
Before Dorothy
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Narrated by:
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Saskia Maarleveld
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By:
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Hazel Gaynor
About this listen
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own grand adventure, leaving gritty Chicago behind for Kansas and a life that will utterly change her, in this transporting novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor.
As featured in People ∙ Us Weekly ∙ Woman's World ∙ and more!
Chicago, 1924: Emily and her new husband, Henry, yearn to leave the bustle of Chicago for the promise of their own American dream among the harsh beauty of the prairie. But leaving the city means leaving Emily’s beloved sister, Annie, who was once closer to her than anyone in the world.
Kansas, 1932: Emily and Henry have established their new home among the warmth of the farming community in Kansas. Aligned to the fickle fortunes of nature, their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose, until tragedy strikes and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep.
The wide-eyed child isn’t the only thing to disrupt Emily’s world. Drought and devastating dust storms threaten to destroy everything, and her much-loved home becomes a place of uncertainty and danger. When the past catches up with the present and old secrets are exposed, Emily fears she will lose the most cherished thing of all: Dorothy.
Bursting with courage and heart, Before Dorothy tells the story of the woman who raised a beloved heroine, and ponders the question: what is the true meaning of home?
©2025 Hazel Gaynor (P)2025 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Gaynor's prequel offers a fresh take on the world of Oz, shifting the focus to Auntie Em and Uncle Henry before Dorothy is dropped on their doorstep."—Us Weekly
"Bestselling author Hazel Gaynor does for Dorothy and her family what Wicked did for The Wicked Witch of the West in this Depression-era origin story that peels back the intriguing layers of Auntie Em, the woman who raised Dorothy. Even casual fans of The Wizard of Oz will find their eyes widening in recognition as elements of the land of the Yellow Brick Road—the rainbow itself, the Tin Man, a stuffed lion with the power to comfort, wicked witches, and even fraudster wizards—come alive in the real world of Kansas's Dust Bowl and become the threads that will eventually weave themselves into Dorothy's future. A story as glimmering as the Emerald City and as hopeful as Dorothy herself, Hazel Gaynor's latest is an important and enchanting addition to the canon of Oz."—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau
“In Technicolor prose, Hazel Gaynor gives new meaning to the familiar phrase 'there’s no place like home' in this stunning novel that imagines the real lives of Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, Dorothy, and Toto in the dust bowl of the Depression. Readers will love collecting Easter eggs from the 1939 movie scattered throughout this moving story about family secrets and the enduring power of love. Ingeniously done.”—Kerri Maher, USA Today bestselling author of All You Have To Do Is Call
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Story
In the heart of the US capital, Dinah Kendall's role for the Office of Strategic Services isn't the thrilling espionage career she dreamed of. Instead, she spends her days crafting rumors aimed at undermining Axis morale. As Dinah navigates her duties, she uncovers a startling revelation: Her mother, Lillian, was once a codebreaker, cracking military ciphers during the Great War alongside some of the nation's most brilliant minds. The deeper Dinah dives into her mother's past, the more secrets come to light—including the heavy cost of high-stakes codebreaking.
By: Amy Lynn Green
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These Heathens
- A Novel
- By: Mia McKenzie
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Where do you get an abortion in 1960 Georgia, especially if your small town’s midwife goes to the same church as your parents? For seventeen-year-old Doris Steele, the answer is Atlanta, where her favorite teacher, Mrs. Lucas, calls upon her brash, wealthy childhood best friend, Sylvia, for help. While waiting to hear from the doctor who has agreed to do the procedure, Doris spends the weekend scandalized by, but drawn to, the people who move in and out of Sylvia’s orbit.
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love this author!
- By Shenelle Williams on 06-26-25
By: Mia McKenzie
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My Wife, the Serial Killer
- By: H.J. Garbett
- Narrated by: Imogen Church, Matthew Biddulph
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Fran Donoghue has just killed her neighbour. Don’t worry, you’ll agree, he deserved it. Detective Gareth Donoghue has a terrible feeling about his missing neighbour. By the time this is over, that will be the least of his worries… A dark, sharp and hilarious novel about love, marriage, and murder, with an ending you won’t see coming… Gareth certainly didn’t.
