Wow, this book deserves more than 5 stars! I was totally mesmerized by this captivating book from start to finish. I had not seen The Sound of Music until a few years back when I watched it for the first time and now it is a yearly must at the holiday season. I loved the then and now format in this book describing Maria's childhood and how she happened to come to the von Trapp family to educate the youngest child who was sickly. This alternated with current day Maria von Trapp wanting the ending of the Broadway play of the von Trapp family, which was about to open, to be changed and giving her side of the story to Fran, secretary to Oscar Hammerstein. This was such a great story and I still cannot quit thinking about it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC of this fascinating book that I really enjoyed.

THANK YOU! The story behind a beloved movie! This story is a dual timeline as Maria is growing up in Austria and then retelling her story to Oscar Hammerstein about the Von Trapp family. This puts the woman from a classic at the forefront again as we learn the true story behind this family!

An interesting "biography " of Maria Von Trapp. To read about her journey was amazing and insightfully done. She was a very strong woman who faced adversity head on.

I admit, I knew very little about the real people in this story before reading Maria. Now I feel like I have the bigger picture. I love when a novel teaches me something.

complete review will be here on July 30th. https://novelpastimes.com/2024/07/30/book-review-maria-by-michelle-moran/

First of all, I'd like to thank Random House for an advance copy of this book. This girl who grew up on the Sound of Music was giddy that I got picked for this.

If you are a The Sound of Music fan, this is a must read. I loved it. I felt like maybe it told the story that Maria von Trapp wanted to tell. Fran was such a great character. The moving back and forth between time periods was so well done. I loved how Fran's story was integrated with Maria's.

There's probably a good chance that I came into this book with a biased opinion. I think that if you grew up loving the Sound of Music like I did, you will also have this same bias. I had high expectations for this book, and it met them. It was definitely one of my favorites I've read this year. It was an easy read. It was easy to follow. I have already recommended it to friends, and I will definitely buy it as a gift. It gave me a warm, fuzzy and nostalgic feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review! I liked the voice of the book and the way that Fran and Maria both tell their stories. The book is well-organized and well-thought-out, and even if this type of book is not my preferred cup of tea, there is no denying that it is a good book. I give it a four out of five stars.

I adored "The Sound of Music" movie and have watched it every year since I was a kid and that's a long time!
This is a beautifully told historical fiction book that is Maria Von Trapp's story.
There are many similarities of the beloved movie, but it is not all "Love and Light" for the sweet nun we thought we knew.

Maria retells her life's journey to Mr. Hammerstein's secretary in the hope that he would change the play to reflect the "real" story of Maria's life.

I truly loved the writing of this book, the description, the smooth flow of the dual timelines and the memories.
I am sitting singing "Climb Every Mountain" as I write this!
If you enjoy historical fiction you will definitely want to open this book. If you grew up with "The Sound of Music", run to get this novel!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Random House Publishing- Ballantine for this amazing ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review. Well done!

Michelle Moran's latest novel, Maria, is a great read. While it took a little time to "get into" the story becomes more engaging when Maria arrives "on scene!" For fans of the play and or film adaptation The Sound of Music much of the novel will be familiar, but there are differences in the real story of the Von Trapp family. Also, the first person point of view makes Moran's work compelling, from Maria's troubled, abused childhood, to how the Captain really was, and her (and his) relationship with their children including the youngest they had together. The back and forth time frames between later years and the play coming together juxtaposed with the background of Maria normally would be interesting. However, the other female protagonist's story was predictable. Getting a view into Hammerstein's life was interesting and as a whole, a very good read!

