Finding Dorothy is an incredibly compelling and well-crafted novel that truly captures the emotion and detail of the timeless classic, The Wizard of Oz.
Elizabeth Letts expertly explores Maud Gage Baum’s character and story - as the wife of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, her own journey is shown to be equally interesting and complex as Dorothy’s own. Letts explores Maud’s quest to ensure her late husband’s masterpiece is correctly portrayed on the big screen - whilst forming a close bond with its star, Judy Garland.

Through the eyes of Maud, we explore themes of woman’s rights and acceptance in a male dominated world - from her defiant days as a suffragette’s daughter to her remarkable achievements in a male-led Ivy League school.

Overall, Elizabeth Letts paints an enthralling picture of the rich back-story behind The Wizard of Oz and its young star. Weaved into the book’s structure is the strong love of family and respect for Dorothy’s origin story - which has made Finding Dorothy a compelling and well-written novel, as magical as its namesake.

What an amazing story! I started this book with no prior knowledge of what was going to happen or even who the characters were, other than, of course, Judy Garland. I'm so glad I read this book. It will definitely be one I recommend to other people.

This delightful story is based on the making of the movie “The Wizard of Oz” in 1939 and the writer’s wife Maud Baum visits MGM studios to fulfill the promise she made to her beloved husband Frank. Maud is seventy eight and Judy Garland the actress playing Dorothy is sixteen and despite the age difference they become friends. Maud’s worried about the movie staying as closes as possible to her husband’s classic book, she’s very concerned about the behavior of older men around Judy, the criticism she receives about her weight, the pills they give her to curb her appetite and they encourage the teenager to smoke cigarettes.

The dual time line narrative looks at Maud’s childhood as a tomboy, her mother Matilda Gage was a leading suffragette, her time at Cornell University, meeting her husband Frank, the early years of their marriage and how he found his inspiration to write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the making of the movie.

Matilda Gage wanted Maud to get her diploma, instead she didn’t finish college and married. Frank Baum was a dreamer, he loved his wife and children and he gave up acting and got a real job. The Baum’s moved around a lot in the early years of their marriage, Frank opened a shop called Baum’s Bazar in Aberdeen Kansas and this is where he found inspiration for many of the characters in the book he wrote over a decade later. Frank Baum saw the wonder in the simple things around him, he loved to bring joy to children and he achieved this by writing his first book in 1900.

Finding Dorothy is full of interesting stories and insights into the lives of Frank and Maud and their four children. The numerous characters involved in the making of the movie, their costumes and the set and how the iconic song almost didn’t make it into the film.

I received a copy of Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts from NetGalley and Quercus Books in exchange for an honest review, I loved the connection between Maud and Judy and of course between Maud and Frank, a beautiful and uplifting story about following your dreams and five stars from me.

I really enjoyed "Finding Dorothy". The two timelines worked well and I loved reading about what inspired "The Wizard of Oz".

I actually want to read Baum's novel again now to see how his life ties into the book's events.

Sometimes, you find a hidden gem (or an emerald!) just waiting to be discovered in your TBR pile...Finding Dorothy, an historical fiction novel, focuses both on how The Wizard of Oz book came to be and then what is was like during the production of the film adaptation. We move between the two time periods seamlessly, linking situations in one time period to those in the other.

Let's start with the late 19th century where we meet Maud Gage, a strong independent woman, daughter of Matilda Gage - a famous women's rights activist. Maud is one of the first women admitted to study at Cornell university. Along the way, she meets L.Frank Baum, an actor with an amazing spirit and an incredible amount of creativity. They have a hard life, moving around, trying to stay afloat, but their love never waivers. There are so many situations and conversations leading up to the creation of The Wizard of Oz story that you start to piece together how it all came to be.
We also visit 1939, during the making of The Wizard of Oz by the MGM Studios. Maud goes to the studios with the intent of making sure that the script is true to the meaning of the book.Maud witnesses some of the challenges that face a young Judy Garland and tries to help her best she can. We get a real feel for a thirties film set, old school Hollywood, I loved it.
The author is very clear at the end that whilst the majority of the novel is based on well documented historic events, some dates and names are moved around to ensure the story flows.

I cannot recommend this highly enough, a wonderful read. Thank you @netgalley, @elizabethletts and @QuercusBooks

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Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts is a fictional story of a young Maud with her mother Matilda Joselyn Gage, an advocate of women’s rights, who first and foremost wants her daughter to get her diploma before engaging with the playwright actor and creator of Oz L. Frank Baum and the then elderly Maud on the filmset of the film of The Wizard of Oz. Maud meets the actors (normally whilst on a cigarette break) and tries to ensure the film script is in keeping to her late husband’s books, whilst protecting the welfare of a young Judy Garland.

