Finding Dorothy: A Novel
Discover the story behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that inspired the iconic film, through the eyes of author L. Frank Baum’s intrepid wife, Maud, in this richly imagined novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion and The Perfect Horse.
“A breathtaking read that will transport you over the rainbow and into the heart of one of America’s most enduring fairy tales.”—Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours
Hollywood, 1938: As soon as she learns that M-G-M is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, Maud Gage Baum, now in her seventies, sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set. Nineteen years after Frank’s passing, Maud is the only person who can help the producers stay true to the spirit of the book—she’s the only one left who knows its secrets.
But the moment she hears Judy Garland rehearsing the first notes of “Over the Rainbow,” Maud recognizes the yearning that defined her own life story, from her youth as a suffragist’s daughter to her hardscrabble prairie years with Frank, which inspired The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Judy reminds Maud of a young girl she cared for in South Dakota, a dreamer who never got a happy ending. Now, with the young girl under pressure from the studio as well as from her ambitious stage mother, Maud resolves to protect Judy—the way she tried so hard to protect the real Dorothy.
“A breathtaking read that will transport you over the rainbow and into the heart of one of America’s most enduring fairy tales.”—Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours
Hollywood, 1938: As soon as she learns that M-G-M is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, Maud Gage Baum, now in her seventies, sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set. Nineteen years after Frank’s passing, Maud is the only person who can help the producers stay true to the spirit of the book—she’s the only one left who knows its secrets.
But the moment she hears Judy Garland rehearsing the first notes of “Over the Rainbow,” Maud recognizes the yearning that defined her own life story, from her youth as a suffragist’s daughter to her hardscrabble prairie years with Frank, which inspired The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Judy reminds Maud of a young girl she cared for in South Dakota, a dreamer who never got a happy ending. Now, with the young girl under pressure from the studio as well as from her ambitious stage mother, Maud resolves to protect Judy—the way she tried so hard to protect the real Dorothy.
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Community Reviews
I absolutely love the story I have always loved the movie and to hear a new story was absolutely thrilling
This is a must must must read for anyone who loves the Wizard of Oz with a bonus of woman’s suffrage and movie history!
I enjoyed reading more about the wife of L. Frank Baum. The author appears to have researched her subject well, and I think did a decent job of making it an interesting read. I would have liked to have heard more about Maud's life after the success of the book and more about what happened to her niece (she says one sentence in the afterword). I wavered between a 3 and a 4 on the rating - it's more like 3.5, mostly because it seemed to be a little repetitive towards the end.
Historical fiction from the view of how the woman, behind the man viewed life. This is always a favorite of mine. Why were more stories not captured this way? Elizabeth Letts allows the reader to see Maude Baum during different times of her life always with the love for her husband remaining constant. Life is not easy when you marry a dreamer. Maude's ability to be able to see her husband's vision on the big screen, as told by Letts makes you feel like her life was complete. The trials and sacrifices that Maud, herself had to make to ensure that Frank's vision came to life following up on it long after he passed away. In the end she too is able to understand how dreams change and with the times such as the introduction of technicolor his dreams still remain magical sometimes even brighter. Great book and loved the story being told from a different angle because we all know and love of the wonderful children's classic The Wizard of Oz and can relate to the making of the great film.
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