By: H.J. Garbett
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I Did Warn Her
- A Novel
- By: Sian Gilbert
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Imogen Church, Emma Fenney, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The Ophelia is your typical billionaire yacht: ridiculously luxurious, owned by a ruthless money man, and staffed by a crew whose only job is to indulge the guests’ every wish. Model-gorgeous Sasha is a last-minute hire for a weeklong Atlantic crossing. She joins fellow stewardesses Jade, Imogen, Euphemia, and Lola. The Ophelia’s stewardesses are almost identical—blonde and model-gorgeous—and all were lured to the Ophelia by high wages and a chance to leave their problems behind when they set sail. But despite its sleek opulence, the Ophelia isn’t as heavenly as it seems.
By: Sian Gilbert
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The Lost Masterpiece
- A Novel
- By: B. A. Shapiro
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner, Christine Lakin, Hannah Curtis, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Stretching from the late-nineteenth century to the present day, The Lost Masterpiece is wrapped around an enigmatic and powerful painting, Party on the Seine. Stolen by the Nazis. Believed to be destroyed for almost a century. Possibly haunted by the anguished spirit of Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot. Survivor of a flood, an earthquake and a fire when all the other artworks around it were destroyed. What secrets does it hold? What power?
By: B. A. Shapiro
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A Far Better Thing
- By: H. G. Parry
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Priestley
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The faeries stole Sydney Carton as a child, and made him a mortal servant of the Faery Realm. Now, he has a rare opportunity for revenge against the fae and Charles Darnay, the changeling left in his stead.
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So very creative and WELL written and read
- By SKDEB on 06-23-25
By: H. G. Parry
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The Night Sparrow
- A Novel
- By: Shelly Sanders
- Narrated by: Gilli Messer
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Inspired by the real-life female snipers and interpreters in the Red Army during World War II, The Night Sparrow is a portrait of friendship, resilience, courage, and sacrifice under extraordinary circumstances.
By: Shelly Sanders
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Mob Queen
- By: Erin Bledsoe
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the 1930s, Mob Queen follows one woman’s rapid rise through the Mafia as she searches for the truth about what happened to her friend and navigates a perilous relationship with the infamous Bugsy Siegel.
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A Missing Friend; Decent into the Underworld of the Mob
- By Alexander B on 06-23-25
By: Erin Bledsoe
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June in the Garden
- A Novel
- By: Eleanor Wilde
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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A beautiful and heartwarming portrait of a young woman who looks at the world differently, June in the Garden encourages others to do the same. Because thinking unconventionally is not a flaw, it’s often the key to appreciating the wonder and bloom that surrounds us.
By: Eleanor Wilde
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Fulfillment
- A Novel
- By: Lee Cole
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Fulfillment tells the story of two half brothers—Joel, a successful academic and author, whose marriage is in deep trouble, and his younger sibling, Emmett, paralyzed by indecision and working in a shipping warehouse—who find themselves at their family home in Kentucky and upend each other’s lives in devastating ways.
By: Lee Cole
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The Poppy Fields
- A Novel
- By: Nikki Erlick
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Dan Bittner, Stacey Glemboski, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal. Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects. On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog.
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Couldn’t hold my attention
- By sherry shaw on 06-26-25
By: Nikki Erlick
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The Lawyer and the Laundress
- By: Christine Hill Suntz
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Canada, 1837. Widower James Kinney knows his precocious daughter, Evie, needs more than his lessons on law and logic, but Toronto offers few options. Classes with the neighbor children seem ideal until James discovers Evie is secretly spending her time with Sara O’Connor, a kind and mysteriously educated servant. For propriety’s sake, James forbids their friendship. But then Evie falls victim to the illness ravaging the city, and James must call upon Sara’s medical knowledge and her special bond with Evie to save his daughter’s life.
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Reconciliation
- By joyce teague on 06-21-25
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Bug Hollow
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Huneven
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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When Sally Samuelson was eight years old, her golden boy brother Ellis went missing the summer he graduated high school. Ellis finally turned up at the bucolic Bug Hollow, a last gasp of the beautiful Northern California counterculture in the seventies. He had found joy in the communal life there, but died in a freak accident weeks later. From that point, the world of the Samuelsons never spins on the same axis, especially after Julia, Ellis’s girlfriend from Bug Hollow, shows up pregnant on their doorstep.
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Breezy but not deep
- By Mother Of Hope on 06-24-25
By: Michelle Huneven
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