This was a great, quick read. I know the movie version, and believe I read a book about the family when the movie was released. I enjoyed this new version, as the older Maria was correcting everything that was not told accurately. The story, told either way, is enjoyable.

In this novel the author re-imagines the story of Maria von Trapp and her family. Just as the Broadway production of "The Sound of Music" is about to begin, Maria insists that the play be changed to reflect the actual experience her family went through. Hammerstein's secretary Fran is assigned the job of placating Maria and letting her know that it's too late to make any changes to the musical. Fran earns Maria's trust and friendship, and over several meetings Maria tells Fran the real story. Since I saw Mary Martin and "The Sound of Music" on Broadway when I was a little girl, I found it most interesting to read the author's take on what went on behind the scenes of the production.

What a delightful quick read about the backstory of The Sound of Music! Maria, written by Michelle Moran, presents the story of Maria von Trapp that we don't know from the musical adaptation for Broadway and the silver screen. While many of the details remain surprisingly true-to-life, others which were omitted from the artistic portrayals enhance the depth of Maria von Trapp's life experiences which shaped her into the impressive woman she became. Behind-the-scenes scenarios also give insight into the creative endeavors of Rogers & Hammerstein and their classic Broadway musicals. I often found myself smiling as I read familiar scenes and hummed the timelessly familiar songs. A definite read for fans of The Sound of Music!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital ARC and opportunity to review Maria. All opinions expressed are mine alone. Follow my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, and NetGalley.

I’ve watched The Sound Of Music many times as this was my son’s favorite movie so I was very excited to see a book depicting the life of Maria. This is my first experience reading a novel by this author and I must say that she drew me right in. Her expert storytelling made the story move along as she works with a few different timelines. The reader learns about her past and the reasons for her decisions. Michelle Moran has meticulously researched Maria from many sources which enabled her to include many interesting anecdotes to her story. The author delves into Maria’s personality as well as all the members of the family. If you are a fan of the movie this is a definite book that needs to be on your to read pile. Even if you are not it’s a great story by an extremely talented author. Well done and I will be enthusiastically recommending this to all.
Thank you to Dell Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced eGalley.
#Maria #MichelleMoran #NetGalley

If you loved the Sound of Music, you will love this. No, really. The story provides a great backdrop for the musical, but as always with Michelle Moran's writing, it is meticulously researched and an amazing effort is made to provide a very accurate historical picture of the characters. Also important is there is clarification in the author's note regarding which characters were based on real individuals and which weren't, which is so helpful when looking at the book critically. The book juxtaposes the story of the run up to the release of the musical on Broadway [starring Mary Martin, NOT Julie Andrews, SAD], with Maria's side of her story - what really occurred starting from her childhood through the Von Trapps coming to the US. I loved this book so much, and I learned a LOT through it as well. There is a reason there was a book, a movie [German] and a very well-known musical about them, as they were amazing and multi-faceted individuals all around.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something different, fresh, and gives you a new taken on the Von Trapps.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley and @RandomHouseBallatine for this ARC. Fran is Hammerstein's assistant and the real Maria von Trapp has some things she needs addressed regarding the musical that is to debut in a matter of weeks. She is upset about some inconsistencies from her real life autobiography to the musical adaptation. Fran meets with Maria over the course of a week to hear her real story to take back to Hammerstein. After all is said, he reads Fran's notes and though he can't make the changes to the musical, he can write one final song - Edelweiss. This song seems to appease Maria and her concerns. I absolutely loved this book! The true story of the von Trapp family vs. how we fondly remember The Sound of Music. The oldest von Trapp sibling was actual a boy named Rupert. The Baron was actually 25 years older than Maria. The von Trapps lost all their money when Georg tried to back a failing Austrian bank that folded. They took in boarders in their villa and started singing to make ends meet. They actually escaped on the last train out of Austria before the Nazis closed the border under the guise of a new US tour. They ran because they would not sing for the Fuhrer and they knew he would come for them. Lastly, Marie was a formidable force both in good and bad ways. #Maria #MichelleMoran #TheSoundofMusic #RandomHouseBallatine #July2024

