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''Was'' (or ''Was''... in the UK edition) is a WFA nominated〔(【引用サイトリンク】 1993 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 1992 novel by American author Geoff Ryman, focusing on themes by L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and the musical 1939 film version. Ranging across time and space from the late 1800s of Kansas, to the late 1980s in California. The concept of ''Was'' is an adult parallel to the magical Land of Oz, that never existed as a real place like in Baum's book. Instead, the novel explores the tragic, but very moving life of "Dorothy Gael" in 1800s Kansas, whose traumatic experiences with her unloving Aunt Emily and abusive Uncle Henry after her mother's death lead her to create an imaginary and idealized world in her mind based on some of her real-life experiences. Throughout the story, Dorothy uses this as way of coping with her harsh and bleak reality. The book also goes into depth about the importance of a healthy, stable childhood and explores the unhappy life of Judy Garland as she plays Dorothy Gale in the 1939 movie. The novel tells the stories of the characters and how they are connected to one another without the characters themselves ever truly realizing it. ==Plot summary== The novel is separated into three parts, ''"Winter Kitchen"'', ''"Summer Kitchen"'', and ''"Oz Circle"''. The primary focus is put on Jonathan, a gay male actor with AIDS who goes on a pilgrimage of sorts to Manhattan, Kansas and the "real" (in the novel) Dorothy on whom the book's version of L. Frank Baum based the character. Other important characters include Baum himself, who makes an appearance as a substitute teacher in Kansas. Also Millie, a makeup girl on the set of the original MGM musical version and narrates an unforgettable encounter with its lead actress, Judy Garland. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Was (novel)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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