Wizard of Oz fans will adore this historical imagining of the life of Dorothy's Aunt Emily Gale, who moved from Chicago with her husband Henry to Kansas, hoping for a better life. We learn how Dorothy came to live with them (an accident killed her parents), with the story unfurling against the economic and political backdrop of the time (the Depression, the Dust Bowl.) But more than that, we find a warm and loving family with a fierce will to survive. I loved it!

First I would like to thank NetGalley for the eARc in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I truly enjoyed this look into the past and one way in which the Wizard of Oz came to happen. The relationship between the sisters, the ever hopeful optimism of Emily, the love for family and the past.
Set in the 20's and 30's, it did take a hard look at what was happening at the time and how it afftected society. Even without knowing the Wizard of Oz, none of the "coincidences" that fell in to place seemed forced. There were a few "aha" moments, where a connection that was totally unexpected was made.
I enjoyed her descriptive language when setting the scenes in Kansas. I was THERE, I could see the farmstead. Our main characters were also very well formed, although I did have a harder time picturing them.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and have already recommended it to several folks who are big Wizard of Oz fans.

3.5- This was a sweet story albeit a little underwhelming. I really appreciated the nods to The Wizard of Oz throughout the story as well as the well written historical events, but I was looking for a bit more oomph. The “Before Dorothy” part of the story was actually quite short, most of the story took place “During Dorothy”, but overall I liked the book.

This was such a fun, neat read!

If you love 1) The Wizard of Oz 2) Historical Fiction 3) Reimagining of classics 4) References and allusions to the original classic work, then definitely, most definitely, put this on your TBR list for June.

Ever wonder how Dorothy ended up in Kansas with Auntie Em and Uncle Henry? You will learn the family's Irish roots, their struggle in America searching for happiness and stability, and the background of their family in Before Dorothy.

For lovers of historical fiction, this book hits the mark - the stock market crash of 1929, the years of the Great Depression, the over farming of the land out West leading to the Dust Bowl, the black blizzards, the drought, the dust storms. Hazel Gaynor paints such a vivid picture of struggle against environment, love of the land, and devotion to family.

I truly loved this story of the inventing of the backgrounds of the characters of Dorothy, Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, and supporting ones from the classic, also. It's such a strong narrative of strength, family, love, and survival. Oh, and don't be surprised when you see little references to a toy lion, a hand made tin man, and the scarecrows out on the vast prairie. If you're a lover of the original Wizard of Oz like I am, you will definitely want to read this one when it goes on sale June 17th. A big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for letting me preview this ARC. 4.5 stars

If you liked Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts, this story will likely be a favorite as well. While Letts’ story tells us about Frank and Maud Baum, this story tells us about Emily and Henry Gale.

This is more of a fanciful tale of two minor characters in the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with some sprinkles of Dorothy along side. We know them as Uncle Henry and Auntie Em, but in this book they are Dorothy’s caretakers after the tragic death of her parents.

The setting of this book was in Kansas of course, but a majority of the time was dust bowl era, just past the stock market crash. The storytelling is vivid with details of prairie life, tornadoes and dust storms, and living within the meager means of the Great Depression.

So many Easter Eggs hidden throughout the book. I loved reading about the lion, the tinman, her brigid doll of straw, silver slippers, a blue gingham dress, a bitter woman described as a witch who rides a bicycle, and my favorite one was how Toto got his name.

The Wizard of Oz has been a favorite movie since my youth and I jumped at the chance to read a book about a person/movie that I adore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The title of this book immediately got my attention as the Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favorite movies. The author reimagines Auntie Em’s life before Dorothy. Her characters come to life as all their thoughts and feelings are flushed out in her writing. The book also has many little references to the original story highlighting the tin man, the lion and others. I love all the little nuances to the original story. History plays an important part of the novel as the author takes us through the stock market crash and the Depression. She writes colorfully about the terrifying weather especially the drought resulting in the horrific dust storm. Her characters come full circle as they realize what home and family truly mean.
All opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced eGalley of the book.
#BeforeDorothy #HazelGaynor #NetGalley

Look for my full review in Library Journal.
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As a fan of the Wizard of Oz and its characters, I enjoyed this historical novel that explores the life of Auntie Em both before and after caring for her niece, Dorothy. Gaynor pays homage to the classic with elegant details in her writing while also exploring the harsh living conditions for Americans in drought ridden Kansas.

The Wizard of Oz is nearing it's 125 year of publication, but the story has never gone out of style. Now with the release of the first Wicked movie, everyone is once again that girl from Kansas. Origin stories are having a moment, and this one which I have never seen entertained, is Aunt Em's story - coming from Ireland with her sisters, her life in Chicago, yearning for the prairie life, and her hand in raising Dorothy. While nods to the original text are plentiful, if not obvious, to me this was a first class historical fiction about the boom and bust of the over-developed prairies in the USA and the dust bowl and the fallout. I enjoy Gaynor's historical fiction and felt that this approach was new and fresh. There are moments where the story is dry, pun intended, but that was also the time period.
I would recommend this to patrons looking for another origin story - but one that stays in reality and not in Oz. 4* rounded up from 3.5
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this advance reader copy - all opinions expressed are my own.

Before Dorothy is the imaginative story of Auntie Em and Uncle Henry from The Wizard of Oz before and when their niece Dorothy Gale comes to live with them in Kansas. Not only were the details that shaped the fantastic Oz story sprinkled throughout, Ms. Gaynor did an admirable job of setting the story in its rich historical context -- 1920s Chicago, the Great Depression, the years-long drought and killing dust storms caused by the over-farming of the plains, barnstormers, traveling shows, the migration west.

Heartbreaking at times with its personal tragedies--particularly the loss of Emily's sister, Annie and her tycoon husband, John, in a tragic boating accident, which leaves prairie farmers Emily and Henry as Dorothy's legal guardians--and steeped in the epic man-vs-nature struggle, the book explores the themes of family and home, hope and despair. For me this book was a page turner from the first sentence. It is due to be published in June and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Ms. Gaynor for providing me with an ARC.

The Wizard of Oz has been part of my life in many forms from childhood through adulthood, so I was delighted at the chance to read a story about Auntie Em and how Dorothy came to be with them.

This story stays true to things we know about Dorothy, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry from the Wizard of Oz, with many delightful references to the original, the movie and other works in the Wizard of Oz world such as Wicked. I loved reading little moments about the Lion, Tinman and Scarecrow, the silver slippers, dreams of flying monkeys, and many many more fun Easter eggs throughout the book.

But what really made this story engaging, was the new story of Emily. Where she came from, who she was, her relationship with her sisters and her desire for something more than what city life had to offer. Something she could work for and call her own. Kansas, and Henry.

It felt special to sit with her through heartbreak, and trials. Incorporating historical events like living through the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression made the story feel real in addition to the magic.

This book filled in some holes I didn’t know were even missing. But what never changes is the idea of home. Being with those we love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.