Before Dorothy

by

Hazel Gaynor

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?

REVIEW

This story is based on the characters from The Wizard of Oz, but mainly about Dorothy's Auntie Em. She marries a lovely man called Henry and they buy land in Kansas to farm wheat. All seems to be going very well with plentiful crops until the rains never came, but plenty of tornados and winds like you could never imagine. 

Emily's (Auntie Em) sister Annie and her husband John are tragically killed in their home town of Chicago and in Annie's will she states that she wants Emily to be the guardian to her daughter Dorothy. 

When Emily brings Dorothy back to the farm in Kansas she is unsure how she is going to bring her up when there are no crops and therefore no money coming in. Dorothy is having weird nightmares (you can guess what about!) and also sleepwalks, therefore Uncle Henry brings home a dog to help protect Dorothy at night and to keep her company. Of course, Dorothy names him Toto.

The author very cleverly introduces characters that you just know are based on people in the book i.e. Wicked Witch of the West, The Good Witch etc and Dorothy has toys such as a furry lion and a tin man in a small box that was made by Emily's father when she was a child. 

I am a huge fan of this author and so couldn't wait to read this one and it didn't disappoint. The attention to detail to the characters and the research was superb. 

A real page turner from beginning to end which left me very emotional (yes I had a cry!)

Rosie's Dilemma

by

Jennie Felton

When war is declared in September 1939, Rosie Mitchell reluctantly returns from London to the Somerset mining town of Hillsbridge to be with her widowed mother. She had fled to the city some years earlier to escape the heartache and shame of a disastrous end to her relationship with the man she has always loved, and still does. Now she will once more be brought face to face with him, and with her rival and childhood friend, Anne Hastings.

Back in her hometown, there is no avoiding the attentions of Julian Edgell, the charming doctor who had broken her heart. But another man too comes into her life. A man she finds very attractive, but who will disclose nothing about himself. Can she trust either of them? Or will her heart be broken all over again?

Rosie's dilemma unfolds against the backdrop of war with all its hardship, danger, heroism and sacrifice. as well as the anxiety for loved ones which no-one, be they ordinary working folk or local aristocracy, can escape.

REVIEW

Rosie and Freda have moved from the Somerset village of Hillsbridge to Bermondsey in South East London, but when war breaks out in 1939 Rosie's feels it's time to go home to be with her widowed mother Winnie, but she feels torn about returning as she left to get over a romance with aristocrat Julian Edgell, who was the boyfriend of her once best friend Anne Hastings. 

Frances Hastings (Anne's mother) owns the grand house in Hillsbridge and Winnie works for her and when war is declared Frances takes it upon herself to be the leader of the local WVS (Women's Voluntary Service) and is trying to enrol all the ladies of the village (including Winnie). She also takes on an evacuee called Billy, who she may live to regret taking under her wing!

Freda decides to leave London also and joins the Land Army and is lucky enough to be sent to a farm not far from Hillsbridge and as soon as she arrives, she knows that this was the right decision for her and the farmer isn't bad looking either!

When Rosie is at Waterloo train station waiting for her train back to Somerset, she is accosted by some boys and a dashing Army Officer Clarke intervenes and fends them off and ends up being on the same train and so keeps Rosie company until they get to their destination. 

After a while there is a dance that is organised by Frances Hastings in the village and Clarke decides it is time he met up with Rosie again as he had taken quite a shine to her, but were Rosie's feelings mutual?

Rosie decides she quite likes the dashing Irishman and she goes to the dance with him and so starts a romance between them, but Rosie can't seem to forget Julian, so will this come between her and Clarke?

Rosie throws herself into the war effort and becomes an ambulance driver and also learns nursing skills where these are put to good use on a "secret" mission to France when Clarke asks her to accompany him to try to bring a family back to England who were in extreme danger from the Germans, little did Rosie realise how close to home this mission would be.

This was such a great story and even though this is one of the longest books I think I have read, it captured me from beginning to end. It had a great mix of characters (some I didn't like at all!) and even Rosie had me shaking my head sometimes because I just wanted her to come to her senses sooner rather than later!

This is another great read by the author and I have read nearly all of her books. Thoroughly researched with great detail of the war effort and characters that you will love, hate and everything in between!

Can't wait for the next one...