Widow Of Oz [Hardcover]

Kathryn Knight (Author)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 1 pages
Publisher: WW Norton (Dec 6 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393026698
ISBN-13: 978-0393026696
Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 15.5 x 3 cm
Shipping Weight: 544 g

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Many of the characters in this thoughtful, appealing novel by the author of Trace Elements spend their time worrying that they are, or appear to be, weird. Instead, they are ordinary in a privileged way. Named after the heroine of the Wizard of Oz and given a dog named Toto, Dorothy has "never been entirely comfortable" about being identified with her fictional counterpart, to whom things seem to happen in a random manner. Marriage to a cardiologist involved her in another role, that of perfect wife and nurturer of two super-achieving children. Now, suddenly widowed at age 52 (ironically, her husband dropped dead while jogging), Dorothy finds herself for the first time acting in a drama for which she has no script. Her coping strategies, which include a correspondence with her son's primatologist girlfriend, are engaging for the most part, though the story drifts a bit when Dorothy moves to an island off Maine. Yet the ending works nicely, with Dorothy, caught alone in a fog at sea, coming fully to terms with a loss that she refuses to let overwhelm her.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Imagery from the The Wizard of Oz and parallels with a baboon family lighten this story of a new widow's learning to cope with grief, officious relatives, and the stock market. At 52, Dorothy Silver is whisked away from a gracious house and soft life to be deposited in a half-finished Boston condo by her beloved husband, who then drops dead while jogging. Full of anger, Dorothy begins questioning old values and corresponding with a primatologist in Africa, eventually finding the spirit to defy public opinion, manage her own money, buy a cottage on a Maine island, and plunge into life again. Knight, author of Atlantic Circle ( LJ 12/84), writes with great energy and good humor. Recommended for public libraries.
- Maurice Taylor, Brunswick Cty. Lib., Southport, N.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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