Oh, what a lovely book. The Sound of Music for a new generation, a little grittier and definitely more revealing of character than the version I grew up with. It's a book that needed to be written, so thank you for writing it. This is definitely a different, more human version of the von Trapp family that will resonate with today's readers. Maria was a real woman, with strengths and weaknesses, and we can learn from her to keep going, keep believing in yourself, and do the best you can.

Fictionalized account about the making of the play "Sound of Music" and the life of Maria Von Trapp. I don't feel like this really added a lot that was new to the story, of much of it is included in the movie and play. There were some interesting things about Maria's early life, but I feel like the author was trying to paint Maria in a bad light. She wasn't perfect but it must have taken a lot of strength and courage to rescue her family from both financial ruin and the Nazis.

Maria" by Michelle Moran offers a captivating twist on the beloved "Sound of Music" tale, presenting a fresh perspective that keeps readers engaged. Moran skillfully breathes new life into familiar characters and settings. With dual timelines, we also get to learn about Hammerstein and the creation of the musical on Broadway.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. 'The Sound of Music' brings back all the childhood memories for me; it was one of my all time favorite movies that I watched over and over constantly singing the songs. The book is about Maria Von Trapp and the details of her life and the inaccuracies of the broadway screenplay compared to real life. I was captivated from page one and could not put the book down, finishing it in one day. If you are a fan of the movie then this book is a MUST READ! I could picture each scene in the movie as it was being retold in the book.

Wow! Make sure you start with the authors note. It gives a lot of context behind what is true and what was written with liberties. I loved Sound Of Music, now after reading this, I will watch it with even more knowledge and love! The duel timeline was perfect, Maria and all the background was so interesting, definitely a book I highly recommend you picking up!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Who doesn't love The Sound of Music?!! Michelle Moran delves into answering all the questions you might have about the real Maria von Trapp, in this historical fiction page-turner. The dual-timeline story tells of Maria's trip to New York to meet with Oscar Hammerstein ahead of the premier of the musical, to set him straight on the details he got wrong, and of Maria's upbringing and her life before, during and after the period of time the musical covers. I was hooked immediately! The story is very well-researched; Maria's life was even more interesting than what we know from the musical and movie. The storyline that takes place in the 1950s was most interesting when Maria was involved. I wasn't crazy about the side story of Fran, the Hammerstein staffer who is sent to deal with Maria's complaints. But all in all, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

A story that is fictional but based on fact. Yes, I like a lot of others "loved" The Sound of Music, and this is Maria's story.
Be sure to read the Author's Note, it does explain a lot, and we learn that a lot of this read is true! Sadly, some of the things a parent would love to change, but not possible!
This is a read to savor and enjoy, and find out some interesting facts about the Von Trapp family, I'm really glad that I chose to read this book! Not only did I enjoy this read, but it brought back such fond memories of the movie.
Yes, those drapes really did get cut up!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Random House Ballantine, and was not required to give a positive review.

I’m sure I am not alone in having fond memories of the first time I saw Julie Andrews in the screen adaptation of “The Sound of Music.” The hills, the songs, the voices, the story—on the big screen, it couldn’t fail to enchant. To this day, I have family members who seek out reruns in the theaters and have memorized every line of the score. Yet somehow I missed the news that Maria von Trapp was so unhappy with the treatment of her life on the stage that she wrote a letter of protest to Oscar Hammerstein begging him to rewrite the lyrics to more accurately reflect her family’s experience.

The show was in rehearsal on Broadway by the time Maria’s letter reached its destination, so it is perhaps not surprising that her protests had little effect. But that’s not the point of this charming new novel by Michelle Moran. The book moves back and forth between New York in 1959, where a group of fictional writers working for Hammerstein give their perspective on the conflict, and Maria’s own story told from her point of view, beginning in Salzburg, Austria, in 1926, when she is still a novice teaching six-year-olds at the convent.