What is as engaging is what happens in the intervening years between these two points. The story is written within the framework of what we know about the life of Maud and Frank, as well as their families.
Finding Dorothy has several different women characters in various circumstances. It demonstrates the hardships during the turn of the century and the growth of industry and land in America in the late 1800s. There is a lot in the book to think about. None more so than the question of rights that women had in the eighteenth century and later on in the nineteenth century.
Were women any better off, did they have more autonomy of their choices? Are the societal, the family values and traditions pressures any different?
I felt I had fallen right into a story of another time and era that had me enthralled and emotionally invested in its characters. I whizzed through this book.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was such a wonderful dual time book that instantly transported me to America in 1939 and the 1880s.

I loved the 1939 storyline of Maud Baum wanting to protect Judy Garland on and off the set of The Wizard of Oz. Poor Judy is struggling with a few issues, but has no-one she can turn to, not even her pushy mother Ethel Gum. Maud can see this instantly and desperately wants to help, but initially finds it very difficult to get access to the set and Judy. There were some dramatic moments in this storyline, and one in particular that had me gasping out loud when something awful happens to Judy.

It took me a while to warm to the 1880s storyline of Maud growing up and eventually marrying Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz books. In the beginning I was desperate to get back to the Hollywood set in 1939, but then Maud’s 1880 journey really drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering more about Maud and Frank’s life.

This is a new favourite for me and one I highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction.

A very interesting read that I am very glad I took a chance on to read.
Written very well. I really enjoyed this read.

As neither a fan of the Oz books, or indeed someone who has watched the film, I wasn't too sure how much I would enjoy this aspect of the book but as I am very fond of novelisations real people's lives I hoped it would be ok.

It was so much more - it was a slice of American life that gave a more grown up view of the country than the Little House books but while still echoing that pioneering spirit. I also loved the interludes on the film lot seeing how films were made, how the decisions to alter source material is made and also a peek into the life of Judy Garland.

I loved this book and am now inspired to read at least one of L. Frank Baum's original books.

Fascinating read on the backstory of one of cinema’s greatest movies “The Wizard of Oz”. Elizabeth Letts writes from the perspective of the wife of Frank Baum it’s author. As she hears of the intention of MGM to put the story into production she is determined to make sure they are doing right by his memory. The story flits between the backstory of the movie, the life of Judy Garland and Maud’s homelife. I really enjoyed this read.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book.

This is a tale of two halves and absolutely loved it.

I knew nothing about the background of the Wizard of Oz and now want to re-watch it again and again.

The story of Maud is tragic and exciting and I love how her tale is interweaved with the plot of the film/book. The reality of the real Dorothy and how she is explained to Judy Garland is incredible.

I felt so sorry for Judy and what the studio put her through to get her best on the film. I hope there were lots of people like Maud championing her as I just wanted to give her a hug.

This is a phenomenal book and now directing me to read the books and find out more about the Baums.

My Thoughts

‘You need to understand that you have an obligation. To many people, Oz is a real place. . . . And not just a real place—a better place.’

‘The Wizard of Oz’ has to be one of my favorite movies, so when I heard of this book, I simply had to read it. ‘Finding Dorothy’ is the story not only behind the making of the movie, but more importantly, where the story originated from. This is the story of the books creator, L. Frank Baum and told through the voice of his wife - Maud Gage Baum - this is her story.

‘Her worn face in the mirror was telling her something. Reminding her that of all the roles she had played in her life—tomboy, student, wife, mother, widow, and steward of Frank’s legacy—the most important of these had been mother. Was she really so old that she had grown blind to the plain truth in front of her?’

It is through Maud’s story that we learn the whole origins behind this iconic tale. This is a dual time narrative that details the personal lives of firstly, Maud and then upon marrying Frank, both of them in the late 1800s. Then there is the second story of a much older Maud in her 70s at Hollywood through the making of the movie in 1939. Whilst being a wonderful tribute to all that is ‘Oz’, I fell completely under the spell of this fictionalised story of the Baum’s and the events of their lives that led to the creation of this iconic tale. The tale of a man who dreamed of a better place and I simply loved how the author foretold that certain events and people throughout the years would come to play a part in the final version. Fictionalised, but based on fact where possible, it was simply a genius move on the authors part.

“You see that rainbow?” Maud nodded miserably. “You know where I’d like to live?” Frank said. “Where, Frank?” Maud said.
“If one end of this rainbow lives on this bleak and soulless plain, then I’d like to be clear out at the far end of it. Somewhere, somewhere over there is a place that is better. I’m just sure of it...”

