Something I have always loved about Michelle Moran's writing is that I will learn something while also being entertained. That remains true after reading Maria. I was thrilled to see she's be writing about the Von Trapp family, being a huge Sound of Music lover, as well as having worked with one of the Von Trapp grandchildren. This story was wonderful, moving between Maria's story and the people involved in creating the musical. While I know the interactions were fabricated, the stories themselves, coming from trusted sources, were often fact, and I loved to know more about the family. I enjoyed the whole journey very much.

Michelle Moran adds new lyrics to a well loved song.

Fans of The Sound of Music will love this book but also the side story of behind the scenes making of a Broadway hit.

If you loved The Sound of Music like I did as a child, this book is definitely for you. This book was a perfect blend of a partial retelling of the story of the Sound of Music mixed with interesting new perspective on the matriarch Maria and the rest of the Von Trapp Family. I was very nostalgic but also incredibly reflective as I moved through the story because there was so much more depth to the Von Trapp Family and their circumstances than the movie portrayed. Character development is probably the best part of this story, as I really felt connected to the characters and also felt like I came to understand them so much more. This was definitely a great read and I would highly recommend this book.

Than you NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved The Sound of Music as a child. I managed to break the VHS from watching it so much! Even with as much as I watched the movie, I didn’t know much about the real Maria Von Trapp. The dual timeline was an excellent way for me to learn about the real Maria, in contrast with the one I know from my childhood. This book is great for both historical fiction lovers and fans of the movie. It’s well researched and will keep you engaged.
Thank you Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a beautiful tribute to the Von Trapp Family.

All lovers of musicals will delight in this backstage pass to the writing of The Sound of Music.

This only downside, if you are very familiar with the movie and stage show, you probably know most of this already. I wish the author had included more of the B storyline (Fran, Hammerstein, the writing of the musical, talking to Maria).

I appreciated all the facts that set the record straight and the research that has gone into this book. A great read for musical lovers, just wanted more of those backstage details!

I could not put this book down! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Initially I was not sure if I would enjoy this because like most people my only perception of Maria and her family was thanks to the movie and seeing her in a different light at first was a little harsh but I quickly changed my mind and absolutely loved this book!!! I already have been recommending it to friends!

Maria by Michelle Moran is a novel about Maria von Trapp and the musical that was created as a result of her life. Maria had a terrible childhood and as soon as she became of age she entered an abbey as a Catholic novice, with every intention of becoming a nun and devoting her life to God. She was assigned to spend 9 months at Baron von Trapp’s villa teaching his youngest children, of which there was 7. We learn of her time spent as part of this Austrian family, and also how she wound up becoming part of it. However the story is also about the developing of the musical that became part of Broadway for so long, “The Sound of Music”. We especially learned how her live differed from the script that was written for the musical, as well as for the German movie that came out before.

Maria arrives in NY in 1959, wanting to confront Hammerstein regarding the differences between her life and how she is being portrait in the play. Fran, Hammerstein’s assistant, was instructed to meet with Maria and bring him back notes on the contradictions. They become friendly and from there we learn the full story of her life from becoming Baroness von Trapp, creating the singing family, escaping the Nazi, and winding up in the US.

The story had me hooked from page 1. It was enjoyable to read and well written. I loved the duel timelines. It was a page turner and kept me wanting more. I always loved the musical and the songs that went along with it but I was also intrigued to learn that her life was so different than the story. I highly recommend Maria to anyone interested in historical fiction and enjoying Broadway.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I have always liked The Sound of Music so this behind the scenes look at where Maria came from before she became a von Trapp was very interesting. I enjoyed reading about the differences between their real lives and what was portrayed in the movie. I also learned more about Oscar Hammerstein's personal life as he worked on the play of the von Trapps. Not a boring moment to be found in the book if you are a fan.

Thoroughly enjoyed learning about the backstory of the Trapp family and the Broadway play. This was well researched and shed a lot of light on the portrayal of the family and gave a lot of insight into Austria in the years leading up to WWII.

For those who love the Sound of Music, I highly recommend this book.

I've seen the movie the Sound of Music many times, and listened to the music. This was a great story with more details about the real Von Trapp family and also Hammerstein. The book is a dual timeline, with one storyline being in the late 1950s, in the weeks leading up to the opening of the Sound of Music broadway play, the real Maria Von Trapp is trying to get the offices of Hammerstein to change the play since it is different from what really happens. The 2nd timeline is told in a way that Maria is telling the real story of her family.