As a writer, what fascinated me most about this book was watching in real (that is, novelistic) time the transformation of biography into story. Yes, Maria was right: “The Sound of Music” distorts her truth in ways both fundamental and trivial. And in one case—the family’s escape from Austria not long after Hitler invaded—the fictional version is actually less dramatic than the reality (the novel proposes an explanation for that). But the changes also work, in terms of dramatic arc, in ways that a strict adherence to fact could not have sustained. And that says something about fiction and its role in our lives.

Find out more when I host the author on my blog (link below) in early August 2024.

Maria
by Michelle Moran
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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.
With the horrors of war still fresh in people’s minds, Hammerstein won’t let audiences see just how close the von Trapps came to losing their lives. But when Maria sees the script, she is so incensed that she sets off to confront Hammerstein, who foists her off on Fran, his secretary. The pair strike up an unlikely friendship as Maria tells Fran about her life, contradicting much of what will eventually appear in The Sound of Music and delivering a far grittier tale.Michelle Moran's hugely entertaining novel explores how Hammerstein grossly misinterpreted Maria's story and offers a more nuanced retelling. Maria is a powerful reminder that the truth is often more complicated—and certainly more compelling—than the stories immortalized by Hollywood.
This book is extraordinary!! The author has written a gorgeous story that will ring in the hearts of those who adore The Sound of Music, who want to know more about the family's complicated matriarch. I loved the narrative that flows like honey, the dual timeline structure that allows us to follow Maria's life as she lived it in Austria, then as she retells it to a fictional assistant to lyricist Oscar Hammerstein in the 1950s, when he was working on a Broadway musical about the von Trapp family.

I have never watched The Sound of Music, but now after reading Maria I most definitely will! I ended up having a love/hate relationship with Maria at times but don't we all with ourselves at one time or another? I enjoyed this book and following her life before the the vonTrapp family and during.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC.

Maria is really good historical fiction, the story behind The Sound of Music, Maria, and the Von Trapp family. It was particularly interesting to read about the rise of Nazism and the Trapp family's decision to leave Austria. I appreciated learning the "real" story of the family and the development of the musical. The fictional characters of Fran and Peter are also a fun addition to the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book
I felt this was a uniquely told book from Maria’s perspective it was engaging and researched well

I really enjoyed this book!
As an avid Sound of Music fan, the title caught my eye right away as did the cover art. I loved reading a story from Maria's point of view, and hearing in her voice what she went through in her life. I grew up watching The Sound of Music with my great grandma and the writing painted a lovely picture in my mind, recalling movie moments we all know so well. I could just see the kids in their playclothes made from drapes, singing away while falling in love with "their" Maria. It was interesting to have the twist on it that the real Maria didn't approve of a lot of the parts in the musical and made me wonder what the whole family thought of it all. A good new perspective on a beloved classic, in my eyes. Thanks, NetGalley, and Ms. Moran, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Maria is written as a way for the title character to tell her truth versus the 1950's musical story of The Sound Of Music. In Maria, she reads the musical of her story and quite upset by parts that are left out or changed she heads to clear up the story. This novel takes the beloved Sound of Music and Maria's truth and merges them in such a beautiful way.

While I find myself to be a less than huge fan of the Sound of Music (movie version) I absolutely enjoyed this novel where Maria tells her story to Fran, the assistant of the original musical writer (Hammerstein). To see how Fran uses this story is quite interesting as well.

Well worth the read if you are a lover of musicals, especially The Sound Of Music as it beautifully blends truth and fiction.

Okay, first a confession - I'm probably one of the very few who is not a fan of this movie and I love most musicals. Not sure why but it just wasn't, however, my daughter who also loves musicals (apple doesn't fall far from the tree) happens to love it. So her growing up caused me to have to watch this several (hundreds?) times over so I know it every which way. With that said the subject of this book intrigued me and it is soooooo much better than the movie/musical. Although this is fiction - it is a blend of fiction and non-fiction and not only better aligns truth from Hollywood tales but also tells the rest of Maria's tale. I'm sure reading Maria's own biography (I believe there are 2) would tell her story completely correctly but, in my opinion, Michelle Moran, blends this together perfectly. It's fast reading and NEVER a dull moment. A great read whether you are a fan of the movie/musical or not. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book gave us a glimpse into the real life story of Maria from the movie Sound of music. How she was sent to help a family during a time she wanted to become a nun. This story gave us a behind the scenes perspective of her life. A must read.