Name of Book: Maria
Author: Michelle Moran
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group ~ Ballantine/Dell
Genre: Historical Fiction- Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars!
Pages: 304

In the 1950s, Oscar Hammerstein is asked to write the lyrics to a musical based on the life of a woman named Maria von Trapp. He’s intrigued to learn that she was once a novice who hoped to live quietly as an Austrian nun before her abbey sent her away to teach a widowed baron’s sickly child. What should have been a ten-month assignment, however, unexpectedly turned into a marriage proposal.


The Prologue starts with a letter based on what Maria wrote in her 1949 autobiography. For dramatic affect Maria's story is changed in many ways for the play and Maria has come to New York to tell Oscar Hammerstein the revisions she wants him to make to the play before its opening night. T
Dear Mr. Hammerstein.
She tells him that she is not happy with the portrayal of her life with the von Trapp family in the play.

She did teach the children to sing and was force into their success as a group. The play fictionalizes the von Trapp story and she states
was far from the reality. In actually Maria had lost most of her family over her aggressive ways and Maria wants to set the record
straight.
She wants to meet with him in New York as she has some ideas on revisions on how the script can be fixed.
The story starts with Maria meeting Fran, Hammerstein's young assistant and they do discuss her concerns over accuracy.
Maria tells her story and some of the events in the musical are real; others are not.


Aww the story is great and just as many readers, have I too saw the movie ‘Sound of Music’ many times.
And after reading this I want to see it again.💕

The end of the book is also wonderful – A must read!!
Michelle Moran gives us the inside scoop in her ‘Author’s Note’
She tells us that Hammerstein died of stomach cancer before the release of the “Sound of Music’,
(I totally believe he still enjoyed watching its success.)
She also tells of some of touching things that happened that really were true.
She did love the the sisters singing Maria ~ "How do you Solve a problem like Maria"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-VRyQprlu8
Also most of us weren't aware that Maria had a cameo role- she walks by the archway during the song “I Have Confidence”.

Then there are several pages where she tells us
What ever Happened to . . . .
It tells us a little about each including what happened to the Von Trapp villa.

There are Discussion Questions
Which readers will enjoy especially if you are in a book club discussion.
I loved this and truly could not put it down.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group ~ Ballantine/Dell for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 30, 2024.

4 the hills are alive with the sound of music stars

I’m a huge fan of the stage musical and the movie, so I had to decide whether to include this on my reading list. Did I want to mess with my love of that story? Now that I’ve read it, I’m so glad to have this perspective, too,

Maria von Trapp is such a wholesome character in the movie, but she is much more flawed in real life. It’s easy to see why her life was dramatized, as it has many of the pivotal moments that also occur in the musical. She really was working towards being a nun when she was called away to be a nanny to a large family. She cut up the curtains to make play clothes for the children, earned the captain’s affection, and married him.

The other storyline involves Oscar Hammerstein working on the musical as it nears a Broadway opening. Maria reaches out because she wants to change the story to bring it closer to the truth. Maria shares her life story with Oscar’s secretary.

I learned more about what happened once the family left Europe and how hard it was to succeed. Overall, a very enjoyable book and I’m glad I decided to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell and Michelle Moran for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book, Maria; A Novel of Maria von Trapp.
This is a great account of the woman who captured my heart in one of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music. I traveled to Salzburg and saw firsthand the beautiful countryside and was fascinated on The Sound of Music Tour. Singing all the songs from the movie was delightful. My all time favorite is Edelweiss. Christopher Plummer singing that song brings me to tears.
Maria's life is beautifully told as the play is being put together in New York. The dual timelines are seamless and flow together without difficulty. I enjoyed Maria's perspective on the accuracy of her life story and how her family was portrayed. I assume she was rather strict in dealing with all the children and coordinating a new household and life. I want to know more from the children's viewpoints but that could be another whole book in itself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from this author.

