This is an absolutely fantastic novel that I greedily read as quickly as I could because I was immediately drawn in to the story of Maud, L. Frank Baum’s wife. The story of the creation of The Wizard of Oz is told here from her point of view and based on historical facts as stated by the author in the afterword section. There is a lot in this story about the creative process, both in the writing of the book and in the making of the iconic film. The is also much about strong women, and what it means to be one. I will be singing the praises of this memorable novel for a very long time!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Maud Gage began her first year of Cornell University, her focus was only on higher learning, and certainly not the boys of Cornell. Her roommate is Josie, Josie Baum, and it is through Josie that Maud meets the man that was foretold by a somewhat silly group of young women, Josie’s brother – L. Frank Baum. A man who, one day, will write one of those beloved childhood books The Wizard of Oz.

This is the story that is behind the making of both the book, and the now classic film, a film that made its young star into a bona fide Hollywood icon.

This story is told in two different time frames, one in which Maud is still a relatively young girl, daughter of a suffragette, to her days at Cornell, how she meets the man who will become her husband, his gifts as an actor, their marriage and their life together, which wasn’t always easy. Although Frank was a man with many talents, they weren’t always helpful to them financially.

The alternate, 1938, timeline begins with Maud, now a 77-year-old widow, visiting the MGM studio following her discovery that they are making a movie of the book her husband wrote, and she is determined to ensure that they stay true to the story he wrote. It is there that she meets the young girl cast as Dorothy, Judy Garland, and begins to take her under her wing. This timeline is more amusing and interesting in the sense that it discloses some of the things that supposedly went on behind the screens.

What I loved were the little peeks at the stories that went into what would become The Wizard of Oz, even the choice of that title came from an originally innocent comment. Little snippets of conversations that led to other choices, some felt authentic, and some perhaps speculated on, but make for a good story. Facts that were “behind the scenes” decisions during the making of this movie really do give this a charming view on the making of this movie.

A poignant story that also maintains an optimistic outlook worthy of L. Frank Baum, a reminder to hold onto your faith for a better day on those days when life seems unrecognizable.

Elizabeth Letts is also the author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion and The Perfect Horse, and two novels, Quality of Care and Family Planning. In her writer’s biography she wrote: “ If you want to know why I’m a writer, you’d have to thank Mrs. Barclay, the children’s librarian in the Malaga Cove Library in Palos Verdes, California, and my mother who has read more books than anyone else I know, and who carted me to the library from the time I could barely walk.” At the age of thirty, she determined to try her hand at writing, and I doubt she’s turned back since but still states that reading remains her favourite “hobby.” But this mini bio was what made me want to read this one – a movie I loved when I was a young girl.





Pub Date: 12 FEB 2019


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books!

When The Wizard of Oz was being made into a movie, L. Frank Baum's widow Maud took it upon herself to make sure that the movie honored her late husband's vision in the book - that the "heart" of Oz was present in the movie. I think most of us who have grown up watching the movie would agree that her efforts were successful. In writing about Maud Baum, Elizabeth Letts allows us to find the magic of Oz anew.

In writing about Frank and Maud's life together, Letts let's us see the magic that they, particularly Frank saw in their every day life, and shows us the many inspirations that came together to become Oz. In her Author's Note, Letts explains that many of the origins of Oz are well-documented, and her skill as a writer brings those scenes alive and allows her readers to experience the magic that Frank felt.

This backstory is told as Maud finagles her way onto the set of The Wizard of Oz at MGM studios. She's particularly concerned with the character of Dorothy, and her time with Judy Garland reassures her that the singer can bring the right blend of innocence and longing to the part. She must also confront the rampant sexism on the movie set, as Judy and other actresses are subject to sexual harassment. Here Letts allows Maud to recall her early life as the daughter of a prominent sufragette and her lifelong committment to women's equality, of which Frank was an ardent supporter. Feminism, suffrage, and Maud's inherent practicality married to Frank's sense of wonder all went into making Oz the magical place that it is in books, on stage and screen, and in our hearts. In bringing that alive, Letts has given fans of Oz a great gift.

October, 1938, inside the MGM Studios in Hollywood California, history was in the making and seventy-seven year old Maud Baum was determined that the story of Oz was going to be told as her husband Frank had written it. The daughter of a suffragette Maud had learned a thing or two watching her mother, Susan B. Anthony and their cohorts finagle and finesse to gain advantage of their position.

Written from the author’s wife’s perspective, Finding Dorothy is many stories wrapped into a well-written and interesting undertaking of how the movie The Wizard of Oz came to be made.
There is the story of Maud’s mother, Matilda Gage, who encouraged her daughter to accomplish all she could not, including going to college and becoming an attorney. There is the story of Maud, her upbringing, her entrance and attendance to Cornell when women didn’t seek higher education and her abandonment of her education for love. There is the story of the life shared by Maud and Frank Baum, the triumphs, failures, the hardships of being a traveling actor, the loss of everything and the climb back. Ultimately there is the story behind The Wizard of Oz, protecting Dorothy as L. Frank Baum wrote her and how “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was perfected until there was enough “wanting” in it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for a copy

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballentine Books for the chance to read and review this book!
I really enjoyed this book! The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies, and it was so interesting to read about how it came to be. This is the story of Maud Gage Baum (the wife of the author of the Wizard of Oz). In 1938, when she finds out MGM is going to make a movie based on her husbands book, she wants to be involved. This is the story of her involvement with making the movie, as well as her relationship with her husband. Highly recommend! I also liked all the references to the relationship between her and Judy Garland.

