REVIEW: The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale: Forced to flee to Dublin after news breaks out about her affair with her professor, Dorothy Dee Gale begins her journey anticipating the worst and hoping for the best after applying for the writing program at Trinity College.

As a super cute and modern re-telling of the Wizard of Oz, Dee meets some key people on her journey that help underpin the key themes of friendship, adventure and ‘know thyself’, whilst hammering home the fundamental concept that enormous courage is needed to truly follow your dreams. Loosely modelled off of the characters from Oz, Scarecrow, Tinman, Witch and toto, each leave a huge mark on her life, and challenge her to become the woman she has the potential to be.

Despite being a re-telling, the narrative in and of itself was well constructed and the quality of writing evident in the intricacies of character development that was consistent throughout. Having both an air of harsh realism and an element of magic due to the Irish setting, it is unfathomable to not want our lead lady to come out on top as she learns to walk the path she was destined to walk.

With some heartwarming character reveals and the classic themes holding strong, this was a great read and is highly recommended for those who love HEAs beyond just the romance.
 

Book Info:

Publication: 5th December 2023 | Berkley |

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.