I have always loved the movie, The Sound of Music, so I was excited about reading this book. It was a sweet tale that added more to what we already knew about Maria. If you are a fan of the movie, I would recommend reading this book.

When one thinks of Maria von Trapp, an image of Julie Andrews spinning atop a plateau with the Alps in the background (as per the book's cover), or successfully matching wits with Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music may well come to mind. Michelle Moran’s Maria shows that there was a lot more going on under the hood of the postulant who became the world’s most iconic stepmother. 

When Maria learns that Rogers and Hammerstein are planning on adapting a movie of her life – which is loosely based on her memoir -- into a musical, she is pleased - and then disappointed to read the script and note how much of her life has been altered to make the play palatable to a post World War II audience. Maria’s hesitancy about marrying Georg von Trapp is rewritten into an epic love story, as is her initially one-sided love; the princess and countess whom Georg initially wanted to marry are merged into a single countess; and her childhood – filled with physical abuse from a foster uncle after the tragic deaths of her mother and father – is cleaned up. The von Trapps’ harrowing escape from the Nazis is transformed into a different sort of arduous, perilous climb. Franz Wasner, the priest sent to be the family’s private chaplain, who begins them on the road to professional singing careers, is left out altogether. Even one of the seven von Trapp children is transformed into a girl (Rupert becomes Liesl, of “I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen” fame); the three Maria had with Georg do not even appear in the musical. Seeing not enough of herself in this chirpy, syrupy fictional Maria, she requests a meeting with Oscar Hammerstein. Unfortunately he – distracted by the business of mounting the play and a recent stomach cancer diagnosis – is unavailable.

Enter Oscar’s secretary, Fran Connelly, who finds herself taking note of Maria’s complaints and listening to her life story. She learns about Maria’s past and present; about the priest who helped shape the family and the complexities of turning a family into a singing group that never stops touring – a choice that causes damage to several of the children. Fran must learn some hard lessons from Maria’s life and apply them to her own ambitions.

Maria von Trapp was no saint, no plaster angel, and wow, does Michelle Moran avoid backing down from that truth. Here, Maria’s discipline does not come in the form of folk songs and romps but in harsh punishments and forced lockstep conformity with expectations. And yet she deeply loves her huge adopted brood, in fact marries Georg because she thinks they will never get the love and care they need if she doesn’t leave the convent, and eventually falls for him. But naturally, she’s not all bad, and the book does a good job making her feel human and realistic.

There are a few problems with the pacing, and a whole lot of info-dumping takes place across the body of the novel to pack in as much of Maria’s life as Moran possibly can. I didn’t take to Fran as well as I took to Maria’s story – Fran is entirely fictional, and her ambitions and romantic pursuits aren’t especially entertaining. And Hammerstein gets a brief chapter that made me wish the book’s perspective had been split between himself and Maria.

And yet there’s something about Maria. It’s not a perfect novel, nor is it a bad one. Perhaps the best way to solve the problem of it is to read it.

The story of the von Trapps is familiar to most through The Sound Of Music movie. This novel attempts to reveal the “real” story so it is interesting to note the differences in the family dynamics and the personalities. Told in different timelines, it covers Maria’s early life, her life as governess, and her time in the U.S. I enjoyed what there was in the novel but wanted more about her childhood and her life in America. It would have also been helpful to explore her motivations in deciding to marry, in parenting the way she did, and in her relationships with her adult children.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

4.5⭐️s rounded up. Such a fascinating story behind the scenes of the real Von Trapps from the Sound of Music. I loved learning about Maria and her history, what was different from the movie, and what was the same. The Sound of Music is such an iconic movie, I loved it as a kid, my kids enjoy it, and I don’t know many people who don’t know of it at the very least.

I thought the storyline alternating between Maria and Fran was excellent, and well written. The behind the scenes of Rodger’s and Hammerstein was also fun. It was hard to put down and I was fully invested in what was going on and what was going to happen next. The character of Maria was so identifiable, you could see how she grew, both in good and bad ways with her circumstances, and the family dynamic was also well told.