“But what’s it about?” Maud asked, wonderingly. “Well, it’s about a girl and her companions, and they’re on the move. It’s hard to explain, Maud, but it’s all in there.”
“What’s all in there?”
“Why—everything!” he said, grasping her hands and gazing into her eyes. “Our whole life and everything we’ve ever endured and imagined, all wrapped up and turned into make-believe.”

Which leads to Elizabeth Letts and the story she has created here. It would appear (from a fascinating ‘Afterword’) that this is incredibly rich in detailed research. Having been inspired by what she found, it was a bold move to centre the tale around Maud, but boy! Does it work! Maud in herself is quite a remarkable character - the daughter of an important suffragette, attended Cornell in one of the first co-ed classes in history; and of course, inspired in many ways, the writing of her husbands book.

‘Sometimes, when the tin woodman leaves home, when he goes on the road, leaving his family to sell his chopped wood, he feels so hollow he bangs on his chest, just to hear the echo inside. That’s what it’s like to be a man of tin. It’s very lonely.”

This is a well written tale that I was fully engaged with. A truly fascinating take providing creative interpretations into not only the lives of Frank and Maud Baum and family, but also, the people involved in the making of the movie. If you loved The Wizard of Oz then you will love this book. I encourage you to take a nostalgic journey down the yellow brick road once more - it is charming, original, enchanting and a real comfort read.

‘Maud watched anxiously. She knew, she had always known, that for the film to contain the same essence that was captured in the book, the quality that had given the book its staying power, the audience would need to believe the girl—to understand that she was trapped, and genuinely miserable, but that somehow she looked beyond, harnessed her imagination, tapped into a deep wellspring of hope, and kept going.’



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

As a lifelong fan of the Wizard of Oz I was very excited to read Finding Dorothy. It did not disappoint, I was entranced from the opening pages. The story is told from the perspective of Maud Gaum, the wife of the author of the famous story. I knew nothing about the origins of the book and read the book in one setting as I simply could not put it down!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This book was everything I wanted it to be, and more. As promised, we are taken behind the curtain to discover the lives that inspired L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and also the creation of the iconic film. From the very first pages, we are whisked away to the magical world of Hollywood – the bustling sets, the glamour, the veneer, the fragile heights of stardom. The book is structured in two alternating time-frames: this filming of the movie in 1938 Hollywood, and chapters set in the past, which fill in the rich history of Maud and Frank’s life.

Amongst the tales of Maud and Frank’s life, we begin to spot recognisable moments and characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It’s satisfying to spot them – we discover the origin of the scarecrow, the tin man, the white city and much, much more. We come to love Frank for his vivid imagination (a lens that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary), Maud for her determination and for grounding Frank, and for the immense love that they share.

All this I expected, and was delighted by. But I was also surprised and very pleased to find a really gutsy undercurrent, exploring womanhood, gender equality and the women’s suffrage movement. I came to realise that, more than anything: this is Maud’s story. It is Maud we follow from childhood, as a strong-willed young girl holding her own in games of marbles with the boys in the neighbourhood. She shares this headstrong trait with her mother, who is the fascinating and extraordinary Matilda Joslyn Gage, a suffragist and activist public figure from the 19th-century. Maud is among the first women to be accepted to study at Cornell University, but quickly realises that she has no interest in acting like a “potted plant” or a “bird with clipped wings”. Women are also shown as being subject to their bodies and the functions of their bodies – early methods of contraception, the dangers of childbirth and sickness are all present in the novel.

All this, for me, balanced out what could otherwise have been a nice but perhaps slightly-too-twee story. Yes, there are some very sentimental scenes and speeches in this book, but there are plenty of raw and gritty moments that counter them – representing the tapestry of experiences that make up life.

In fact, much of Finding Dorothy illuminates gentle tensions, which overlap and coexist in beautiful harmony. As with Kansas and Oz, alternate worlds exist together: history meets fiction; ordinary existence intertwines with the transformative power of imagination; moments of great tenderness exist alongside raw pain. Most significantly for me, the novel also addresses these tensions that exist within ourselves, and in particular, the pull in different directions that is often so acutely felt by women.

Letts’s writing has such lyricism and attention to detail, and it is just beautiful. She adeptly handles these variations in tone, and skilfully brings everything together to create this wonderful book.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Wizard of Oz is a lifelong favourite of mine and so this book really appealed to me.
A wonderful story, imagining what went on behind the scenes. I know this is historical fiction but it felt like it could quite easily be fact. So many only know Judy Garland from her onscreen personas, it was intriguing to see this other side of her.
A must for fans of the Wizard of Oz and historical fiction.

