The Sound of Music is one of my all time favorite movies and soundtracks. Maria, in short, is a historical fiction take on Maria von Trapp's life in the convent, meeting and living with the von Trapp family, and the making of the Broadway musical based on Maria's story. This book is a light read and is a charming story about a movie that has become a beloved institution.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC.

I’m not usually the biggest fan of historical fiction, but I am a massive musical theatre fan, so I thought I’d give this one a try. And it didn’t disappoint!

I thought the story was very well told and all the characters leapt off the page. It also was very interesting to hear a new take on a story that we all know so well.

The dual timeline definitely aided to the storytelling instead of feeling like an overused plot device as it does in a lot of historical fiction.

I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of “The Sound of Music”, likes historical fiction, or just wants to read an interesting story!

I received a a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

So. This novel was a revelation. I admit, I did a lot of unsolicited fact-sharing with my not-always-so-interested husband while I read this book, as well as quite a bit of internet-searching for confirmation. The truth, presented here (and based on several memoirs and other reference), is almost the exact opposite of what we learned from the movie, when the gruff, grief stricken disciplinarian saved the happy-go-lucky, collector of favorite things from the nunnery. So apparently he was the happy one, and she was, actually, also very much in love with God. Or something like that. I'll leave that for you to read yourself. Because you really need to read this—besides, how could you resist that cover?

There is so much to take in here. Moran has done a wonderful job with her story within a story, and I enjoyed the contemporary time (during the making of the movie) almost as much, and sometimes more, than the retelling of the actual events. The Sound of Music will always be a favorite of mine, and Moran's book did not diminish it at all for me. In fact, it may have made the whole subject that much more compelling, adding a dose of reality to a story we had to know was just too good to be true. Maria's character, it seems, was given a scripted touch-up. No matter how disappointed she was with how the whole thing turned out, I can't imagine she was sorry to hear that Julie Andrews was going to play her in the movie.

"Maria" gives readers a fascinating look into the real life of Maria von Trapp, beyond what we know from The Sound of Music. The story goes back and forth between Maria’s early life and the creation of the Broadway musical, showing the real challenges and complexities she faced. Some fictional elements, like Fran, add another layer to the story, though a few details felt out of place. Overall, it's a great read for anyone curious about the true story behind the beloved film!

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eARC.

I felt like this book had a hard time figuring out what it was trying to do....tell about Maria von Trapp or tell about the creation of the musical based on her life. It jumped between the two rather abruptly. That being said, I watched The Sound of Music movie with my grandma numerous times and did enjoy learning more about the real person behind the story.

3.5 stars from me! I am very glad that Michelle Moran has returned to the historical fiction world with the release of Maria. I liked that we got a 2 for 1 deal on historical settings with 1950s NYC and 1920s-30s Austria with the dual POV. I can't say I loved either of the main characters, but it was interesting to read about the making of the Sound of Music behind the scenes. Also, reading about the differences between the musical and the real Maria von Trapp's life was something!

Looking forward to future releases from Michelle Moran and am so glad I got a chance to read this book.

Fans of the musical, "Sound of Music," will want to pick up Maria; A Novel of Maria von Trapp.

Oscar Hammerstein is finishing up his latest play regarding the life of Maria Von Trapp. He's ready to make this his next hit but he's got one issue, Maria. She's in the theater demanding changes to the play right now as it does not portray the actual events of her life. Open to hearing about the changes the play should make, Maria tells her life story to Hammerstein's secretary, Fran. How do you solve a problem like Maria? You listen to her.

I have always been a fan of the Sound of Music since my youth and was excited to dive into Maria by new to me author, Michelle Moran. I immediately pictured scenes from the movie throughout the read as I was taken into Maria's life. Moran writes in a way that the scenes come alive and then make me want to do some research, and some planning, to discover if/when these scenes occurred. I definitely will be picking up another book soon by Moran to dive into what other historical events she has taken an interest with.

This book was a must read for me as I watch the Sound of Music once a year.

Reading Maria's back story and her love of music at an early age gave insight into this beloved and iconic character.

A beautiful historical fiction account of the story Von Trapp evolves over a dual timeline story. Michelle Moran is a master of the genre and always develops a heroine that is honest, strong, and complex. If you think you know The Sound of Music, you will want to read this beauty. Thanks to NetGalley for this gem!

It's always bittersweet when I come across a book that I know my mom would have wanted to read. Maria: A Novel of Maria Von Trapp by Michelle Moran is one of those books. While it is fiction, it tells the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers famously (and incorrectly) portrayed in The Sound of Music.

Moran takes us back to 1959 when Rodgers & Hammerstein are almost finished and ready to premiere their new musical. Except, Maria Von Trapp has arrived and would like an audience with Hammerstein to convince him to make changes to the script. Hammerstein's assistant Fran is charged with meeting with Maria in Hammerstein's place and taking notes about what needs to be changed.

While this is mainly a story about the real Maria Von Trapp, it's also a story about Fran, an aspiring writer, and how she does her best to appease Maria, do her job well, and go after her own dreams.

