Genre: fiction
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Review: My loyal readers will know that I'm typically wary of any book that takes an old favorite and attempts to transpose it on the modern-day. However, I trusted Virginia Kantra with Meg & Jo, and was not disappointed, so I opted to take the plunge with her again as she takes on the fruits of L. Frank Baum's imagination.
This time, my own failure to read the publisher's description closely got me into trouble. The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale is not described as a "modern retelling" of anything, but I assume that it was (perhaps not unfairly), and was therefore disappointed that, aside from the fact that Dorothy lived in Kansas with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, and some cleverly punny character names, there really isn't much relation between this book and either Baum's book, or the movie based on it.
That being the case, I wish Kantra hadn't tied her book to Oz at all. This is an excellent book on it's own, and doesn't need to be propped up by allusions to anyone else's work. Change the names of the characters, and Kantra has given us something original and well-written. Tied to such a cultural touchstone, however, fans are bound to be disappointed.
ps. Oz devotees who haven't read Finding Dorothy must do so, as soon as possible.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