What an incredible book!

I grew up adoring the movie The Sound of Music; I’ve probably watched it at least a hundred times. I’ve seen local stage productions of the musical a couple of times. I read Maria von Trapp’s autobiography a long time ago (so long ago that I only have vague memories of it). I’ve listened to the recordings from both the Broadway musical and the movie on repeat countless times. I wasn’t sure this book would have anything new to offer me, and boy was I mistaken!

I loved the inside look at Maria von Trapp’s real history. From her childhood to her time at Nonnberg Abbey to her meeting Georg von Trapp and his children to their rush to leave Austria after the Nazi takeover and their arrival in America. This book covers so much ground! I loved the new information, mostly about the time before and after what is covered in the musical/movie. There is quite a bit of difficult information (including the idea that Maria isn’t necessarily always the ray of sunshine she’s been presented as), but I think it’s very fairly and sensitively handled. And, even the parts that coincide with the musical were fun to read, despite me already being extremely familiar with them. I was more amazed at how much the show actually got right than what it changed or left out. It truly is a fascinating story.

Also, the author did an amazing amount of research and it shows. I loved learning about the real von Trapp children as individuals, including a bit about their adult lives. And the other people who were part of their lives, like Father Franz Wasner. I even feel like doing my own deep dive on someone like Bruno Walter would be warranted.

And I enjoyed how the author wrapped the von Trapp’s story into the story of how the musical was created. I’m not always a fan of dual timelines in books, but the author wrote it in such a way that I remained fully invested in both timelines. I didn’t know much about Oscar Hammerstein before this, but now I’m definitely interested to learn more. And the mentions of Mary Martin, Dick Halliday, and even Stephen Sondheim sparked my curiosity, too.

I think anyone who loves The Sound of Music musical or movie will love this book, but even if you haven’t been a fan previously, if you have an interest in history, this book has a lot to offer. Highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. If you loved (or even liked) The Sound of Music, you will definitely love this novel! Structured as a dual timeline between Maria Von Trapp’s life in Austria as she is living it and her life as she relates it to Oscar Hammerstein’s assistant in the 1950s. This is an engaging and very enjoyable piece of historical fiction. Caveat: The Broadway musical as well as the movie version seem to be somewhat only loosely based on what actually happened to Maria and the rest of the Von Trapp family. Nonetheless, this novel may well have you singing or humming tunes from the musical/movie as you read along.

This one felt all the little bit real to me after visiting Stowe and learning about the family. None the less, I have always enjoyed the sound of music and this was a very interesting read. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

I love "The Sound of Music," and it's nice to know that most of the story was true. I liked how the story, "Maria,' filled in the part about where Maria came from before being a nun. However, this story also reveals a lot more about the character Maria then the movie, which changes the dynamic of the family once she became a mother. It seems that her past and the lost of money in the family made her very determine to do what ever she could not to repeat her past no matter what and was not able to see how her belief and determination could hurt others she was trying to help.
I loved that their singing actually help save their lives, just like the movie, but it happened in a more realistic way then the movie which would have been harder for movie audience to take. So, I'm glad they left it out and made the movie the way it was.
It is a little disappointing that a very small part of the story is fictional because this would have been a great non-fiction book. I loved learning everything about Maria and the Von Trapp family and how Georg really liked Maria. I also like the real life story of about Hammerstein and what happen to him. It never occurred to me that "Sound of Music," was his last play and it's sadden me that he never saw the movie.
I did like that the character Fran learned something from Maria and her family and applying it to her own life, but I wish the romantic part of the story was longer, because it was just getting more interesting when the story ends.

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for an advance copy of a story about Maria's more realistic story.