolutely devastated by his death but she soon gets into a practical business mode。 （she was also his business partner）Norah is Augustus’s current lover， she coul I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Augustus Beauvias a renowned famous chef dies suddenly in his restaurant of a suspected heart attack。Maya who is Augustus’s daughter from his first marriage is two weeks away from finishing Rehab。Meadow who was married to Augustus for twenty years is absolutely devastated by his death but she soon gets into a practical business mode。 （she was also his business partner）Norah is Augustus’s current lover， she couldn’t believe her luck when she met Augustus， she thought she was finally safe and happy with a stable home。Rory The daughter who’s got her life sorted， she has a husband and 2 girls。All these women are connect by AugustusI got lost in this book completely， I adored each women individually for different reasons as they forged a new life without the man they’d all adored。The writing style is just exquisite。It’s a story of great loves， great losses， family drama and heartbreaking pasts。It reads like a big budget HBO tv drama。 。。。more
Carly Rushforth
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I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Augustus Beauvias a renowned famous chef dies suddenly in his restaurant of a suspected heart attack。Maya who is Augustus’s daughter from his first marriage is two weeks away from finishing Rehab。Meadow who was married to Augustus for twenty years is absolutely devastated by his death but she soon gets into a practical business mode。 （she was also his business partner）Norah is Augustus’s current lover， she coul I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Augustus Beauvias a renowned famous chef dies suddenly in his restaurant of a suspected heart attack。Maya who is Augustus’s daughter from his first marriage is two weeks away from finishing Rehab。Meadow who was married to Augustus for twenty years is absolutely devastated by his death but she soon gets into a practical business mode。 （she was also his business partner）Norah is Augustus’s current lover， she couldn’t believe her luck when she met Augustus， she thought she was finally safe and happy with a stable home。Rory The daughter who’s got her life sorted， she has a husband and 2 girls。All these women are connect by AugustusI got lost in this book completely， I adored each women individually for different reasons as they forged a new life without the man they’d all adored。The writing style is just exquisite。It’s a story of great loves， great losses， family drama and heartbreaking pasts。It reads like a big budget HBO tv drama。 。。。more
Sandy
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I really enjoyed this listen on Audible。 A story of recovery， healing， and acceptance and new beginnings。 This authors books always tell a beautiful story。
Maureen
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Interesting story of four women connected to one man。 How they interact with one another and how they react to his death。
Lisa
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