Book Review for The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra

 The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra

Published December 5, 2023 by Berkley

 

Taken from Goodreads:  A woman learns to follow her own road in this heartwarming novel inspired by The Wizard of Oz by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

Dorothy “Dee” Gale is searching for a place to belong. After their globe-trotting mother’s death, Dee and her sister Toni settled with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Kansas, where Dee attends graduate school. But when Dee’s relationship with a faculty member, a bestselling novelist, ends in heartbreak and humiliation, she’s caught in a tornado of negative publicity. Unable to face her colleagues—or her former lover—Dee applies to the writing program at Trinity College Dublin.

Dee’s journey to Ireland leads her to new companions: seemingly brainless Sam Clery—who dropped out of college and now runs a newsagent’s shop—is charming and hot, in a dissolute, Irish poet kind of way; allegedly heartless Tim Woodman—who stiffly refused to take back his ex-fiancée—seems stuck in his past; and fiercely loyal Reeti Kaur, who longs for the courage to tell her parents she wants to teach underprivileged girls rather than work in the family business.

In a year of opportunities and changes, love and loss, Dee is mentored by powerful women in the writing program, challenging her to see herself and her work with new eyes. With her friends, Dee finds the confidence to confront her biggest fears—including her intimidating graduate advisor, who may not be so wicked after all.

Faced with a choice with far-reaching consequences, Dee must apply the lessons she’s learned along the way about making a family, finding a home...and recognizing the power that’s been inside her all along.

 

My Thoughts:  I love fairytale retellings.  This is the first Wizard of Oz one that I have read, and I love it.   Virginia Kantra took a familiar story and brought it into the current time and did it perfectly.  

 Dee (aka Dorothy) has started a new journey to find a way to finish her college education and start the career she has always wanted in writing.  The new journey has her opening her eyes, looking at what she always believed, and seeing how her reactions to life caused the decisions she made.    She was forced to grow up at a young age and made “safe” decisions her entire life.   With her new journey she was forced to step outside her comfort zone, rely on others for help, and stand up for herself.  

 I read and loved Virginia Kantra’s Little Women retelling and was so excited to see that she was writing another.   I recommend picking up your own copying and visiting Oz (or Dublin) for a great book.

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Meet Virginia Kantra (taken from her website):  New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra is the author of over thirty novels about strong women, messy families, and the search for a place to call home. Her stories have earned numerous awards including two Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Awards, and two National Readers’ Choice Awards.

Her most recent novels, Meg & Jo and Beth & Amy (inspired by the classic Little Women) received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the American Library Association’s Booklist and praise from People Magazine.

Married to her college sweetheart, Virginia lives in North Carolina.

She loves to hear from readers! Find her on Instagram and Facebook.