I very much enjoyed revisiting Maria Von Trapp and hearing her story. This is a fictionalized biography. It begins weeks before the opening of The Sound of Music on Broadway. Maria meets with a fictionalized character who is the assistant to Oscar Hammerstein. She shares her displeasure with the script and in doing so goes through her real life story, marriage and becoming the Von Trapp Family singers. I’ve read two of the seven books written by Maria decades ago so the real life events that vary from the stage play were familiar to me. But it is a chance to let another generation know about this person who is the inspiration for an iconic play and movie musical. I read straight through it in an afternoon. I liked the brief update on what happened to the children in their adult lives. The play ends on the escape to new life. The fact that life was hard as a new immigrant in a new country doesn’t take away from my enjoyment and fondness for the timeless musical. (4.5 Stars)

So thankfully to have received an advanced reader copy of this book, thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing! I had heard the movie was not an accurate depiction of Maria’s life, but never knew her true story. This book reveals her life through her telling of her story to Fran, an fictional employee of Hammerstein’s (the creator of the Broadway musical). Fran was assigned to meet with Maria to hear her complaints about the musical before it went live on Broadway. Through their meetings, we are privy to hearing her true story. You will be surprised to figure out what parts of the musical/movie are true and which ones are not. I always say the book is better than the movie, and I think it’s true in this situation as well.!

Totally loved this most interesting historical fiction novel of Maria VonTrapp of Sound of Music fame.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC to read and review.
While this book did not tell the fairy story that the show/ movie told of the Von Trapp family it was a very beautiful and human story. I must say it was a little bit of a shock for me. I particularly enjoyed the interactions with Maria , Fran ( who worked with Rodger’s and Hammerstein) and Oscar Hammerstein.
The author did a beautiful job or telling the story that is romanticized in the Hollywood version at the same time showing a real version that Maria wanted told. She was particularly protective of the legacy of BaronVon Trapp .
This was a very emotionally charged book that left me overwhelmed with emotion but in the best way.
I highly recommend this book - it is brilliant.
Definitely looking to read more from this author!

I must admit, I was not too familiar with the story of Maria von Trapp. I watched The Sound of Music when I was young, but vaguely remember it. I found Maria and the von Trapp characters loving. The author did beautiful work in structuring the book. For us the reader, the narrative is of flashbacks of Maria’s live and in the present in which a play is being written about her life. When the narrative shifted to the present and Fran, Hammerstein’s young assistant meets Maria von Trapp to discuss the inaccuracies of the play it felt like I was there with the two women. Highly recommend for any fan of The Sound of Music, historical fiction and Michelle’s work.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine| Dell for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review of the book received.

I was so excited to receive an arc of this book from netgalley and the publisher.

Wow, I loved every minute of this read and had a hard time putting it down. I read it in 2 days in every spare minute I had. Most of us realize that movies based on real lives are loosely based. Maria and her children were at first not a fan of how their lives and story were portrayed.

The author of this book did such a wonderful job sharing different points of view, how it was to work with Hammerstein, and how it was to meet the real Maria. I was surprised to learn that Georg was really not how it was depicted in the movie, but I think that portrayal endears people to him as he changes in the movie.

I loved this book, and I love the movie. Thankful we live in a world of music!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Michelle Moran has been my favorite author since 2007 when I first read Nefertiti so I struggle to not think everything she does or gold. This book is gold to me. I think it's going to have the same appeal as Madam Tussaud; it's a topic people know and are going to enjoy learning more. Objectively, it's not my favorite novel by her because I didn't think it had as gripping of a plot as something like Nefertiti or Hereric Queen. Since most readers will go in knowing at least the fact that the von Trapps flee Austria, you have that mental climax building as an audience, even if it doesn't come off on the pages a lot. With that said, the characters make up for the slower plot. I already did love Baron von Trapp from the musical and film (I love a man with character development!), but getting to meet the real Georg was wonderful and I fell in love with this real version of him even more. All of the children have distinct personalities and you'll love each of them. Your heart breaks for them as the story progresses. You'll feel discomfort getting to know the real Maria, whether you're frustrated with her naïveté or her forceful personality as their music careers take off. Maria is a multi faceted character with a much more distinct and complex personality than any musical or film could portray. The framing of the story was brilliant. Getting to know Maria and the family through flashbacks while also seeing the development of the play and getting to know the lovely Broadway characters, especially Hammerstein, was a brilliant plot device that kept me enthralled.

