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The Death of Primrose Whittaker
1924, Put to work as a fortune teller by her cruel mother, reluctant psychic Primrose communes with the souls of the lost and lonely. She believes she's destined to die on the eve of her twenty-second birthday, but that evening passes, and she finds herself alive but unable to tolerate one more day of the fortune teller life.
Desperate to do good with her painful visions, she discovers a sanitorium where psychics gather, and she journeys across Oregon to find more of her kind. She meets a host of new friends who teach her to accept her gifts. However, Primrose quickly learns the hospital and its heralded doctor aren't what they seem. He treats residents with a special opium that eradicates their psychic visions—with disastrous side effects. It becomes a race against the clock to save herself and her found family from the evil doctor who's convinced that Primrose is the answer to his quest for domination.
Rooted in historical realities, this Wizard of Oz reimagining takes readers on a fantastical adventure with unique twists and a thrilling dip into the spirit realm. Pick up your copy of this spellbinding tale where good and evil battle for ultimate power.
Desperate to do good with her painful visions, she discovers a sanitorium where psychics gather, and she journeys across Oregon to find more of her kind. She meets a host of new friends who teach her to accept her gifts. However, Primrose quickly learns the hospital and its heralded doctor aren't what they seem. He treats residents with a special opium that eradicates their psychic visions—with disastrous side effects. It becomes a race against the clock to save herself and her found family from the evil doctor who's convinced that Primrose is the answer to his quest for domination.
Rooted in historical realities, this Wizard of Oz reimagining takes readers on a fantastical adventure with unique twists and a thrilling dip into the spirit realm. Pick up your copy of this spellbinding tale where good and evil battle for ultimate power.
325 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2025
7 people are currently reading
4523 people want to read
About the author
Kerry Chaput
10 books370 followersKerry Chaput is an award-winning historical fiction author who writes about daring women with loads of adventure and a splash of magic. Kerry’s writing has been an Historical Novel Society editor’s choice, with Midwest Book Review calling her a “Master of the genre.” She’s also been a finalist for Sarton Women’s Book Award and the Chaucer Book Award for early historical fiction. Born in California, she now calls the Pacific Northwest home. Kerry frequents hiking trails, coffee shops, and independent bookstores near her home in Bend, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 25, 2025
Set in 1924 Oregon, this is the author's reimagining of the Wizard of Oz and she hit a homerun. Primrose was forced to be a fortune teller/psychic by her mother, and she hated deceiving people in their fortunes. She had a vision that she was supposed to die when she turned 22, but that night, her spirit guide, Gwendolyn, came to her and put her on a path that changed her life-she had to save the three-colored man. Primrose went on a journey to a sanitorium where other psychics gathered. In her travels, she meets new friends who each have their own issues to work through. Three men she met were described as three-colored men: Finn, Oliver, and Ash (the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man) . Who was she to save? At the hospital, the so-called miracle doctor there is using unscrupulous methods to "cure" the psychics. Primrose needs to use all she has learned to save herself and her friends.
I loved this story and how each character revealed more about themselves as they experienced life and met new people. The way each character made both good and not so good decisions pealed back layers of their personality. The surprise connections between some of the characters was masterful. I was thoroughly entertained as I connected characters between this story and the Wizard of Oz. The final chapter wrapped up where the characters were one year later and that was very satisfying as a reader. The Author's Note explained the historically true parts of this story, especially the hotel/sanitarium in Oregon.
If you love a retelling or a reimagining, such as James by Percival Everett, Circe by Madeline Miller or Matched in Merriweather by Michelle Cox, or are just looking for a character driven historical fiction story, I highly recommend this one!
#TheDeathofPrimroseWhittaker @kerrywrites #kerrychaput
Thank you to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
I loved this story and how each character revealed more about themselves as they experienced life and met new people. The way each character made both good and not so good decisions pealed back layers of their personality. The surprise connections between some of the characters was masterful. I was thoroughly entertained as I connected characters between this story and the Wizard of Oz. The final chapter wrapped up where the characters were one year later and that was very satisfying as a reader. The Author's Note explained the historically true parts of this story, especially the hotel/sanitarium in Oregon.
If you love a retelling or a reimagining, such as James by Percival Everett, Circe by Madeline Miller or Matched in Merriweather by Michelle Cox, or are just looking for a character driven historical fiction story, I highly recommend this one!
#TheDeathofPrimroseWhittaker @kerrywrites #kerrychaput
Thank you to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
November 3, 2025
Kerry Chaput’s The Death of Primrose Whittaker dazzles with a blend of imagination, heartache, and hope. With a story that draws upon the genius of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, Chaput reimagines the journey of self-discovery and redemption by crafting a tale that feels like stepping onto a yellow brick road paved with memory, regret, and the fragile shimmer of second chances.
Primrose Whittaker herself is an unforgettable protagonist. She is a woman fractured by loss and longing, struggling to find her way home. Chaput’s creativity shines in how she reshapes familiar archetypes into deeply human companions, each bearing their own scars and secrets. Her characters are flawed in the most beautiful ways, and by the time the final page turns, you’ll want to take their hands and whisper that the way forward is brighter than what they’ve left behind.
Chaput’s prose also glitters like Glinda / Gwendolyn’s gown with both tenderness and truth. “I guess we’re all just broken glass trying to hide our cracks.” Through this quiet confession, the novel reflects what it means to be human, living with the fractures which scar us and still find beauty in the light that seeps through them.
Equally powerful are the relationships that anchor Primrose’s journey. The story leans into the profound theme of found family which Chaput has mastered in her stories. When Primrose reflects, "I stare into the faces of these three men who’ve changed my life, I come to the realization that this is what family means. Sacrifice and trust and letting people love you," Chaput captures the quiet miracle of connection.
With lyrical writing, emotional depth, and a creative spark reminiscent of Baum’s original magic, The Death of Primrose Whittaker proves that even in the darkest journeys, there is always a road that leads home—if only you have the courage to follow it.
Primrose Whittaker herself is an unforgettable protagonist. She is a woman fractured by loss and longing, struggling to find her way home. Chaput’s creativity shines in how she reshapes familiar archetypes into deeply human companions, each bearing their own scars and secrets. Her characters are flawed in the most beautiful ways, and by the time the final page turns, you’ll want to take their hands and whisper that the way forward is brighter than what they’ve left behind.
Chaput’s prose also glitters like Glinda / Gwendolyn’s gown with both tenderness and truth. “I guess we’re all just broken glass trying to hide our cracks.” Through this quiet confession, the novel reflects what it means to be human, living with the fractures which scar us and still find beauty in the light that seeps through them.
Equally powerful are the relationships that anchor Primrose’s journey. The story leans into the profound theme of found family which Chaput has mastered in her stories. When Primrose reflects, "I stare into the faces of these three men who’ve changed my life, I come to the realization that this is what family means. Sacrifice and trust and letting people love you," Chaput captures the quiet miracle of connection.
With lyrical writing, emotional depth, and a creative spark reminiscent of Baum’s original magic, The Death of Primrose Whittaker proves that even in the darkest journeys, there is always a road that leads home—if only you have the courage to follow it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews