In September 1959, the Broadway musical of The Sound of Music was in the midst of rehearsals, getting ready for its upcoming premiere. Maria von Trapp had written to lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, expressing her concerns over the inaccuracies in the show, particularly regarding the portrayal of her husband, the Baron. She threatened to go to the media if changes were not made. Hammerstein asked his assistant, Fran, a promising writer, to meet with Maria. Through these meetings, the true story of Maria and the Von Trapp family is told.

Michelle Moran has done extensive research to bring us the enjoyable Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp. It was fascinating learning how the beloved show and the 1965 movie were adapted to deliver a sweet, uplifting story and how they deviated from reality. Maria's troubled childhood as well as the years after the family escaped Austria bring a new perspective to the Von Trapp story. The Sound of Music turned out to be Oscar Hammerstein's final musical. His presence in the book is not large but his great talent comes through. Having watched The Sound of Music numerous times on stage and screen, I found this engaging book perfectly suited for me. If you can still recall the lyrics to Edelweiss or My Favorite Things, then this book is a must-read for you.

4.25 stars.

Thank you to Dell Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is another book that I just flew through, which is unusual these days. I did not grow up watching The Sound of Music every year, although I understand it was on television. I first saw the movie when I was 19 and was gob smacked that I hadn’t seen it before then! I knew from watching some documentaries and reading articles that the movie veered very differently than the real life von Trapps.

I loved the way the author took the real-life events and experiences and weaved an interesting story. Maria is such an interesting person and a lot different than the much-loved Julie Andrews portrayal on screen. I knew from my other readings that Maria was the task master and disciplinarian, while the Baron was more tender-hearted.

The spin with this book is that Maria is telling her story to an assistant to Oscar Hammerstein just weeks before The Sound of Music premiered on Broadway. So you get a little bit more background into the making of the musical, which was also based upon a German movie made several years before.

This is just such a lovely book for fans of The Sound of Music or lovers of historical fiction. There’s a great Author’s note which explains what was real and what was not in the book, which is always appreciated.

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I can’t tell you how much I love the movie The Sound of Music. It’s been my favorite since I was little so when I saw that I was approved for this ARC on NetGalley, I was so excited!! And I absolutely loved this book!

It was so interesting to learn about Rodgers & Hammerstein, a little about their song writing process, and the play that came before the movie.

Of course, my favorite parts were learning about the real Maria von Trapp and what her life was actually like. The author also includes what Maria’s life was like during the making of the play & movie, which I found surprising!
I kept pausing to tell my husband all the new things I was learning about the von Trapp’s! 😂

I could go on and on about all of the discrepancies between the movie family and the real one, and give all of my opinions on them, but I’ll let you discover all of it yourself! I teared up several times throughout the book and there were so many beautiful scenes as well. It’s incredible what this family has been through.
Edelweiss is my favorite song from the movie, and the story of how that song came to be and it’s legacy, absolutely made me cry 🥹🤍

I’ve never read anything by this author before, and I really enjoyed her writing style! I want to read more of her books now! I also liked the author’s note at the end that explained what was real and what was fiction, as well as the “Where are they now?” section!

If you’re a fan of The Sound of Music and are interested in the true story of the von Trapp family, I can’t recommend this book enough! You will absolutely love it!
It will be available on July 30th! 🎵💙

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced copy!

🎻 Book Review 🎻

Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran is for all those readers who love The Sound of Music or are interested in the story behind the curtains. It's an amazing story that is emotional, heartfelt, and inspiring. Expected Publication: July 30, 2024.

The Sound of Music is a classic, and I fell in love with Maria. But what was the story of Maria? The book begins with Hammerstein trying to write the last song for the Broadway play that they are adapting from the German version. But Maria is not happy with how her story has been written. Fran, who is Hammerstein's assistant and an upcoming writer, is asked to meet Maria. What follows is a revelation that makes this book so good.

I loved this book. I fell in love with The Sound of Music and was interested in knowing more about the von Trapp family. Maria, as a matriarch, is complex, and the author does an amazing job of writing these complexities. It's an amazing book!

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley, for this book.

Do you love the movie “the sound of music”? if yes, them buckle up, because your mind will be blown after reading this book!!
Maria by Michelle Moran deserves all the hypes! This book give so much inside to the life of “maria von trapp”. (here is an embarrassing fact: I did not know the movie “the sound of music” was based on reality) …Anyway!
I loved every moment of this book. Usually, I am not a nonfiction historical, but this book had me hooked from the very beginning! You meet Maria as a kid, and you get to watch her grow, move with the Von trapps, start singing as part of the family, move to the US, and see the live musical of her own life!

Definitely a 5-star reading!

I'm having a hard time writing this review. I did not know much about Maria's life, other than the Sound of Music. This book blew me away. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much. It reads like both a novel & a biography. I am definitely left wanting to read and learn more. Great job. It will stick with me for a long time.

This is such an interesting take on historical fiction. I absolutely adored The Sound of Music as a child. Reading it from this perspective made me want to go back and watch the movie as an adult. Definitely a read for fans.

