The publisher’s summary
The greatest journey is the one you least expect…
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home…
When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily Gale must become a mother overnight. Her sister’s orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home.
But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister’s shoes; her life on the barren Kansas prairies is no place for a child.
On the unforgiving plains, Emily’s courage is endlessly tested. The prolonged drought and relentless dust storms threaten to destroy everything – including her home and her marriage.
Can Emily overcome her grief and let Dorothy heal her heart?
From the promise of Chicago in the 1920s to the harsh beauty of the Kansas prairie during the dust bowl of the 1930s, this is a story of family, duty and one woman’s journey of self-discovery.
My reading experience
Hazel Gaynor has published yet another wonderful book!
I found the idea of a prequel to the Wizard of Oz focussing on Aunty Em very original. In particular, looking at her as a sister, as a wife, as a woman and as an aunt who becomes a mother. The book is full of allusions to the Wizzard of Oz. It delves into Emily’s life before Dorothy came to live with her and her husband Henry: her childhood with her sister and their adult relations, the decision Emily made to go live in Kansas with Henry, Annie’s death and how Dorothy came to live with Em and Henry.
I thoroughly enjoyed the well-developed characters in the book, each one captivating in their own way. Emily stands out as the strongest, a blend of determination, vulnerability, toughness, and sensitivity. And then, there is: Henry, a pillar of strength; Leo, the former circus performer turned rainmaker; Adelaïde Watson, the fairy godmother aviator; Wilhelmina West, the grouchy neighbour. The author has skilfully crafted a cast of characters that brings Emily’s story to life.
The background to this story is well researched and vividly told: the Great Depression in the late 1920s and early 1930s, as well as the climate disasters in the plains of Kansas. Readers are transported back to these times through storms and dust twisters, the ruin of farmers and their struggles to survive, the making of dresses from sacks, and the hardships faced by those who chose to live in the Kansas plains.
And throughout is a permanent theme of home. There is nothing like home. But what is home? Who is home? And how does one know that one has found their home.
I have seen other reviews that found the pace too slow. I definitely noticed the pace slowing down at times but I thought it was perfectly adjusted to what the author was tyring to convey in those parts of the story.
A very beautiful book which kept me captivated from beginning to end.
Hazel Gaynor has produced a good Book club kit if you would like to read this book with your club.
You can also enjoy listening to her podcast and reading one of her recent interview to better understand how she approached writing this story and her thoughts about it.
Valerie is reading 
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