The only downside and the reason for a half a star loss was at the end with Fran and her own story, it felt just odd and half-hearted. I just kept trying to figure out what just happened - the rest of the book was just so well fleshed out and threaded from one event to the next and then the bottom just kind of dropped out for Fran’s detail, that it felt stunted and gappy.

All in all however, I really loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

I truly enjoyed this biographical fiction book about Maria Von Trapp.
Maria is upset with how she and the Captain are being portrayed in the broadway show of The Sound of Music.
Fran, Hammerstein’s assistant, meets with the real Maria in New York City to set the record straight and tell her true story of her life with the Captain and his children.

As someone who loves The Sound of Music, I really enjoyed reading more about the story of the Von Trapp family. I highly recommend reading this book!

The hills are alive with the sound of… the real Sound of Music. “Maria” by Michelle Moran gives us a fictionalized version more closely matching the true story of Maria and the Von Trapp family, from her beginnings as a child to years later when Rodgers and Hammerstein are putting together their musical. If you love The Sound of Music, this book is a must read!

So, it shouldn’t have shocked me that the musical version of events wasn’t exactly how things went down. But honestly, I’m a little disappointed that it wasn’t. However, I loved watching Maria fight for a more realistic version of her story to be shown.

I think Moran does a great job piecing together the pieces of Maria’s story that are pivotal for readers to understand. I loved getting a more in depth look at her childhood and seeing her true character contrasted so deeply with Julie Andrew’s character.

This book was a lot of fun to read! Seeing the purpose behind the musical, as well as seeing the true story made for interesting reading, creating a book I didn’t want to put down. In the end, this book got 5 stars from me!

Thanks to Random House Publishing – Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book published July 30th- be sure to add it to your TBR!

What you know is not all there is. A compelling story of love, loss, and suffering - and ultimate rescue. This is how it happened and what was retold and lost in the beloved musical The Sound of Music.

If you like to explore what's behind the scenes, you'll enjoy this exploration of real life and drama.

Well written and totally engaging historical novel about the life of Maria Van Trapp of "The Sound of Music" fame. The author uses a fictional assistant to Oscar Hammerstein to meet with Maria Van Trapp who is upset that "The Sound of Music" play starring Mary Martin isn't a factual representation of the Trapp family life. I was enraptured with the story from the first page and read it straight through in one day. It also made me rewatch "The Sound of Music" movie from a different perspective. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for an advanced reader copy.

When Rogers & Hammerstein were working on bringing The Sound of Music to the stage, the real Maria von Trapp read the script and had issues with its accuracy. She requested a meeting with Hammerstein to go over the issues. Trying to placate her, he sent his secretary Fran in his place to meet with Maria and take notes on what she felt should be changed. At first Maria is irritated that Hammerstein won’t meet with her himself, but Fran assured her she will give all her notes to him. After their first meeting barely scratched the surface of what Maria felt should be changed, they decided to continue meeting in the park for the next few days, until Maria felt she had aired all her grievances. We are all familiar with the young postulant Maria, wanting to become a nun, but the real Maria shared with Fran the story of her upbringing, which was hard and lonely. Her mother had died when she was young and her father, unwilling to care for her himself as it would have interfered with his life as a musician, pawned her off on relatives. Wanting to belong, it’s little wonder that she felt peace at the abbey, and that she later fell in love with the von Trapp children. As we learn more of Maria’s story, we realize she is a complex person, and her decisions and personality were shaped by her early years. Fran is concerned about the many changes that would need to be made to the stage production at such a late date, and she’s also concerned because Hammerstein just doesn’t seem well to her. Realizing the best she can do is to hear Maria out, type all the notes, and give to Hammerstein and let him do what he wishes with the truth.