If you have ever wondered about the real life of Maria von Trapp, I highly recommend reading this book. It is well written and I read it in a day. It starts out when The Sound of Music musical on Broadway is in rehearsals and Oscar Hammerstein is writing the last few songs. Maria is trying to meet with him to complain about it not being an accurate portrayal of the family and he has his secretary meet with her instead. Through their meetings we get to hear a more accurate description of their life.

“My brothers and sisters won’t be happy to see our father portrayed as a humorless disciplinarian while my mother comes across as a saint.” Lorli von Trapp

Say what?!? I have watched and adored The Sound of Music MANY times since its 1965 theatrical release and I’ve believed every tale and every note. This book sets on end everything I thought I knew.
The story is told in three timelines. Maria’s childhood, raised in an abusive home in the 1920s, her marriage and escape from Nazi agression in the 1930s and her displeasure with Oscar Hammerstein in the 1950s.
We learn through the telling that Maria was, in truth, an obsessive and frequently abusive mother who didn’t exactly fall head over heels for the captain as we believed! But it was her dogged adherence to the family’s grueling performance schedule that facilitated their escape from Austria.
Maria’s desire to allow the world to know the true story leads her to butt heads with Hammerstein prior to the opening of The Sound of Music on Broadway. Hammerstein delegates the task of smoothing Maria’s ruffled feathers to Fran, a young assistant. An interesting friendship grows between the two women, insuring the success of “one of my favorite things”!
I recommend this book to all fans of The Sound of Music and the Trapp Family Singers. Eye opening, indeed!

My thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group and the author in exchange for my honest review.

Full discloser: my favorite movie has been and will always be the Sound of Music, even though I knew that it was not very similar to the real life of Maria. But Maria by Michelle Moran beautifully blended the real story together with the opening of the play. I loved reading Maria and felt Moran did a wonderful job bring her and Georg and the children to life. I felt like I was with them in Austria and Maria's childhood background gave alot of understanding to her character flaws. While I would have loved a bit more deep dive into the relationship between Georg and Maria and how they functioned as a couple, I understand the focus was more on Maria's character and her character and development. And there were alot of years to cover in the book, so a bit felt rushed. I could have taken a whole series of books on Maria's life. I would have read them all!
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Random House for the ARC.

Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran is a very highly recommended real story of Maria von Trapp's life and how it contrasted with the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Most people know the story according to the musical, however that doesn't portray the true, real life events.

In the 1950s, Oscar Hammerstein is writing the lyrics to a new Broadway musical based on the life of Maria von Trapp. When Maria saw the script supposedly based on her life, she headed to talk to Hammerstein to set the record straight. Maria ends up meeting with his secretary, Fran, who meets with Maria several times to hear her real life story. Fran dutifully writes down all of Maria's concerns to give to Hammerstein and the two strike up an unlikely friendship.

Nostalgia runs high in Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp. Some readers interested in this novel will already be acquainted with some of the true events in Maria's life. Moran does an excellent job telling the real story which also serves to show why the choices were made to write the play as it was.

The narrative alternates between Maria recounting her life story to Fran and Fran's life leading up to the Broadway opening of the play. Maria wasn't as perfect as depicted in the play and Georg wasn't quite as stern in real life. The complete, true story is much more compelling, complicated, and difficult than the movie version. The movie does contain some of the real events in their lives.

After she saw the play, Maria thoughtfully commented that it wasn't exactly their life story, "But our love for God and family was there, and this is what has always been most important." As Moran hoped, this novel truly is like a plate of warm, sweet cookies baked by your grandmother and it will renew any obsession you have with The Sound of Music. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

More heartwarming than the musical due to its grounding in truth, I am surprised that no one has done this sooner! Maybe the time that has elapsed since Maria wrote the memoir on which this is based now allows the novelization of her story? Regardless, I very much enjoyed this factionalized biography of Maria von Trapp, of Sound of Music fame. As can be expected, the story is so much more complicated than in the musical. It is full of real people making real decisions in real time, with serious repercussions that carry on for decades. The structure of the story is a little distracting, but overall I enjoyed it immensely and finished it in two days. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Many of the iconic songs of Oscar Hammerstein’s award-winning Broadway play and movie are ingrained in our musical memory; “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Every Mountain.” When The Sound of Music is mentioned images flash of Julie Andrews twirling amidst the Alps and the Captain realizing those are his children hanging from tree branches- in new play clothes made from curtains! Why is the movie SO different from Maria’s real story? In 1959, with World War II fresh in viewers’ memories Rogers and Hammerstein decided to adapt Maria’s harrowing true story to a more palatable version for audiences.
Moran’s novel is based on the autobiography of Maria Von Trapp and the vehicle for moving from the script to Maria’s account is through Hammerstein’s secretary, Fran. When asked her opinion of the script Fran replies, “It’s simple and sweet and impossible not to like. Makes you wonder how much of it is actually true. A woman who finds herself married to a Baron after almost marrying herself to God?” That’s Moran’s perfect segue!
Rehearsals have begun and Maria shows up at Hammerstein’s busy office unannounced. Fran’s assignment is to assuage Maria’s anger over the shocking differences between the script and her real story. Fran and Maria’s trusting friendship is the endearing element that leads to their meetings on park benches near St. Patrick’s Cathedral. These conversations along with Moran’s descriptions of New Yorkers, famous streets and buildings add to the atmospheric setting of NYC.
Discovering Maria Von Trapp’s true story as compared to the movie plot is what makes every page of this novel so compelling. Moran’s deep research reveals Maria’s childhood traumas, her education, and later her devotion to the Von Trapp children. Maria’s trust in God and her family bolstered her courage to leave the country she loved for an uncertain future in America.
Maria reminds Hammerstein that it’s not the agents, critics or managers that buy tickets; only the people do. Get your “ticket” to Maria by Michelle Moran to know the real Maria Von Trapp and the story behind The Sound of Music.

