No Place Like Home

A Novel

By: Barbara O'Neal

Narrated by: Kristine Thatcher

An enriching and deeply moving novel about love and loss, the bonds of family and friends, and coming home by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

Life didn’t turn out the way Jewel Sabatino planned. However long she’s been gone, home is waiting.

At seventeen, Jewel fled Colorado for New York City and didn’t look back. Now she’s raising a teenage son alone and is a loving caretaker to her one true friend when she receives a surprising inheritance: her aunt’s Pueblo farm and one hundred acres of land. After decades, it’s time for Jewel to reconnect with everyone and everything she left behind.

Her seventeen-year-old son, Shane, is finally meeting his relatives. Jewel’s soulmate, Michael, has a serene haven for his final days. And Jewel’s welcome back is one of a strong community embracing rich Sicilian traditions, three ebullient sisters preparing for a summer wedding, and a tearful and anxious mother with open arms. But for Jewel, it also means facing her father, who has never forgiven his favorite child for betraying him. And he may never forgive her.

As Jewel’s emotional journey begins, an estranged visitor turns her life around again and could heal her wary heart in ways she never expected.

Revised edition: This edition of No Place Like Home includes editorial revisions.

© 2002, 2014, 2024 by Barbara Samuel. ℗ 2001 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

great story of human relationships

I always love her stories... the graphic sex is actually good because it shows healthy sex between adults but it's not the only part of the story... some people say it wanders but that's how life is... true emotions

the performance was excellent. I wish the author

would publish a recipe book
l'm not a cook and all the cooking took away from following the story

The realness of the characters, having their stories and coming back together.

the story dragged at certain parts. I would have liked to been privy to more of Michael and Malaki's relationship

Family ties and estrangements. Grief.

STORY BRIEF:
Jewel and Billy had one son Shane. Billy died three years ago. Jewel’s best friend Michael is gay and dying from AIDS. Jewel, Shane, and Michael move to Colorado to be near Jewel’s family during Michael’s last days. Michael’s brother Malachi comes to stay during this time. He and Jewel fall for each other, but they both know he will leave after Michael dies. Malachi has psychological problems about staying in one place. Jewel and her father are estranged.

OPINION:
You can lose yourself in this large family with a lot going on, but it’s a tear jerker. Some readers will love it because of what’s going on in their life, or they’re in the mood to cry. Toward the end I cried about eight times, over different things. I don’t want that. I want entertainment and other things, so this book is not good for me.

A lot of grief and sadness about Michael who is dying. A lot of memories of the past. Not enough story or plot. It doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere. It’s smells, sounds, sights, memories. It’s days in the life of ordinary people with everyday conversations. Example: “Do you want a beer? I’ll get it.” “No, you stay there, I’ll get it.” But it does have a folksy, homey, comfy thing going on.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR - Kristine Thatcher:
There were three sex scenes. I was uncomfortable listening to them due to the narrator. She sounded like an elderly lady and it was not sexy or sensual. I didn’t want to watch. I normally like reading sex scenes, but not these.

I did not like the narrator’s voice for Shane. He’s 6'2" and 17 years old. He should have a man’s voice. She read him like he was a little boy.

Other than that, her narration was good.

Narrative mode: 1st person Jewel.
Genre: womens fiction, grief.

The author has written a fantastic novel!

The author has written a brilliant novel, full of intrigue and suspense! The narration is superb, bringing the characters to life!