I learned a lot about the story behind the movie. The book was well written and I really enjoyed it.

I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley.

So....I'm going to admit that I didn't actually know The Sound of Music was based on anything let alone real people, until reading this book.... lol

I didn't grow up having a deep love for the film or the musical but as a theater kid, I was familiar with the story and the songs. Thus, I went into this book a bit in the dark and curious, and wow, was I really sucked into the story.

I get the irony of a fictionalized retelling as a frame story about a real person who is upset about a fictionalized retelling of their own story, but Moran really did her homework and did it justice, which also compelled me to further read about who Maria was, and what was fact or fiction.

Her work painted a richer, darker, and more complex picture and also served as an interesting commentary on who determines what stories get told, how they are told, how much truth there may or may not be to them, and how each story and each person's version of what the truth may be is so situational to the time, place, and socio-political power of the person telling it. To me, that seemed to be an underlying theme of how Maria viewed her upbringing, her place in the world, her family, and what she saw for them and herself, as juxtaposed by her children's truths or the various versions of Maria's story framed by filmmakers and writers in a post-WWII world.

Moran also did a good job of exploring the way that Maria's childhood experiences might have created this need in her to not be left behind, to always struggle with abandonment issues and the abuse she suffered, her zealousness for God transferred to touring, and how, when left untreated, trauma and other possible related mental health issues become generational trauma passed on to her children.

One thing I didn't see coming was unexpectedly loving the side character of Hammerstein - I would have loved to spend more time in the present to build a better connection to Fran and that world but it felt that the switching back and forth was unnatural.

It made Fran's story feel undeveloped and disconnected from the larger picture. Jack's digs, while shitty, didn't give us time to see his transition in her eyes from kind boyfriend to jealous manchild. And the abrupt breakup and switching of boyfriends wasn't as meaningful, or natural - no build-up to Peter being the obvious choice who saw her as an equal.

The parts with Maria were just so compelling when compared to Fran's perspective. More character development, backstory, and perhaps emphasizing the parallels or lessons that Fran pulled from Maria's story that eventually led to her transformation would have made it feel more satisfying and more invested equally in Fran's story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be compelling and hard to put down. It had me going down research rabbit holes on the family and listening to the original Broadway recording of the show to envision the Edelweiss scene. This is one I'll definitely recommend to fans of musical/movie and historical fiction readers.

Thank you to Megan Whalen/Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine and NetGalley for the gifted eArc!

Often my favorite aspect of any historical novel is the Author’s Notes at the end. It divides actual fact from imagination. I am disappointed when I get to the end of a story and discover no notes included. My favorite historical movies are the ones where they actually interview the person the story is about.
So Maria was an absolute treasure of a novel because it was filled with revelations about the actual Maria written about in the film, The Sound of Music. I loved the movie, but finding out which parts were pure imagination brought the actual story alive.
Maria was a multi-faceted character. But the book gave me a new appreciation for her husband. I loved at the end the Author’s notes, and a page of what happened to each child in the Von Trapp family singers.
I think this novel was a 5 star winner. In fact I was so fascinated that I went to Amazon and ordered the movie. I usually say the book was better, but I need to re-watch the movie with the clearer insight the book gave me to appreciate both. It also gave me a strong desire to go climb a mountain somewhere.
Release date is July 30th.
Thanks to #Net Galley, the author- #Michelle Moran, #Dell Publishing.

A much more realistic look at the Von Trapp family. Maria was no saint and she said so herself.
I loved how she fought Hollywood for Georg’s memory.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book - the quicker I read something the more I like it I'm discovering. I've always been a fan of The Sound of Music (ask me about the time I dressed as a drop of golden sun at the live singalong) and I was very interested in learning more about the "real" Maria. I knew that the movie musical (and the play it was based on) was not 100% factual but I didn't realize how much of it was actually fictionalized.

This book is also historical fiction. The narrator, Fran, works for Oscar Hammerstein in the 1950s while he is composing The Sound of Music. Fran is charged with meeting and pacifying Maria, who is distressed about the artistic license Hammerstein has taken with the story. Maria recounts to Fran the real story of the Von Trapp family and her own abusive upbringing. We learn about the mild mannered Georg who loved Maria from the start, his seven children (not the same ages or genders as the movie portrayed), and how the family actually escaped the Nazi regime in Austria before WW2.

