I am a huge Barbara O'Neal fan, her writing technique resonates with me. She draws me in, locks me in place, and leaves me with all the emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, love, compassion, and empathy. Ms. O'Neal is a fabulously gifted author.

This Place of Wonder did not disappoint. I can't say I understand the title as it relates to the book, but no matter, the book is fantastic, the cover beautiful, and the title, well, maybe I'm just daft.

Set in modern-day California, This Place of Wonder follows a family of women, a mom, and two grown daughters, along with an outlier, the dad's girlfriend, after the death of Agustus, the loved by everyone, larger than life chef. The story is easy to follow as it is realistic and simple without unnecessary plot twists. But it is also complex, as is life, in the way it peels the layers away from each character until the reader sees the full picture of each person: The 16-year old runaway, the average suburban housewife, the pregnant alcoholic, and the thirty-year-old having an affair with a 67-year old.

Nothing in this novel is an overreach, and in Ms. O'Neal's lovely way of crafting a story, the reader can find their place amongst the characters and identify with one or more of them in an almost personal way to where you wonder if Ms. O'Neal had been a fly on your wall at some time.

This Place of Wonder will not solve world peace or cure any social issue, but it will make you think about family, and where people are in their lives, and how they came to be. It will stay with you, and you will become a Barbara O'Neal fan. ( )

Absolutely a wonderful book!!!! The women, all four of them, truly come to life in O'Neal's hands...well, words. I feel as if I KNOW them. I can see them and how they think. ( )

Mothers and daughters. Romance addiction but actually a well written enjoyable book. ( )

I asked for the opportunity to read This Place of Wonder by Barbara O’Neal in spite of the fact that women’s fiction is not one of my favorite genres. And I can’t say that I enjoyed this family relationship story. It begins with the sudden death of Augustus, a famous chef. We soon learn that his ex-wife Meadow, herself a famous foodie, is trying to be everything to everyone. Augustus’ daughter, Maya, in rehab at the time, returns home. His flavour-of-the-month, Norah, is shattered and Meadow’s daughter Rory tries to comfort all. So we have these four women, who remain devoted to this adulterous, selfish man who obviously was so adorable and could do any wrong. I was disappointed because I expected this to lead to strong women getting on with a difficult situation. Each chapter is narrated by one of three of the four women, not sure why one was left out. Poor deceased Augustus is one of the main characters, emphasizing what an unappetizing human he was. This Place of Wonder had a lot of potential but it gets mired in too much drama and unrealistic situations. This is only my own opinion and I’m sure this novel will suit many. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I became a fan of Barbara O'Neal after reading her last two books: When we Believed in Mermaids and Write my Name Across the Sky. She's an author you can always depend on to give you unputdownable books with great story lines and unforgettable characters that you'll think about long after the last page of the book. She writes about families in the midst of major life changes. Her stories are full of conflict, family love and forgiveness and finding happiness. This Place of Wonder is a fantastic book and has added her to my list of authors of books that I'll buy without knowing anything about the book.

When Augustus, a well known chef died, he left behind four women to deal with his death:
-Meadow is his ex-wife who helped him build his fame at the same time that she was getting national recognition for her farm to table cooking. She is still in love with him but couldn't handle his infidelities.
-Maya is his estranged daughter who is fresh out of rehab. She has mixed feelings toward her father and even though she still loves him, she hasn't spoken to him since he and Meadow split up. She's surprised when his will left his home and restaurant to her.
-Rory is Meadow's daughter who was raised by Augustus. She is married and has a family. Her grief over his passing is the least complicated - she misses him completely. She is the voice of calm among the four women.
-Norah was his current live in girlfriend. She is much younger and had arrived at his restaurant the year before to find out how to reach Meadow for an article she was writing but as soon as she met Augustus, the sparks flew and she ended up moving in with him. She is distraught over his death and has nowhere to go once Maya inherits the home.

This novel is told by three of the four women who are grieving Augustus's death. Chapters are told by all of them except Rory. As these four women are held together by their grief, there are secrets being kept that disrupt their lives. They have to decide whether they will accept Augustus's legacy or try to work together in the future. As a mystery evolves about the cause of his death, the thoughts of all the women become more complicated. Can they learn to rely on each other to find their inner strength and be able to move forward or will they stay stuck in their past with resentments toward Augustus and each other? This book gives the readers an excellent look at four women in transition after a dramatic change in their lives. ( )