I have always loved The Wizard Of Oz movie and have seen it several times over the years, so I was thrilled when I found out that there’s a book about the production of the film!
It’s a wonderful piece of historical fiction and lately I really enjoy this genre.
The story is told through Maud’s POV, who was the author, L. Frank Baum’s wife. She was absolutely adamant to get the story adapted to the big screen just right, the way his late husband would have liked.
During the book we learn about Maud’s life from her early childhood through her marriage to Frank, and also - obviously - about the production of the movie and it’s main star, Judy Garland .
I expected this to be a captivating story, and it definitely was. I have thorough enjoyed every second of reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my free advanced copy to read and review!

A fictional look at the life of Maud Gage Baum, wife of L. Frank Baum - author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and subsequent books. The narrative moves back and forth through time, from 1939 when a still sprightly Maud, now in her 70s and a widow, visits the set of the now famous film starring Judy Garland, to the 1870s and Maud's unconventional childhood as a tomboy, and the 1890s and her meeting with and marriage to Frank.

There are so many wonderful characters in this book. Maud and her mother, Matilda, were both formidable women, with Matilda active in the women's suffrage fight, and Frank, a stage actor and dreamer who wins the heart of Maud, and out of whose imagination the land of Oz is created. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as the author really brings the characters to life. I would have liked just a little more depth in the sections dealing with the film but this is a minor quibble. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and it has whet my appetite for reading more books about this intriguing subject.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Quercus Books, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

This books is sweet, engaging, moving, and entertaining.
I loved to learn more about the people who were behind the book and the movie and this great mix of historical facts and fiction helped me to understand the background of the book and of the movie.
The double story-line was great and I was fascinated by Maud.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts is a beautiful behind the scenes story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Everybody has seen and loves this movie - am I right? It is one of those movies that you never get sick of, and stays with you. It is bright, funny and clever - just a magical place is Oz. I was enthralled with this story - even though it is a wok of fiction it felt real and I got caught up in the lives of Frank and Maud - and a young Judy Garland. This book made me smile and it made me cry. And it made me want to watch the movie again and show my kids the magic of Oz. I loved this book!

19 years after the death of her husband Frank Baum, Maud learns that MGM are making a film of her husbands famous book The Wonder Wizard of Oz. She is determined to ensure that they stay true to the book that everybody knows and loves. She meets a young Judy Garland who is playing Dorothy. Judy has a stage mother from hell and Maud takes her under her wing and tries to help her with the role and to understand the importance. Her heart is in the right place and she promised Frank that she would look out for Dorothy.

Being on the set also brings back memories of her life with Frank. The chapters alternate between 1938 and the MGM lots and her past - when she met and married a young actor called Frank - against her mothers wishes. They are happy but they struggle. Frank turns his hand to many different jobs and with young children life isn't always easy for the Baum's. The one thing that never changes is their love and their story is lovely. Against all odds they survive and bring up their family and are happy.

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of Elizabeth Letts’ ‘Finding Dorothy’ in exchange for an honest review.

‘Finding Dorothy’ is a fictional biography of Maud Gage Baum, the wife of L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Oz series of books. It examines her early life as the daughter of noted early suffragist, Matilda Gage, and her courtship and marriage to Frank up to the publication of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ in 1900.

Both Frank and Maud were different, bookish young people who found in each other a best friend and soulmate. Their lives were certainly difficult at times, especially financially, yet I found this a moving love story.

‘Finding Dorothy’ also provides an account of Maud’s efforts to ensure that M.G.M. would honour her husband’s legacy in their 1939 film production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. These scenes of a woman in her late seventies taking on the studio system were fascinating even if fictionalised.

In places some aspects of the relationship between the Baum’s lives and the inspiration for the Oz stories seem to have been a bit mythologised. Also, Maud was so pragmatic about life and dismissive of anything unexplainable that I found it hard to relate to her. Frank and Matilda were much more my kind of people.

I loved the Oz books as a child and my first ever visit to the cinema was to see ‘The Wizard of Oz’. I acutely recall my sense of wonder. Reading Elizabeth Letts’ afterword it appears that she was also transported by that early experience as well as more recently inspired by a photograph of Maud and Judy Garland reading a copy of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ together. Letts worked from myriad sources including biographies, photographs, letters and diaries to construct this novel.

Overall, I found this a well written blending of fact and fiction that highlighted the lives of a fascinating couple and provided insight into the elements that created this milestone of children’s literature.