10/10 would recommend

This book almost read like a biography . But in a fiction kind of way . That’s not a bad thing ! I think it kept my interest in that way . I learned things I did not know about the Von Trapp family and it was I tresting learning about Maria from child hood .

"Nec aspera terrent" - The von Trap family motto it means Frightened by No Difficulties

Very seldom do I sit down to read and finish a book in a day. This story pulled me in to the life of Maria von Trapp. If you are a fan of The Sound of Music this is a Must Read! I really loved this book and was picturing the hills from the movie as I read.
Dual timeline that has you following Maria's life from childhood through adulthood.
A more realistic picture of the family and the making of the Broadway Musical.
I found this book interesting, fascinating and learned a lot about the von Trap family, especially Maria.
Authors notes at the end will answer any questions about what was fiction and what was real.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC ebook of “Maria” by Michelle Moran! This historical fiction novel takes us to Broadway in 1960, where Oscar Hammerstein is preparing to stage “The Sound of Music”, but is meeting opposition from the real-life subject of his play, Maria von Trapp! “The Sound of Music” has legions of obsessive devotees who should love this book, but even those with only a nodding acquaintance with the film will film will find much to like here. Hammerstein’s assistant, budding writer Fran, is tasked with talking to and making peace with Maria. In doing so she, and we the reader, learn the story-behind-the-story of TSOM. I had no idea that the facts of Maria’s life were so difficult and that many of the events that were in the movie did not happen quite as presented. It is engrossing reading! As a lover of TSOM, I give it 5 stars but would highly recommend to those who merely like or know of the move,or have an interest in historical fiction about WWII! #NetGalley #Maria

The Sound of Music is my all time favorite movie, so when I saw this book about the life of Maria von Trapp I jumped at the chance to read! It highlighted some truths from the movie, but also pointed out things that weren't depicted accurately.

It describes Maria as the less "fun" parent and how she may not have been as fun loving as the movie portrays. At the same time, this is coming from her point of view and we are our own worst critics. I would imagine the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I enjoyed reading the story to find out what happened after the family left Austria. I also enjoyed the update at the end about each child. Fun fact that I never knew is that the real Maria von Trapp shows up in the background as a cameo in the movie.

I was worried that reading this book may spoil The Sound of Music being my favorite movie, but I think it actually made me fall in love with it more. Now I can relate to the family members more closely and hear about their joys and struggles.

This book is an absolute must for any fans of The Sound of Music!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It is rare that I find a book that I enjoy so much that I drag out the reading over days. This is one of those few books. I was ensnared right from the very first chapter.

This book is a wonderful mixture of fact (please read the author's notes) and fiction.

While I don't seem to have the same love for the film The Sound of Music as most others do, I knew enough about it that it was very easy to follow the events in this novel. As a matter of fact, you never have had to watch the movie to become fully engrossed in the events of Maria's life.

This book was filled with heartache and happiness. I admit that finding out that Maria was nearly tyrannical about having the children sing was a shock to my system! The film portrays her a bit differently. Learning about their escape from the Nazis was a heart-pounding eye-opener.

What a fantastic read for anyone who likes historical fiction, The Sound of Music, or just a wonderful book.

I HIGHLY recommend this novel!

*The publisher Delacorte/Dell -Random House, the author, and NetGalley supplied the ARC. I'd like to thank all three for this opportunity.

I am a huge fan of Michelle Moran books so I was very much looking forward to this story. As usual I was not disappointed. To me The Sound of Music was a just a movie that I had grown up with. Nothing more and nothing less. I was intrigued to see what this author would create to fill in the gaps of Maria’s on screen life. What this story contains is so much more. A fascinating telling of a life of real people that I had no idea had actually existed. Michelle Moran has a unique talent for bringing her characters to life in a way that the reader feels deeply connected to each one. This book brought out so many emotions as the Von Trapp family endured good times and bad throughout their lives. My only complaint would be that I was left wishing that this book had been longer and that I could have learned more about each person. As with the other books this talented author has written I highly recommend this one.