I have been a fan of "The Sound of Music" since I was a little girl.. I think I have the whole movie memorized at this point, so I was a little worried that this book might ruin the movie, it did not. I really liked this book. Getting to hear from Maria and seeing some of how the Broadway show came to be. This was a perfect mix of historical fiction and reality. The author did her research and even gave an author's note at the end about what was historically accurate and what was the author's. I liked Fran and how well she got Maria to open up to her about what was wrong with the play. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the EARC of this book. I was quite surprised with this story which came from research by the author. Imagine you are Maria Von Trapp and you know that Oscar Hammerstein is writing a musical based on an inaccurate German movie.
Hammerstein's secretary, a budding novelist, meets Maria and Maria explains her life and her problems with the play. It is an excellent device, as we have a fictional character who is a good character in her own right, typing the story of Maria for Hammerstein.
The true story emerges as Hammerstein is very ill and he writes his very last song, Edelweiss, after reading her story. This is an excellent book as we see the true story against the background of the play rehearsals and learn that Mary Martin and her husband were the forces that brought Hammerstein and Rodgers to write the play and music.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a Sound of music fan.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

We all know the story of Maria von Trapp and the musical Trapp Family Singers don't we? Or do we? We know the hit Rodgers and Hammerstein stage production of The Sound of Music. And we know the movie starring Julie Andrews as Maria, but how much of that story is real? Well, according to this well-researched biographical novel, not as much as we think.

The setting is 1959 and Richard Halliday, husband of Broadway star Mary Martin, has read a biography of Maria von Trapp and seen a German film based on that biography. Now he wants Rodgers and Hammerstein to turn it into a Broadway production, which will star his wife as Maria. Rehearsals are already underway when Oscar Hammerstein hears that Maria is not happy with the story that is being told, because it is not the real story. She wants re-writes and edits and threatens to cause a publicity nightmare if she is not accommodated. So Hammerstein assigns an assistant from his office to meet with her and find out the truth of the story.

This is the story Maria tells Fran Connelly during several meetings, and it is a good one, maybe even better than the "well-known" story, but not much gets changed in the production, partly because Richard Rodgers had written the story and Hammerstein was writing the music. But also because it was only 14 years after World War II and no one needed or wanted to tell the story of the danger the family had been in until they fled Austria. Needless to say, it was NOT as it was told in the musical. But Hammerstein was looking for one last song to complete the show and after hearing Maria's story, he wrote Eidelweiss, probably one of his best songs, and, sadly, his last one.

An entertaining look inside the making of a great musical, one we all know and love.

I truly wish that I could give this so many more stars. I adore everything that Moran puts out into the universe, but this one I began with a bit of hesitancy. I grew up loving The Sound of Music and all things Rogers and Hammerstein; how would that go along with this book? What an amazing book to be shocked with. Not only did I learn that so many things were different from the movie but also Maria is human!! That’s right…and if learning that Maria von Trapp is a human doesn’t make you feel better about life, nothing will.

I truly loved the relationship between Fran and Maria in this book. And Oscar Hammerstein was a gem. I genuinely got a bit misty eyed when he spoke/wrote “edelweiss.”

Michelle Moran is always an automatic preorder and purchase for me. But this one has really just stuck with me. Bravo on this amazing novel with so much research and love thrown into the pages!

If you love the Sound of Music, you will love this book. It's the fictional story of Maria Von Trapp and her life and the making of the Broadway play. I had to note that difference because I didn't realize that Broadway came before the movie. It's short and very fast paced and dives right into Maria's story. I was hooked right away and binged in bits and pieces through a day.

Moran writes historical fiction that I crave. I loved her Egyptian books so much and was very excited to get a new installment from her.

A wonderful, insightful book! Now we know the real story of Maria! The Sound of Music has always been one of my favorites, and I never considered that it wasn't true to life.
So enjoyable for any history buff or lover the Von Trappe family.

Nec aspera terrent: Frightened by No Difficulties

It's time to know the real Maria and her story.
1959: The Sound of Music is about to start on Broadway and Maria is not pleased about the script. Oscar Hammerstein's assistant, Fran, has been assigned to hear her out and keep her quiet. How much does Fran really know about Maria and the journey of the vonTrapps?

This was eye-opening and heartwrenching. I love the movie, the music, and the love story. Now, I'm thankful to have better insight into Maria's childhood and the family's flight from Hitler's Austria. Well done.