The novel is a fascinating dive into the life of Maria and her family - some of the things I had read about (she was the disciplinarian, not the Captain, and she didn’t love him when they married, but she loved the children but - in her words - “that’s kind of the same thing.” ), but many more things I didn’t know. I’ve always loved The Sound of Music, and still watch it now, but I understand more clearly how the movie (which was based on the stage play) was changed for Hollywood, in order to make it more appealing. Nothing is ever as truthful in film or on the stage as what happens in real life, as nothing can replace our thoughts and emotions about our experiences as much as those of us who have lived it. If you are a Sound of Music fan, you need to pick up this book! Thanks to Netgalley and Dell Imprint of Random House for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The real story of Maria Von Trapp and the Trapp Family is detailed in this wonderfully written historical fiction novel. I found it fascinating how different the true story was from the both the Broadway play and the Movie.

I also enjoyed the dual timelines and found Fran's(fictionalized)story just as delightful.

An added bonus was peeking into Hammerstein's final days and the composing of the song "Edelweiss" which turned out to be one of the most beloved songs in the musical and mine. I cried in that chapter.

If you are a fan of The Sound of Music, then you just found your next summer read. An easy and enjoyable read.

How could I not request "Maria" to review? My mom has frequently told of taking me to see "The Sound of Music" at the theater when I was two, and how I sat rapt through the entire film. I've toured sites from the film in Europe twice. Heck, the name of my blog is "Girls in White Dresses!" I really enjoy the story of the von Trapps.

The book purports to be a fictional novel about Maria von Trapp ("You know the name and the iconic songs, but do you know her real story? This dramatic novel, based on the woman glamorized in The Sound of Music, brings Maria to life as never before"). It opens with Maria von Trapp writing a letter to Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote the music for the film (but first for the play, which preceded the movie). She is upset with changes he made; for instance, making Maria the sympathetic figure and the Captain the harsh one (which she said was opposite to reality) -- changing the ages and genders of the children (in reality, there were two boys and five girls, and the oldest was not the movie's Liesl, but a boy) -- the idea that the family escaped the Nazis by hiking the mountains into Switzerland (not likely since Salzburg is nowhere near the Swiss border). There is a Baroness in the story, but she is an employee living in the house and not the woman the Captain is originally planning to marry -- that is a Princess. Etc.

We also have a series of flashbacks where Maria tells her story, as well as the continuing drama with her now-grown children. There is also a fictional side story with 2 young women and 2 young men, some of whom work for Hammerstein and play romantic musical chairs with the accompanying drama.

I enjoyed tidbits about the movie/play: the producers' original name was "The Singing Heart." This book claims that the pre-nun Maria an atheist, "forced to listen to nonsense about God," but apparently took to the nunnery in an attempt to escape a harsh upbringing. It was sad that Hammerstein died of stomach cancer not long after the play's premiere and prior to the movie coming out. "Edelweiss," according to the book, is the last song he ever wrote. A priest named Father Wasner taught the children music, and accompanied the family to America where he arranged all their pieces.

It was also sad to read that Maria forced the children (the original 7 plus the three she and the Captain had after they married) to perform as singers once they had moved to America, and that this eventually resulted in her estrangement from many of them. I liked this thought of Maria's: "There is no such thing as forever. Someday soon the children will grow up and not need a governess. But I don't say these things, because of course no one wishes to imagine a time when their children have all left." Relatable!

But (and for me it was a huge but), the author states in her note "some of the more unbelievable scenes in this novel ... truly happened." Ummm ... some of them? We really are given no insights into which parts of this novel are true and which are fictional. To many people, it may not really matter. But as a big fan of the movie and the von Trapps, it bothers me to read this story, taking it pretty much as fact, and not really knowing whether or not it is. I felt a little like the real Maria, not liking someone messing with my reality when writing my story :)

So, I'm not sure who would enjoy this book. If you're a Sound of Music fan, it may bother you not knowing what's real in this book and what's not. You might enjoy it more if you weren't a Sound of Music fan -- but if that was the case, would you care enough to read it? Your call.