I had no idea what the real story was about the Trapps. I didn't know it was based on a German film that itself was based on Maria's autobiography. I knew that the family bought and owned a lodge in Vermont. I've visited it!! But I didn't know the specifics of the real children or that Georg and Maria had children of their own or how they managed to escape from Nazi-occupied Austria.

If you're a Sound of Music fan, you'll enjoy learning more about the real story through this historical novel. Discussion questions in the back make this a great read for a book club. Or just discussing with your mom.

Maria: A Novel of Maria Von Trapp is published by Dell and will be available to purchase tomorrow, 7/30/24. I received a free e-ARC to review.

I love historical fiction and I really enjoyed Maria. It was a different version of the movie more like her book. I loved how Michelle Moren told Maria's story making the Captain her husband more likable. She was tough on the kids and really tried to make the family stay together. They really didn't get to live there own lives that was not depicted in the movie version. This would be a great book club choice.

I love the movie “The Sound of music” and I read one of the biographies a looong time ago. When I saw this book, I was very interested in reading it. It is written from two people’s perspective; one is Maria von Trapp and the other is Oscar Hammerstein’s secretary Fran. I did find it interesting to find out what Maria (supposedly) thought about the manuscript for the Sound of Music musical.
Part of the book is Maria telling Fran about her life, this was the best part of the book. I really enjoy finding out things I didn’t know about the famous family.
This book was well written and very well researched.

I love how the author writes about historical figures that you didn't know you wanted to know more about. It was so well written that I wanted more.

I have always been a fan of The Sound of Music and end up watching it every year when it comes on around Christmas. This was a fascinating look at the life of the von Trapps and the comparison between that and how they were portrayed in the movie. Moran’s characters leap off the page and feel like family (partially due to the movie as well) and it was nice to really get to know Maria von Trapp and the youngest children that were not in the movie. I would have liked more of the romance between Maria and Georg but it's all explained well in the end. Highly recommended for fans of WWII stories, the Sound of Music, and historical fiction as a whole.

I enjoyed this book. It's worth a read just to find out more about the true story of Maria von Trapp.

It’s historical fiction with dual POV one being Maria and the other being a secretary in Oscar Hammerstein’s office. The secretary is a little bit one dimensional – she’s more of a plot device used as a way for Maria to get her true story out. In the end, it doesn’t really matter because the true draw of the story to me was the Von Trapp family story.

I also really appreciated the Author’s Note and “What Ever Happened to...” segments at the end of the book.

4.5 rounded up

I love The Sound of Music, which is obviously why I felt compelled to read this book! It was a quick read and I was sucked into the story of Maria and her family - it took a lot longer for me to care about the 1950s time period with Fran meeting with Maria. I found Fran and Peter's sudden romance unnecessary and poorly developed, but in the end I was curious to learn more about Hammerstein. I didn't even know The Sound of Music was originally a Broadway show. I was a little disappointed to learn that Maria wasn't quite the lovely woman that she appeared to be in the movie (assuming this novel is more accurate). But overall I enjoyed learning more about the Von Trapps.

A beautifully done historical fiction piece on the real life of Maria von Trapp, dispelling some of the myths of her idyllic story of love and family while setting the real heartwarming details aright. Having grown up with the musical, I was enchanted once again by this formidable woman and the trials she overcame at home and against the evil Nazi regime. I highly recommend this to anyone who fell in love with the von Trapps and always wanted to know more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

The Sound of Music is one of the most beloved musicals of all time, but how did the real people that it depicted feel about its portrayal and its success? *Maria* shows that it wasn’t all marionette shows and sneaking through the Abbey, but rather that the Von Trapp family faced very real disagreements and perils, many of which could hardly translate into musical fit for Rogers and Hammerstein. This dramatic retelling of the life Maria von Trapp and the origins of the musical that made her a household name will force you to pause the next time you hear Julie Andrews belting Do Re Mi or Christopher Plummer blowing a whistle.

As someone who has loved the South of Music for decades and can easily recite and sing along to every word, this book really was a reckoning to me. Truly, never did I consider this wasn’t the full and complete story. I loved learning more about the woman (and the family) behind the musical, which has lead me to do some more of my own research.

With that said, I found the chapters told from Fran (Hammerstein’s secretary)’s POV to be extremely distracting. I really did not care about her or her relationship woes? I understand why she was necessary to the story, but think more could have been done here to not disrupt the flow of Maria’s narrative.

3.5 stars

Many thanks to Michelle Moran, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Between Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music growing up, I lived in an all Julie Andrews world, all the time! This book was such a lovely transport back to that time. Not only retelling the story of the Von Trapp family in a new and interesting way but weaving in a delightful story about Hammerstein and the golden days of Broadway. I enjoyed this so much. I have never done a lot of research on the true story of the Von Trapps so was very interested to learn everything I did.

A must for any fan of the movie "The Sound of Music:". A historical fiction retelling of the making of the Broadway show of the same name, I enjoyed this delightful story. The real life von Trapp family's history is different than the show/movie and this book details some of those differences. A dual timeline of the 30s/40s and the time of the Broadway show's premiere works well. Now off to re-watch the movie...