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.

First, I have always loved the Sound of Music and Julie Andrews. And yes, I do know that Hollywood glamorizes what is real and takes many liberties in their storytelling. That being said, it was surprising to me to have the rose colored glasses torn off and see behind the scenes to meet the real Maria. I didn't realize her childhood background which affect her her whole life, nor as an adult her driving ambition of pushing her children to sing, sing, sing. Well written and detailed, I appreciated differing perspectives that only enriches the movie storyline and certainly will have me looking at it differently next time I watch it. How sad that this supposed tight knit family became so dysfunctional and broken. Still, Maria was a legend and demonstrated so much courage. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Many thanks to #netgalley #maria #michellemoran for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I literally squealed and did a happy dance when I opened my email to find out that I was given an advanced reader copy of Maria from Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group!

The Sound of Music gives me all the childhood memories: watching with my grandparents, singing songs with my sisters, and pretending to be Maria. But what I didn’t know was the true story of Maria Von Trapp and this book gave me all the details I was missing.

Spanning from Maria’s early childhood (one which was truly so sad), her desire to become a nun, meeting Georg and the children, all the way to years later demanding to speak to Hammerstein about how he got her story wrong, author Michelle Moran gives us an insight into Maria and the Von Trapps that the musical didn’t tell us about. (And the fact that it was changed doesn’t bother me- I still love it and it will remain one of my favorite things… see what I did there????)

But I’m not giving any spoilers away, but once it releases in July, this book will be worth the time to read, especially if you are a Sound of Music fan!

*This was an ARC review and all thoughts are my own. Thank you Net Galley and Random House Group Publishing.

Though my first read from author, Michelle Moran, I know that Maria won't be the last. The subject and characters were portrayed with empathy and insight.

Discrepancies revealed shocking differences between the musical/movie and actual events and characters in the von Trapp family. Learning the screenplay was written by Germans shortly after the end of the war was astounding. More surprises as well as confirmation of other details provided an engrossing and enjoyable reading adventure.

I received a complimentary copy of the book without obligation. This review is my opinion.

Maria 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, and when the family was forced to flee their home to escape the Nazis, it was Maria who instructed them on how to survive using nothing but the power of their voices.

A tale of love, loss, and the difficult choices that we are often forced to make, Maria is a powerful reminder that the truth is usually more complicated—and certainly more compelling—than the stories immortalized by Hollywood.

This was a beautiful story about the real Maria. Until I picked this up, I wasn't even aware that the movie was (loosely!) based on real people. This was a fascinating look at something much closer to reality. If you love the movie, I would highly recommend reading this book! I loved the movie as a child, and now, knowing more of Maria's story, I will always watch it through a different lens. ❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?! This question is fundamental to Michelle Moran’s fascinating new novel based on the real life of Maria Von Trapp and her family. Mostly set in the time period just before the opening of the Broadway version of The Sound of Music, Moran’s Maria seeks to set Hammerstein straight on the divergence between the events and characters featured in the musical and her real life experiences and family members, as Hammerstein and his staff seek to engage with Maria in an attempt to avoid the public relations crisis that would be spurred should Maria or her children publicly criticize what turned out to be Hammerstein’s last show.

Despite my multiple viewings of the Julie Andrews movie, my knowledge of virtually every lyric and note of every song in the movie, and having read Maria Von Trapp’s own books, I still learned many interesting and intriguing details about the von Trapp family and their lives - and found the novel utterly riveting and ultimately heartbreaking. I also loved the various fictional characters on Hammerstein’s team and their own story arcs.

Highly recommended. 4.5 stars, rounded up in recognition of Moran’s sensitive portrayal of the real woman who inspired one of the most loved and lauded characters of film and musical theater.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Dell for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own. .

This was SO GOOD! I have always loved The Sound of Music movie. The songs felt like part of my house, as it was my moms favorite. In the movie, Maria as a character is amazing- the almost nun that ended up being wife and mother to a house full of children. After reading the book, I feel like I must go rewatch the movie and compare notes.

The downfall (in my honest opinion) is that the book made Maria a little less likeable. I’ve never realized that she was as hard on the kids as she was. That said, the reasons for this are understandable and the ending of the book (and the subsequent authors notes) are a nice way to end it.

Like so many others, I grew up with The Sound of Music. It was a very interesting book and kept my attention to the end. It’s a little sad when a mother’s goals become more important than her children’s wishes. And before I get blasted, I know that she was trying to keep the family together and earn money to pay their bills. It was well written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

THE TRUTH BE TOLD
"The Sound of Music" was one of my favorite shows growing up, about a postulate who marries an Austrian baron. She created the Von Trapp Family singers, and as the story goes, escaped from the Nazis over the Alps. These were the Roger’s and Hammerstein and Hollywood versions.
This book then tells Maria’s version of the story. I enjoyed following María’s narrative, as it diverged considerably from the film and play and gave a lot more insight into what happened to the family. I felt sad as she regaled her personal story, her childhood, and her naivety at the world. I admired her tenacity in taking on the large family and the emotional toll it took on her. Having a very strong will and personality is not always to one’s advantage. The author gives us insight into the personalities of Georg and the other family members, and how at times she was the overbearing one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning the truth about the narrative behind the play and film production. I would certainly recommend it to people who are fans of “The Sound of Music.” Knowing the authentic story does not take away but enhances the experience.