The Garden of Happy Endings: A Novel [Paperback]

Barbara O'Neal (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 17, 2012

From Barbara O’Neal, beloved author of How to Bake a Perfect Life and The Lost Recipe for Happiness, comes another magical, heartfelt novel—perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Susan Wiggs.
 
After tragedy shatters her small community in Seattle, the Reverend Elsa Montgomery has a crisis of faith. Returning to her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, she seeks work in a local soup kitchen. Preparing nourishing meals for folks in need, she keeps her hands busy while her heart searches for understanding.
 
Meanwhile, her sister, Tamsin, as pretty and colorful as Elsa is unadorned and steadfast, finds her perfect life shattered when she learns that her financier husband is a criminal. Enduring shock and humiliation as her beautiful house and possessions are seized, the woman who had everything now has nothing but the clothes on her back.
 
But when the going gets tough, the tough get growing. A community garden in the poorest, roughest part of town becomes a lifeline. Creating a place of hope and sustenance opens Elsa and Tamsin to the renewing power of rich earth, sunshine, and the warm cleansing rain of tears. While Elsa finds her heart blooming in the care of a rugged landscaper, Tamsin discovers the joy of losing herself in the act of giving—and both women discover that with time and care, happy endings flourish.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the novels of Barbara O’Neal
 
“Absorbing . . . [with] lovingly sketched characters and real emotion.”—Publishers Weekly, on How to Bake a Perfect Life
 
“A powerful and intriguing story rich in detailed and vivid descriptions.”—Booklist, on The Secret of Everything

About the Author

Barbara O’Neal is the author of a number of highly acclaimed novels, including the Target Club Pick How to Bake a Perfect Life and The Lost Recipe for Happiness, which won the RITA in 2010, bringing her total number of RITA awards to six. She sold her first novel in her twenties, and has also published under the names Barbara Samuel and Ruth Wind, and her books have been sold in Italy, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, and Poland. Barbara loves olive oil, peaches, good ale, gardening, and all big dogs. She’s also a long distance walker who traveled a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in 2010, and hopes to return to walk the rest in the near future. A native of Colorado, she now lives on the skirts of Pikes Peak with her partner, a British endurance athlete, and four animals who convinced her they needed rescue.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Original edition (April 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553386786
• ISBN-13: 978-0553386783
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars love blooms in a well-tended garden April 7, 2012

By Virginia Campbell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Reverend Elsa Montgomery has faced challenges to her spiritual beliefs on more than one occasion, but has always managed to find her touchstone. This time, a shocking death in her own church community triggers a crisis of faith that sends her from Seattle, WA back to her hometown of Pueblo, CO. Shaken and disillusioned, Elsa turns to her sister, Tamsin, and her dear friend, Father Jake. Working in a soup kitchen and tending a communal garden help her to find a sense of peace in keeping busy and helping others. When Tamsin's world comes unglued, and she is forced to move in with Elsa, the two quite different women must resolve their own personal issues. Elsa's heart finds wings when she meets Deacon McCoy, a handsome landscaping expert who lends his expertise to the garden project. In my own personal life, I savor the exquisite simplicity of sun-warmed earth, the pull of a needle through cloth to make a quilt, and the satisfaction of nurturing others through the preparation and serving of needed sustenance. All of these elements come together in author Barbara O'Neal's "The Garden of Happy Endings: A Novel". There is also a richly rewarding sense of healed hearts, renewed faith, and hope for lasting love and happiness. Readers are also treated to a delightful little recipe section--and let me say this about that "Chicken & Dumplings recipe: Oh, my goodness!!! I look forward to reading more lovely works from Barbara O'Neal.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Third Faith Challenge May 10, 2012

By W. Easley TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

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Several times in Elsa Montgomery's life, she has had her faith challenged to the point of turning her back on God. The latest crisis develops while she serves as minister to a congregation in Seattle. After the brutal murder of a young girl, Elsa decides she needs time to heal and arranges to move to Pueblo, Colorado, her hometown. What ensues is a story of Elsa's spiritual growth and discovery of her own true self by giving to others in a different capacity.

Born and raised Catholic, Elsa embarked on ministry in a unitarian church because she could not become a priest. Her good childhood friend, Joaquin is now Father Jack to the parishioners of San Roque's in Pueblo Colorado. They have stayed confidants through the years and Fr. Jack welcomes Elsa to help with the local soup kitchen. Elsa also becomes involved with the community vegetable garden to serve those in the impoverished neighborhood.

Elsa opens up her old childhood home in Pueblo, and invites her sister, Tamsin, to live with her when Tamsin becomes homeless. Tamsin's husband has suddenly disappeared and brought scandal and financial ruin to her family. The relationship of the two sisters with such diverse lifestyles begins to grow and mature as each questions her status in life and how to find meaning in the lives they face.

Can one find happiness in changing life choices that are now under question? What place do family and children hold when one chooses to serve the church? Can life long relationships stay strong when choices bring dramatic change? Can one find a new relationship with God that strengthens and endures?

Author Barbara O'Neal develops the characters well as they struggle with these questions. She seamlessly blends flashbacks into the current storyline and even includes favorite recipes from the southwest.

Having been born and lived in Colorado much of my life, I could identify with the locale and ambiance of the story. It brings insight into many facets of life: spiritual growth, reaching out to community, healing the wounds of life. I highly recommend this book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, Eclectic, Energizing -- and Spirited April 23, 2012

By M. Lisa Putman

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having read everything Barbara O'Neal (a.k.a. Ruth Wind, Barbara Samuel) has written I find this to be the very acme of her work. This is a Real book: the characters are Real (I feel like I'd recognize them on the street!), The descriptions are Real. The relationships are Real. Even the dogs are Real. And the cooking and the quilting, too. A book about love and loving as well as being a book about the Spirit. I don't know how she does it. I know I'll read this again and even more than usual am looking forward to her next book.