Finding Dorothy

Elizabeth Letts blends fact and fiction in this fascinating piece of historical fiction that explores the life of Maud Gage Baum, the little known wife of L Frank Baum, the famous author of the The Wizard of Oz. The narrative has two timelines, that of Maud and her family from the 1870s onwards, and the 78 year old Maud's presence on the Hollywood film set of The Wizard of Oz in 1939 where she aims to ensure that the movie stays true to her husband's vision. Maud is the daughter of Matilda, a well known suffragette, a feminist and mother who ensured that Maud was unencumbered by the limits faced by women at the time. Maud is a fearless and independent character, and one of the first women to attend Cornell University, which is where she meets the actor, Frank, when the two are introduced to each other by her flatmate.

Maud proves to be her own woman when she marries Frank despite the fierce opposition of her mother. Frank is a wonderfully imaginative father, but it is Maud's indomitable strength, optimism and determination that is key to surviving challenging years of penury in South Dakota, where various entrepreneurial ventures collapse. Insights of their family and children through the years are to inform Frank's novel and the characters within it, such as Dorothy and the Tin Man. These years lay the foundation for the strong willed Maud that we encounter in 1939, she has no qualms about taking on Hollywood executives. The young Judy Garland is being mistreated and abused on the film, slapped, fed pills and cigarettes to keep her weight down, all of which is aided and abetted by Judy's ghastly and ambitious mother. Maud takes it upon herself to do all that she can to help and protect Judy, but no doubt it is these beginnings that is to contribute to Judy's later life becoming so troubled with her addictions and insecurities.

Letts engages in considerable research for her novel, although she does take liberties here and there with history and her characters. I found this compulsive reading, particularly the parts that relate to the making of The Wizard of Oz, which I have seen so many times and love, I imagine there are few people who have never seen it. Letts characterisation of Maud is wonderful, Maud is a one off, the kind of woman that I was immediately drawn to and found such a compulsive stand out character as the central protagonist of the story. This is an entertaining read and I thoroughly enjoyed the insights of US history provided in Maud and Frank's story and that of the Hollywood movie business that Letts provides in the narrative. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

Magical! Just like the book and in this novel the making of the film 'The Wizard of Oz' which premiered in August 1939 and is still one of the most well loved movies of all time.
But who remembers the original author of the book from which it was adapted onto the Technicolor screen at the MGM studios in Hollywood?
The author has done her research and fleshed out the real life stories of author Frank L Baum and his wife Maud to give some detail to the story and also embellish (without destroying the idea) the images which then became real on the big screen.
The author tells us of seeing a photograph of Maud sitting with Judy Garland looking at the original book by Frank and this set off a train of thought about the novel.
Maud was the daughter of Matilda Gage a famous suffragist and sees in Judy a strong and determined girl but one who is vulnerable (like so many other females in Hollywood then and of course right up to recent years, with tales of sexual harassment, diet pills and excessive pressure. Even Judy's mother Ethel Gumm did little to protect her daughter seeing only dollar signs I expect especially with Judy's rendition of 'Somewhere over the rainbow'.
Maud goes to college but after meeting Frank, an actor and theatre owner, decides to throw in independence and education (much to her mother's disgust) for love and what then transpires as a difficult time for security and finance, as well as bringing up four sons.
I was totally immersed in the whole lives of Maud, Frank and their family. There were many tragedies and some exuberant times which often influenced Frank's creativity and eventually the plot of the famous book.
Lots to learn and love with this novel, particularly life at the pre WWII Hollywood studios who could make or break people's careers.
It's made me want to watch the film again and seek out a copy of Baum's book to compare the story. Without a doubt readers will be singing the songs that are etched on our memories as we all 'follow the yellow brick road'.

This book is so sweet and really different to anything else I've read. The author blends fact and fiction to make a fascinating historical fiction novel based around Maud- the wife of Wizard of Oz author L Frank Baum. It talks about how her husband wrote the book and also the history around Maud who was 78 when the movie was made. The style it is written in is really unique and makes for a wonderful read.

This books is sweet, engaging, moving, and entertaining.
I loved to learn more about the people who were behind the book and the movie and this great mix of historical facts and fiction helped me to understand the background of the book and of the movie.
The double story-line was great and I was fascinated by Maud.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts is a beautiful behind the scenes story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Everybody has seen and loves this movie - am I right? It is one of those movies that you never get sick of, and stays with you. It is bright, funny and clever - just a magical place is Oz. I was enthralled with this story - even though it is a wok of fiction it felt real and I got caught up in the lives of Frank and Maud - and a young Judy Garland. This book made me smile and it made me cry. And it made me want to watch the movie again and show my kids the magic of Oz. I loved this book!

