This richly imagined novel tells 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.
“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, seventy-seven-year-old Maud Gage Baum 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—because 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 suffragette’s daughter to her coming of age as one of the first women in the Ivy League, from her blossoming romance with Frank to the hardscrabble prairie years that inspired The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Judy reminds Maud of a young girl she cared for and tried to help in South Dakota, a dreamer who never got her happy ending. Now, with the young actress under pressure from the studio as well as her ambitious stage mother, Maud resolves to protect her—the way she tried so hard to protect the real Dorothy.
The author of two New York Times bestselling nonfiction books*, The Eighty-Dollar Champion* and The Perfect Horse, Elizabeth Letts is a master at discovering and researching a rich historical story and transforming it into a page-turner. Finding Dorothy is the result of Letts’s journey into the amazing lives of Frank and Maud Baum. Written as fiction but based closely on the truth, Elizabeth Letts’s new book tells a story of love, loss, inspiration, and perseverance, set in America’s heartland.
Praise for Finding Dorothy
“In some ways reminiscent of Jerry Stahl’s excellent I, Fatty, Letts’ Finding Dorothy combines exhaustive research with expansive imagination, blending history and speculation into a seamless tapestry. . . . It’s a testament to Letts’ skill that she can capture on the page, without benefit of audio, that same emotion we have all felt sometime over the last 80 years while listening to ‘Over the Rainbow.’”—BookPage (starred review)
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Great novel for Wizard of Oz fans. Plausible story and someone had to fight to create that story of Oz that so many know.
Loved this book! Fiction but the author did lots of research. Truly entertaining. Great for book club discussion.
Dorothy, as in The Wizard of Oz: Maud Baums, wife of author L. Frank Baums, is tasked to ensure that the role of Dorothy is properly presented in the filming of and eventual movie, The Wizard of Oz. This premise allows us to explore the life and times of Maud and Frank, and to decide for ourselves just who Dorothy is.
The daughter of feminist suffragette, Matilda Gage, Maud is independent, outspoken and determined to live the life she wants. L. Frank Baum is an actor, writer, theatre owner, which makes him perfectly unsuitable for a proper young woman. We follow the Baums through their travels and homes and children, dream, loves and losses. Fascinating.
An avid reader, I have to say this is hands-down the best book I’ve read in two years. The past and present are just so well entwined as the story moves seamlessly through 6 decades of history. We move from Judy Garland’s treatment on the set to Maud’s niece’s dismal life on an impoverished South Dakota farm to the Baum’s failure to have a daughter. And to the success, culminating in The Wizard of Oz.
Amazing research and storytelling! Enrich yourself. Who doesn’t love the movie? Well, except for the flying monkeys, that is.
I learned a lot about the story of the Wizard of Oz. Great read
A wonderful fictionized story of how the author and his wife Maud were instrumental in creating the beginnings of the movie The Wizard of Oz. From Maud’s childhood and the scarecrow next door to falling in love with author L. Frank Baum, you too will be swept up in the land of Oz.
I loved this book!
I kept wondering when it would end, but try to not put down a book that I have not finished reading!
Boring, wordy, wish I hadn’t started it!
A wonderful fiction form history lesson on a charming subject…the development of the conception of the book & filming of the classic movie The Wizard of Oz through the story of the writer’s inspiring wife,Maud Baum.
This was a wonderful look into the life of the L. Frank Baum family, the writing of the Wizard of Oz and the making of the movie. While this is historical fiction, it was obvious that the author spent a lot of time researching what went into the book and I greatly appreciated it.
I have always loved The Wizard of Oz and was so happy to read more about how it came to be. From the tough times L. Frank Baum’s family went through as he searched for his niche in the world to Maude’s childhood and her mother’s huge impact on the women’s suffragette movement, I was drawn in and just didn’t want it to end.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m not usually a fan of historical fiction, but this book and another I read recently (The Beantown Girls) may have changed that for me. I have already purchased copies of this for friends and can’t seem to help recommending it to others.
This author has a gift. She truly made me feel like I was there during the events of this book and I will definitely be reading more of her work.
Thank you so very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me an ARC at my request. My thoughts of on this novel are my own.
The studio doctor told Judy Garland to smoke 80 cigarettes a day???? Did you know that the tin man’s costume in the Wizard of Oz was made of buckram (linen or cloth fabric-I had to look it up) covered with leather and spray-painted? I’m loving this book I’m reading! #findingdorothy #netgalley
Buddy Epsen, who was initially cast in the movie had a horrific allergic reaction to the aluminum paint and could not play the tin man. Like the author, I also was born in the 60s and grew up watching The Wizard of Oz on television every year around the holidays. Also like the author, I couldn’t wait until that time of year to watch it with my own children. If, like me, you are a fan of L. Frank Baum’s story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and love historical fiction, I think you will love this story written from Frank’s wife, Maud’s perspective. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I’ve always adored Elizabeth Lett’s writing and her return to fiction with FINDING DOROTHY proves her versatility as well as her virtuosity. I haven’t finished yet, but I can already tell she has a real winner here!!!