I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook! The experience from the narrator was fantastic and really kept me interested and helped keep the different characters straight in my head! The book itself was such a fantastic read and I enjoyed the crazy ride. There were many twists and turns I didn’t see coming! It was hard for me to put this book down so I finished it fairly quickly! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!

This was heartbreaking, both in the story and in the author's note at the end. I think it did a great job of showing how, as a society, we jump to conclusions and hide behind religion. It also highlights the lack of rights and autonomy of women during the time period. I also love the twist in how L F Baum might have gotten the idea to write The Wizard of Oz.

Oh my gosh. What an interesting take on the classic 'Wizard of Oz'.
While I found the narration bouncing between 21st century and what should have been 19th sometimes confusing. But the overall premise and storyline was remarkable.

In this newest take on The Wizard of Oz, we are taken back to Kansas in the mid 19th century where after a devastating tornado has ripped through town, Dorothy has reappeared after being missing for 4 days. Now that she is back, she is being treated by a psychiatrist because of her wildly unbelievable story about talking lions, scarecrows, tin men, wizards and witches! These stories are considered wicked and in this deeply bigoted town, the community is on edge by all that she has to say and wants her to be locked away at an Asylum for the Insane.

This is a dark retelling of the infamous Wizard Oz story. It also serves to expose the bigotry of the time. I am not one for retellings but this was an interesting premise with plenty to unpack about society and its beliefs in rural America in the 19th century.

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for a gifted audio version of this novel.

This Wizard of Oz retelling takes on an interesting twist of battling misogyny and women deemed hysterical/delusional . I liked that it was a unique take while still referencing some of the original story.

What a concept! A murder mystery set in a rural town in Kansas right after the infamous tornado that took Dorothy to Oz.
Dorothy is back, the local recluse is murdered, and the town folk only see what they want to see.
Loved the book from the beginning to the end. A fascinating examination of a rural town community at the end of the 19th century in the aftermath of the tragedies, both natural and man-made.

{4.5 stars}

Thanks to Macmillian Audio for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

I love re-tellings and there are some great Wizard of Oz ones. This story takes a slightly different tact, we join the small town, Sunbonnet, Kansas as Dorothy is found after the twister. The town has been looking for her and thinks her mad after hearing her story and the body to match her story. She is placed in an insane asylum and we are with her as the psychiatrist questions her and the town investigates the murder. The psychiatrist is a woman and knows what it's like to be discounted in the 1890's Midwest and as such she wants to give Dorothy the benefit of the doubt.

I loved the gritty crime mystery angle of the story. The idea that Oz was just made up by a young girl with a fantastical imagination is certainly alluded to at the end of the original story but seeing it in black and white was really cool. I appreciated seeing the realities women faced in those days from a little orphan girl to a farm wife to a professional woman. The mystery was great and the procedural part was really well done.

I loved that After Oz was a mishmash of genres- historical fiction, murder mystery, fantasy, and a retelling of The Wizard of Oz. To me, it was dark comedy, as I laughed and chuckled throughout. This was an interesting take on the aftermath of the tornado and how it upended the life of Dorothy Gale. “In vivid detail, Dorothy describes a fantastical land and its magical inhabitants: a scarecrow, a tin man, a cowardly lion, a wizard, a witch. Her recollections are not only regarded as delusional, but also as pagan and diabolical in nature, especially when the body of a local spinster is found matching Dorothy’s description of a witch she claims to have killed. Authorities find incriminating evidence tying Dorothy to the real murder, and they sentence Dorothy to the Topeka Insane Asylum.” I was saddened to hear in the afterword that the author had died in 2021. ALC was provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley. I received an advance listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The story of what happens to Dorothy after returning to Kansas is one that was always on my mind. How can one just return to normalcy after experiencing such wonder?

Gordon tells the story of the aftermath of Dorothy’s return that offers us mystery, thriller, and found family. Gordon captures small town politics perfectly and this truly felt like a wonderful addition to The Wizard of Oz storyline we all know and love.

Gordon unfortunately passed away but this book is one of his many legacies and I am truly grateful I was given this ARC copy of After Oz. May Gordon’s legacy continue to inspire others.

3.5 stars. This re-envisioning of the Wizard of Oz was a unique and interesting spin on a classic that I love. The writing was a bit dry at times, and the mystery aspect was definitely more of a slow burn. Although I enjoyed the whole idea of the plot, the pacing was off, and the story definitely dragged at times. I would recommend this one if you are looking for something just a bit different in your reading.

This book was very good! I enjoyed the way that the Wizard of Oz was viewed in this book and how they viewed life from the late 1800s when it comes to a child discussing Oz and how women are not really trusted to be doctors or anyone of significance if they are not mothers.

The story takes place after Dorothy returns from Oz and what unfolds in the days and months after. Many believe that Dorothy is crazy because of her stories about Oz and how she melted the witch. The wonderful doctor who traveled to Topeka, Kansas to meet with Dorothy and be apart of her care team does have ulterior motives and was my favorite character by far. Dr Evelyn Grace Wilford does not accept Dorothy's sentence to the asylum and sets out to find out the truth.

Thank you Dreamscape Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced readers copy!

Thank you to the late #GordonMcAlpine, @crookedlanebooks & @dreamscape_media for the #gifted #ARC & #audiobook of #AfterOz

The Wizard of Oz holds a special place in my heart from childhood & I adore anything related to it.

After Oz is a story that puts a spin on the story we all know & love. Dorothy has returned from Oz, but as she tells the story of her adventures in Oz, all of the adults (mainly the men), decide that she’s gone mad. Making it worse, part of Dorothy’s tale is that she caused a witch to melt by throwing a bucket of water on her. So, when the townsfolk find the local spinster, considered to be a witch by the town, dead with what appears to be her face melted off, it’s immediately decided to ship Dorothy off to an insane asylum.

Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford is a young psychologist who employs newer techniques. She arrives at the asylum specifically to work with Dorothy. It only takes one interview for Dr. Wilford to question whether Dorothy actually committed the crime that she’s been committed for. As Dorothy’s only hope of ever getting out of the asylum, Dr. Wilford sets off to investigate what happened.

This story is far from the magical story of The Wizard of Oz. The large focus is set on prejudice in small towns & religious bigotry, which were common in the 19th century Midwest. As we learn, going against the societal norm in this time period would have you condemned & committed. Further, once committed, it is next to impossible to regain your freedom. The ending was very satisfying, although a bit far-fetched. But this is fiction after all!

Don’t have expectations that this will be a retelling & you’ll enjoy it. This is NOT a retelling. It’s an alternate/continuation of Dorothy’s story after she returns to Kansas.

I rate this one 4 Stars

#2024 #August #NewRelease #MustRead #TBR #Bookstagram #Read #Reading #Book #Audio #Review #Fiction #Adult #Thriller #Mystery #Suspense #Historical #Fantasy #Retellings

After Oz is a story of what happened to Dorothy after she got back from Oz. Its a dark retelling in a way. It ended up being a lot better than I thought it would be. Who actually thought how Dorothy's life would be after she went back to Kansas. I really enjoyed it. What a story.
I really enjoyed listening to Maria Ru-Djen, she brought the story to life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kansas, 1896 - A tornado has hit a small town in Kansas and 11-year-old Dorothy Gale is missing. When she's finally found after 4 days of searching, she tells a fantastical tale of a beautiful land, where witches and wizards and talking animals abound. Her small town is horrified, especially after the body of a local spinster is found and Dorothy is blamed for the murder; which looks to be the way she claimed to have killed a "witch" in Oz.
After learning of Dorothy's predicament, Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford comes to Kansas from NY to see if she can discern the truth of her claim (and maybe solve the murder). But the townspeople are tight-lipped and staunch in their faith and secrets will have to come out if Evelyn wants to help Dorothy.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio e-arc.*

I loved everything about this so much. I loved the different perspectives, I loved the imagery, I especially loved the narration. I can't even get over that amazing ending!

After Oz
By Gordon McAlpine

Thank you so much partner @crookedlanebooks @dreamscapemedia for the gifted ARC and audiobook.

Blurb:
This gripping and emotionally riveting tale is a dark and timely retelling of The Wizard of Oz, where one little girl is forced to face head on the prejudices of the Midwest in the late nineteenth century.

🌪️ My thoughts:
Wow!! What a twisted tale of what happened after Dorothy returns from Oz. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it definitely wasn’t this and I loved it. But that’s a tad bit misleading because Dorothy isn’t even in the book all that much! This book has two POVs. One is a psychologist and the other isn’t specifically revealed. The narrator did a fantastic job with this audiobook! I’m pretty sure I loved the physical book and the audiobook the same! Far from a fairytale, After Oz is dark and probably much more realistic for the time period. This story is creative and ridiculously well done. I mean… even the murder mystery part of this story had some solid twists! Sure it’s called a retelling and you’ll hear about the land of Oz but this book is so much more than that. I already know I’m going to need to get myself a finished copy when it hits shelves tomorrow, 8/6/24! I highly recommend giving this twisted tale a read/listen.

Happy reading 📖 🌪️

What an interesting retelling! This is an historical fiction book about the aftermath of the events in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy Gale went missing for some days after the tornado that devastated her Aunt and Uncle's farm. Being found days later with an unbelievable story and a suspicious death in the community, Dorothy finds herself in psychiatric care. Dorothy finds a friend in Dr. Evelyn Wilford who confronts the small town to find the truth of events.
Evelyn is a tenacious character who confronts prejudice as she fights to find out the truth for her young patient. This is an interesting look at small town life in middle America in the late 1800s as well as psychiatric care. We have a long way to go with our mental health care system, but at least we have made some advances! I love the way that it doesn't really matter to the story whether or not Dorothy went to Oz. Different characters use her story in different ways for their own ends.
I listened to the book and I think the narrator, Maria Ru-Djen, did an excellent job. I looked up her other narrations and she doesn't have many but I hope that changes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance listening copy of this book for review purposes.

2.5 Stars

While the story started off promising, it took an unexpected direction and felt a bit repetitive at times. I had hoped for something different. Overall not for me, but I'm just an outlier.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Gordon McAlpine, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

(5.0 Stars)

This book is simply delightful to read. I have to admit that I was a little worried by the overly generous inclusion of biblical passages and *almost* proselytizing. But my worries were unfounded. I think the author (IMHO) used the Bible, and it's claim of "moral superiority" to showcase the contradictory nature of how people truly act, to how they conveniently omit certain actions or outright lie to justify their "goodness". Okay, rant over :)

Back to the book. This is a story of what happens after the movie (The Wizard of Oz) ends. It is part fan-fiction, part noir detective/mystery, and wholly enjoyable. The characters feel real, and the story follows a logical path to its conclusion.

Fans of Gregory Maguire should really like this book. I am fortunate to have come across this book on NetGalley, because otherwise it probably would not have been on my radar at all. This author has a beautiful writing style and is descriptive without being boring. Unfortunately, this is the author's final work, and I think his first audiobook offering. My hope is that this is well received, and more of his earlier works will become available as audiobook offerings, other than his YA series about Edgar Allen Poe.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Upon her return from Oz, Dorothy is met with a shocking turn of events as she is accused of murdering a local woman who perished shortly after the tornado, providing a captivating and unforeseen twist on the classic story. Although the overall story was intriguing, it suffered from sluggish pacing at times.3.5 ⭐️