19 years after the death of her husband Frank Baum, Maud learns that MGM are making a film of her husbands famous book The Wonder Wizard of Oz. She is determined to ensure that they stay true to the book that everybody knows and loves. She meets a young Judy Garland who is playing Dorothy. Judy has a stage mother from hell and Maud takes her under her wing and tries to help her with the role and to understand the importance. Her heart is in the right place and she promised Frank that she would look out for Dorothy.

Being on the set also brings back memories of her life with Frank. The chapters alternate between 1938 and the MGM lots and her past - when she met and married a young actor called Frank - against her mothers wishes. They are happy but they struggle. Frank turns his hand to many different jobs and with young children life isn't always easy for the Baum's. The one thing that never changes is their love and their story is lovely. Against all odds they survive and bring up their family and are happy.

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Inspired by a photograph and using a variety of sources to reconstruct events , Elizabeth Letts tells us the story of Maude Gage Baum, the wife of Oz creator L Frank Baum , flashing back to her girlhood and college years when she first met Frank, to a " present day" where she is desperately trying to preserve the integrity of her husband's legacy on the MGM film set, while also protecting the young girl chosen to be Dorothy, the girl who would become a star, Judy Garland, but for now is a frightened teenage girl with a pushy mother.
It is a photograph of these two that inspired the book, and it is clear that the author has gone to great lengths with her research, however she is also at pains to emphasise that the book is a fictionalised account, where factual gaps have been filled by imagination.
While the portions of the book set during the movie production were obviously interesting, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Maud's own story was just as much, if not even more so. Catching a glimpse of Clarke Gable in the studio commissary makes for fun reading, but Maud's often difficult life, her inspiring but exacting mother, her difficult relationship with her sister, and the love story between herself and Frank are the real heart of the book. As her story unfolds we learn why the Oz books mean so much to her, and who Dorothy may be, which goes a long way towards explaining her protectiveness of the young actress in a predatory environment, and why it is important that the film keeps the magic of the books alive.
Full of heart and charm, though not without moments of extreme sadness, this was a beautiful book and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I would recommend it heartily to fans of the Wizard of Oz , be it on the page or the screen, but also to anyone who likes to read about strong and determined women.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Having been slightly obsessed with The Wizard of Oz as a child, I was really interested to read this novel and found it a compelling and beautifully written story. In addition to shedding light on the creation of the film, it's also very evocative of American life at that time. Maud is a fabulous character.

This is a charming and very original story based on the making of the movie "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939. The author says her inspiration came from seeing a photo taken of Judy Garland with Maud Baum, the widow of L.Frank Baum, author of the fourteen books about Oz.

Although the author says she re-imagined the lives of Frank and Maud, she has researched her topic well and included many details about their lives and the making of the film. Maud was an interesting woman in her own right. Born in 1861, the daughter of prominent suffragettist Matilda Gage, she grew up a tomboy, completed high school and was one of the first women to enrol in the new women's college at Cornell University, although she left without completing her diploma to marry Frank and travel with his theatre company (not exactly what her mother had in mind for her!)

The author goes on to describe all the places they lived and the jobs Frank had, none of them amounting to much but all contributing to his experiences and his lively imagination. They certainly lived through some hard times until Frank published "The Wizard of Oz" in 1900. His love of making up stories first for Maud and then for their family of boys eventually led to his creation of the land of Oz and the wonderful tales that happened there.

Letts imagines Maud, some 20 years after Frank's death going to the MGM movie set, intent on making sure the legacy of Oz and Dorothy are preserved as Frank would have wanted. She describes the way Judy was treated, as a commodity and not a young girl, manipulated by her horrible stage mother and the producers, forced to take pills, diet and smoke cigarettes to keep her weight down.

This is a very engaging, well written novel, peppered with lots of fascinating stories and insights into the lives of Frank and Maud and the characters involved in the making of the movie.

For anyone who’s ever seen The Wizard of Oz or read the book, this is a fascinating account of Mrs Baum - the wife of the author. This is based on true fact but is also a fictional account of what might have been. A perfect mix when you think about it. History and myth mix to make some of the most memorable stories.

I thought this was fascinating from the start. Maud herself is a very interesting person. Often the most famous person gets the attention but when you look at their wives, husbands etc, their is just as interesting if not more so.

Maud was ahead of her time - she went to university as her family wanted her to, but then met and married Baum, a man of the theatre. The story of her struggles, of women’s choices at the time were fascinating. Maud gives a unique insight into the social mores of the time. A real insight into the story that became the Wizard of Oz.

The story opens when the film with Judy Garland is about to be made and Maud visits the film set. Her meeting with Judy Garland and the cast was mesmerizing. It was like history came alive. Many moments like this throughout the book A magical reading experience in many ways - reading bout the story behind the book, behind the author, behind the film..

Follow the yellow brick road to your local bookshop and click your heels to buy this!