Before Dorothy
Hazel Gaynor
(Author)
This title will be released on:
Jun 17, 2025
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own grand adventure, leaving gritty Chicago behind for Kansas and a life that will utterly change her, in this transporting novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor.
Chicago, 1924: Emily and her new husband, Henry, yearn to leave the bustle of Chicago for the promise of their own American dream among the harsh beauty of the prairie. But leaving the city means leaving Emily’s beloved sister, Annie, who was once closer to her than anyone in the world.
Kansas, 1932: Emily and Henry have established their new home among the warmth of the farming community in Kansas. Aligned to the fickle fortunes of nature, their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose, until tragedy strikes and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep.
The wide-eyed child isn’t the only thing to disrupt Emily’s world. Drought and devastating dust storms threaten to destroy everything, and her much-loved home becomes a place of uncertainty and danger. When the past catches up with the present and old secrets are exposed, Emily fears she will lose the most cherished thing of all: Dorothy.
Bursting with courage and heart, Before Dorothy tells the story of the woman who raised a beloved heroine, and ponders the question: what is the true meaning of home?
Chicago, 1924: Emily and her new husband, Henry, yearn to leave the bustle of Chicago for the promise of their own American dream among the harsh beauty of the prairie. But leaving the city means leaving Emily’s beloved sister, Annie, who was once closer to her than anyone in the world.
Kansas, 1932: Emily and Henry have established their new home among the warmth of the farming community in Kansas. Aligned to the fickle fortunes of nature, their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose, until tragedy strikes and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep.
The wide-eyed child isn’t the only thing to disrupt Emily’s world. Drought and devastating dust storms threaten to destroy everything, and her much-loved home becomes a place of uncertainty and danger. When the past catches up with the present and old secrets are exposed, Emily fears she will lose the most cherished thing of all: Dorothy.
Bursting with courage and heart, Before Dorothy tells the story of the woman who raised a beloved heroine, and ponders the question: what is the true meaning of home?
Product Details
| Publisher | Berkley |
| Publish Date | June 17, 2025 |
| Pages | 368 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780593440339 |
| Dimensions | 8.0 X 5.2 X 0.8 inches | 0.6 pounds |
About the Author
Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Irish Times, and internationally bestselling author known for her deeply moving historical novels which explore the defining events of the 20th century. Her most recent novel, The Last Lifeboat, was a Times historical novel of the month, an Audie award winner, and was short-listed for the Irish Book Awards. Her work is published in twenty-seven territories to date. She lives in Ireland with her family.
Reviews
"Bestselling author Hazel Gaynor does for Dorothy and her family what Wicked did for The Wicked Witch of the West in this Depression-era origin story that peels back the intriguing layers of Auntie Em, the woman who raised Dorothy. Even casual fans of The Wizard of Oz will find their eyes widening in recognition as elements of the land of the Yellow Brick Road—the rainbow itself, the Tin Man, a stuffed lion with the power to comfort, wicked witches, and even fraudster wizards—come alive in the real world of Kansas's Dust Bowl and become the threads that will eventually weave themselves into Dorothy's future. A story as glimmering as the Emerald City and as hopeful as Dorothy herself, Hazel Gaynor's latest is an important and enchanting addition to the canon of Oz."—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau
“In Technicolor prose, Hazel Gaynor gives new meaning to the familiar phrase 'there’s no place like home' in this stunning novel that imagines the real lives of Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, Dorothy, and Toto in the dust bowl of the Depression. Readers will love collecting Easter eggs from the 1939 movie scattered throughout this moving story about family secrets and the enduring power of love. Ingeniously done.”—Kerri Maher, USA Today bestselling author of All You Have To Do Is Call
“Like Dorothy stepping into Oz, Hazel Gaynor’s new novel pulls Auntie Em out of a black and white background and into a full-color world all her own.”—Sarah Miller, USA Today bestselling author of Marmee and Caroline: Little House, Revisited
“In Technicolor prose, Hazel Gaynor gives new meaning to the familiar phrase 'there’s no place like home' in this stunning novel that imagines the real lives of Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, Dorothy, and Toto in the dust bowl of the Depression. Readers will love collecting Easter eggs from the 1939 movie scattered throughout this moving story about family secrets and the enduring power of love. Ingeniously done.”—Kerri Maher, USA Today bestselling author of All You Have To Do Is Call
“Like Dorothy stepping into Oz, Hazel Gaynor’s new novel pulls Auntie Em out of a black and white background and into a full-color world all her own.”—Sarah Miller, USA Today bestselling author of Marmee and Caroline: Little House, Revisited
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