We also see a darker side to Maria as the family struggles to survive as a musical group. I wish there would have been a little more explanation or introspection on Maria's part regarding her evolution from a spunky would-be nun to an unforgiving mother.

We also learn a little about the fictional Fran and her career and relationship issues but I thought those distracted a bit from Maria's tales, understanding however that it was a necessary framework for the story.

Overall though I found this to be a delightful book. Definitely recommend it any fan of The Sound of Music or historical fiction lover.

The Nun and the Baron

A novel of Maria Von Trapp, and the making of the movie "The Sound of Music". As Oscar Hammerstein is asked to write the music for a musical based on the life of Maria Von Trapp, Maria, now in her golden years fights to have the story written to reflect her actual life and not a changed stage production of it.

As Hammerstein's assistant listens to Maria tell her story and takes notes for Hammerstein the production goes on until it is too late to change, but a last song is written for the show which Maria approves of very much.

It tells the life of Maria Von Trapp, the woman proposing to become a nun, who marries a baron with 7 children. Their lives and their escape from the Nazi's along with a bit of the behind the scenes production of the musical.

It was an interesting book to read. I was holding my breath as the whole family escaped the Nazi's on the last train out.

A bit of history in a book based on the production of the Musical "The Sound of Music". I enjoyed reading the book.

Thanks to MIchelle Moran for writing a great story, to Random House Publishing for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

How do you tell the real story of Maria von Trapp? Michelle Moran has done just that in her novel, Maria. Set during the rehearsals of Hammerstein’s Broadway show The Sound of Music, Maria is upset because the show does not tell the true story of the Trapp family. Hammerstein’s assistant is tasked to take notes on the account Maria tells her. While this is a novel, much of the book is based on Maria’s autobiography and gives a more accurate account of their lives. It also gives a peek into the life of one of the greatest Broadway producers. The Trapp family was real with problems like so many who opposed Hitler. They had to rebuild their life after their escape.

Maria is a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Trapp family. I highly recommend it. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

I have always been a fan of The Sound of Music since I was a young child. I was so excited to be able to read about “The Maria Von Trapp, and I was not disappointed. What a life she led along with all the Von Trapp family. Very heartwarming and heartbreaking read. Great insight into Hammerstein is a bonus addition. I was given an advanced reader copy of this very well written book bu NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

This book brought me such joy to read. It is an absolute delight from start to finish. Such a beautiful tale about a play that is beloved by so many but highlighting the stunning real woman behind the inspiration. The story is beautifully weaved together between the development of the play and Maria telling what really happened. I feel like it gave me an even deeper appreciation for Maria as a person, and for the play. So many times, Broadway, or Hollywood’s glamour shines over the real story, but having a book that pulls both together so beautifully is just poetic. Maria was a real person, she had her flaws, but she was able to save her family and keep them together through the power of singing. While her story was far from picture perfect and has its tragedies, I am so grateful that I have a better understanding of woman and family that inspired such a stunning piece of Broadway history. I have already started to talk this book up and am so excited to get it into the hands of readers soon.
Thank you ever so much to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Dell, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this stunning book.

I have always wondered about Maria and how much of what we say in the movie was real. Now we know.

When Oscar Hammerstein decides to write the lyrics to the musical, Maria demands a meeting. Foisting her off on his assistant, Fran.
When Fran meets with Maria, they begin a long friendship and Maria tells her the real story.

The true story is even better, in my opinion. It’s real. Not a sugar coated fairy tale.

It was exactly what I wanted!
NetGalley/ Random House/ Dell July 30, 2024

We all know the story of the Von Trapp Family through the musical and movie, "The Sound of Music." But is the story told in those theatrical pieces what really happened? When Maria learns of a new musical opening on Broadway in the 1950's, she is so angered by the changes to her life story that she comes to New York to confront Oscar Hammerstein. Too busy to meet with Maria, Hammerstein assigns his secretary, Fran to meet and interview Maria and then leave him her transcribed notes. Maria believes that crucial parts of the play will be rewritten to reflect actual events while Fran knows that they are too far into rehearsals to make any changes. Meeting with Maria over several days, leads Fran into a better understanding of the woman and the hardships she has faced. Speaking with one of her daughters, Fran realizes that Maria, despite having so many children, is actually very lonely and estranged from all of them except her youngest daughter.

Turning the story found in the productions on it's ear and shining a light on the very real and complicated woman that she was, author Moran strips away the saccharine outer shell and allows us to see the real Maria, a woman who fought for survival throughout her life.