Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

Finding Dorothy

by Elizabeth Letts

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.

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

2 of 5 stars

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I am a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz and in 2009 I read The Real Wizard of Oz by Rebecca Loncraine, one of the books Letts used in her research so I was excited to read this historical fiction take on the creation of Oz. Overall, the story is interesting, but seems to lack emotion. There just wasn’t enough of a connection between Maud’s emotional connection to the Oz stories and her assumed passion to making sure the movie honored the book. As an avid reader and movie geek, I understand that need for an adaptation to be “just right,”, but it just didn’t show upon the page until too late.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 17 February, 2019: Finished reading
  • 17 February, 2019: Reviewed