Explore the real-world places that appear in Going Home by Nora Roberts. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Small-Town Main Street (Hometown Setting), Vanessa's Childhood Home, Brady Tucker's Medical Practice, Maui, Hawaii — Island Arrival Point, Hawaiian Flower Farm and 7 more.
Rural America — Vanessa's return to her estranged mother
In 'Unfinished Business,' Vanessa Sexton returns to the small town she left behind, seeking answers from the mother she has been estranged from for years. The quiet streets and familiar storefronts represent both the comfort and the unresolved pain of her childhood. It is here that she unexpectedly encounters Brady Tucker, the man who once shattered her heart, forcing her to confront feelings she thought long buried.
Small Midwestern towns like this served as the backbone of American life throughout the 20th century, with close-knit communities where everyone's business was shared and past relationships were never truly forgotten.
Towns of this character throughout Indiana and the broader Midwest continue to attract visitors for their historic downtowns, local diners, and community festivals.
Residential neighborhood — Site of reunion and reckoning
Vanessa returns to her childhood home to confront her estranged mother and demand the answers she has been denied for years. The house holds memories of both warmth and abandonment, and it is within its walls that mother and daughter begin the painful process of rebuilding their relationship. The emotional weight of the home looms over every conversation Vanessa has with Brady Tucker as the two cautiously rediscover their connection.
The family home as a site of emotional reckoning is a deeply American literary trope, reflecting the cultural significance placed on homeownership and domestic life throughout the 20th century.
Residential neighborhoods like this one remain common throughout Midwestern cities, with modest homes on tree-lined streets that have changed little since the mid-century.
Downtown area — Brady's professional anchor in the community
Brady Tucker has remained in the hometown that Vanessa fled, establishing himself as a respected local doctor. His clinic serves as a symbol of his rootedness and reliability — qualities that stand in contrast to Vanessa's years of running from her past. When Vanessa and Brady's paths cross again at his practice, the tension between their shared history and their present selves becomes impossible to ignore.
Small-town doctors occupied a uniquely trusted social role in American communities throughout the 20th century, often serving multiple generations of families and becoming pillars of local life.
Independent medical practices remain a fixture of small American towns, though many have been absorbed into larger healthcare networks in recent decades.
Kahului Airport, Maui — Laine Simmons arrives to meet her father
In 'Island of Flowers,' Laine Simmons touches down in Hawaii with a mixture of hope and trepidation, having traveled to meet the father she barely knows. The sweeping beauty of the island stands in sharp contrast to her inner anxiety. It is at this point of arrival that the world of Dillon O'Brian — her father's suspicious, magnetic partner — first begins to collide with hers.
Kahului Airport on Maui opened in the 1940s and expanded significantly during Hawaii's post-statehood tourism boom of the 1960s and 1970s, becoming the main gateway to the Valley Isle.
Kahului Airport, officially Kahului Airport (OGG), remains Maui's primary commercial airport, welcoming millions of visitors annually with views of the West Maui Mountains upon landing.
Visit: Kahului Airport (landmark)
Maui's upcountry region — Laine's father's agricultural operation
The title 'Island of Flowers' draws its meaning from this lush, working flower farm where Laine's father has built his life. Laine arrives expecting a cautious welcome but finds herself under the wary scrutiny of Dillon O'Brian, her father's handsome and mistrustful partner. The farm's breathtaking beauty — rows of tropical blooms under Hawaiian skies — becomes the backdrop for the slow unraveling of Dillon's suspicion and the blossoming of an intense, unexpected passion.
Maui's upcountry region around Kula has been cultivated for flowers and produce since the 19th century, with the cool elevation and volcanic soil proving ideal for growing proteas, carnations, and other blooms.
Maui's upcountry remains home to numerous working flower farms, several of which are open to visitors for tours, including the famous Kula Botanical Garden.
Visit: Kula Botanical Garden (park)
West Maui coast — Romantic and dramatic seaside scenes
The stunning beaches of Maui's west coast serve as the setting for pivotal scenes between Laine and Dillon in 'Island of Flowers.' The crashing surf and volcanic coastline amplify the emotional intensity between them — Dillon's guarded hostility giving way to undeniable attraction against the vast blue backdrop of the Pacific. The beach represents both the freedom and the danger of surrendering to feelings neither character anticipated.
Kaanapali was developed as one of the first master-planned resort destinations in the United States beginning in the 1960s, transforming Maui's west coast from sugar cane fields into a celebrated tourism corridor.
Kaanapali Beach is consistently ranked among the best beaches in the United States, stretching three miles along West Maui with luxury resorts, snorkeling, and the famous Black Rock cliff diving site.
Visit: Kaanapali Beach (park)
Road to Hana, Maui — Scenic confrontation and revelation
The winding, dramatic Road to Hana provides the setting for a pivotal moment in 'Island of Flowers,' when Laine and Dillon are forced into close proximity and their defenses begin to crumble. The jungle-draped cliffs and cascading waterfalls mirror the emotional turmoil both characters are navigating, as Dillon begins to question whether his suspicion of Laine is justified or simply a shield against his own growing feelings for her.
The Hana Highway follows an ancient Hawaiian coastal trail and was paved in 1926, threading through some of Maui's most remote and pristine rainforest landscapes with over 600 curves and 59 bridges.
The Road to Hana remains one of Hawaii's most celebrated scenic drives, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to its waterfalls, black sand beaches, and botanical gardens.
Visit: Hana Highway (landmark)
West Hollywood / Beverly Hills — Aurora's professional world
In 'Mind over Matter,' Aurora Fields operates as a sharp, no-nonsense talent agent in the Los Angeles entertainment industry. Her professional world of contracts, client management, and industry politics is centered in the glamorous and cutthroat landscape of West Hollywood. It is within this milieu that she first crosses paths with the ruthlessly charming David Brady, whose agenda puts him squarely in opposition to her mother's interests.
West Hollywood emerged as the heart of the entertainment industry's talent representation business in the mid-20th century, with major agencies establishing themselves along the Sunset Strip and surrounding streets.
West Hollywood and Beverly Hills remain the nucleus of the global entertainment industry's talent agency world, home to powerhouse firms including CAA, WME, and UTA.
Century City, Los Angeles — Professional battleground
Aurora's agency office is the command center from which she fights to protect her mother's career interests in 'Mind over Matter.' It is here that her confrontations with David Brady are sharpest and most charged — two strong-willed professionals who are equally matched in determination. The sleek corporate environment cannot contain the personal heat building between them as David methodically chips away at Aurora's carefully maintained defenses.
Century City was developed in the 1960s on the former backlot of 20th Century Fox, rapidly becoming a prestigious address for entertainment industry offices and law firms.
Century City remains a premier Los Angeles business district, home to luxury offices, the Westfield Century City mall, and numerous entertainment industry companies.
Bel Air, Los Angeles — Aurora's mother's residence
Aurora's mother — the client whose interests Aurora is so fiercely protecting — lives in the kind of luxurious Bel Air estate befitting a successful entertainer. It is at this home that Aurora's professional role as her mother's agent collides awkwardly with her personal life, particularly as David Brady's pursuit becomes both more persistent and more sincere. The estate represents the high stakes of what Aurora stands to lose if she lets her guard down.
Bel Air was established as a private residential community in 1923 and became one of Los Angeles' most exclusive addresses, attracting Hollywood royalty and entertainment industry luminaries throughout the 20th century.
Bel Air remains one of the wealthiest zip codes in the United States, home to celebrity estates and ultra-luxury properties that frequently command eight-figure sale prices.
Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood — Industry dinners and romantic tension
The high-end restaurants of the Sunset Strip serve as neutral ground — and battleground — for Aurora and David's ongoing negotiations in 'Mind over Matter.' Over industry dinners that blur the line between business and courtship, David deploys the full force of his considerable charm while Aurora struggles to keep their relationship strictly professional. It is during one such encounter that the balance tips irreversibly toward something neither can deny.
The Sunset Strip has been Hollywood's premier entertainment corridor since the 1930s, with legendary restaurants and clubs hosting the industry's power brokers for nearly a century.
The Sunset Strip continues to host celebrated restaurants and clubs, including Chateau Marmont, Spago, and numerous other venues that remain fixtures of the entertainment industry social scene.
Visit: Chateau Marmont (landmark)
Malibu coast — Emotional turning point for Aurora and David
A drive along the Pacific Coast Highway brings Aurora and David to a moment of unguarded honesty in 'Mind over Matter.' With the Pacific Ocean stretching endlessly before them, the professional masks both characters have worn begin to slip, and David's insistence that what he feels for Aurora transcends any business agenda starts to ring undeniably true. The vast, indifferent beauty of the California coast underscores how small their professional conflict is compared to what is building between them.
Pacific Coast Highway, designated California State Route 1, traces the dramatic Malibu coastline and has been a symbol of California freedom and romance since it was completed in the 1920s.
PCH through Malibu remains one of the most iconic drives in America, with public beach access points, seafood restaurants, and sweeping ocean views accessible to all visitors.
Visit: Malibu Lagoon State Beach (park)
More by Nora Roberts: All Nora Roberts books