What a wonderful book! At its simplest “Finding Dorthy” is the story of Maud Baum, the wife of the author of the Wizard of Oz, and her commitment to making certain the film version is authentic and honors the spirit of her husband. It weaves together the story of the making of the film with the life of Maud and L. Frank Baum. The book creates a picture of L. Frank Baum that is tender and somewhat lost. A man with vision but with little to back his vision, who repeatedly faces failure and disaster but refuses to be destroyed by them. It is his vision, failures, and disasters that are central to the story and to creating the magic of the Wizard of Oz. It is what Maud Baum insists must be captured in the film. Maud’s concern for the authenticity of the film runs deep and encompasses her care and concern for the character of Dorthy and the actress, Judy Garland who plays Dorthy. The book shows us a glimpse behind the curtain of the making of the film not unlike the glimpse we get of the Wizard of Oz when his curtain is drawn back at the end of the film. And while neither glimpse shows the magic they would like us to believe in, it is in a way its own magic. That is the magic that is created not of whimsy and fantasy but rather a magic created by holding on to beauty, love, and goodness throughout a journey that is made of hardship, sadness, and loss. This is where true magic is created. And this is the magic of Baum's’ Wizard of Oz as well as the magic that we experience and come to understand in "Finding Dorthy”. I was privileged to receive a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher Random House, Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review.

Maud is the widow of Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When MGM begins creating a movie, she inserts herself into the process, determined to protect Dorothy, and her husband's vision of Oz. Alternating with "present day" the book explores Maud and Frank's relationship and life together.

I really enjoyed this book. Both the present day and past story was fascinating. I particularly enjoyed how the stories wove together. The characters were multi-dimensional and extremely believable. I look forward to reading more from this author.

When I started reading this book, I didn’t really know what to expect but after the first few chapters I became very engaged with Maud’s story. It was so much more than just about The Wizard of Oz, it was about women’s rights, the challenges of being female in the late 1800’s, family relationships and the love between a husband and wife.

Sometimes with historical fiction when the author tries to fit in details that the reader should know it comes off as awkward with a character randomly throwing out information. But the author did an excellent job of seamlessly inserting in-depth details about the filming of the movie. As I was reading, I kept wondering how much of the story was based on true facts or created by the author. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Afterword where the author explained what sections of the book were fiction and those that were backed up by her comprehensive research. I was surprised that the majority of the story was built around facts.

I loved this book and appreciate the opportunity to have early access.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC.
If you loved the "Wizard of Oz" movie, then you will appreciate and love this novel about the writing of the book and how it was made into the movie. I liked the relationship between Maude and Judy Garland, her views of the what the emerald city should look like , the "ruby" slippers, the allergies of the first tin man - all the Hollywood lore I had heard about the movie. I also appreciated finding out who L Frank Baum really was and how the book came about. A piece of Americana everybody should read.

I thought this was a nice little story until I read the afterward - it turns out Letts did a great deal of research before writing the book. That means all the things I read about Judy Garland, her mom, the movie industry, and even Clark Gable were true. Instead of telling the story through Mr. Baum's eyes (who wrote Wizard of Oz), we get his wife's viewpoint. She was raised as the women's suffrage movement was taking root and her mom was a strong leader in the effort. Matilda (the mom) passed on her independent thinking to her daughter, Maud - who married Frank (author of Wizard) and their financially poor life with 4 boys. The time period keeps shifting - telling Maud's story as a student, then as a bride, then mother - to "present" day as the movie industry is filming the now famous movie. Maud wants to help make the movie according to her husband's vision.
You admire Maud's courage - even in the 30's as she tries to protect Judy Garland from the sexual predators of Hollywood. She must have been one heck of a strong woman to stand up to society at that time, and to endure all the hardships of her married life.

At first, I thought this book would be about the making of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, and it is about that but so much more. The story jumps between Maud Baum's life and her involvement on the set of the movie fiercely guarding her husband's legacy and the young woman chosen to play the character at the heart of the story, Dorothy. The story of Maud and her warm-hearted, theatrical husband L. Frank Baum brings the WIZARD OF OZ to life. The story parallels their lives, hopes and dreams of a better place just over the rainbow and a little girl who needed rescuing. It is also a story of strong women who weren't afraid to stand up for what they thought was right and to fight for those who couldn't fight on their own, namely a young actress named Judy Garland. The author's research and imagination come through and she has given a powerful voice to the lovely Maud Baum. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This is a book about a woman behind the man behind the wizard behind the curtain behind one of the greatest stories ever told and one of the greatest movies of all time. Which is to say…this is a book about Maud Baum, the wife of L. Frank Baum, the man who gave us Oz and all adventures therein, forever commemorated in print and cinema. Who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz? But, like the author of this book herself, I admit to not knowing much about Baums prior to reading this. Well, this book changed all that and it’s a fascinating account. Unlike the disappointment of finding out there’s no actual wizard behind the curtain, Baum very much lives up to one’s idea of what a man with such a striking imagination must have been like. But the novel’s main protagonist is his beloved wife, Maud. A character in her own right, a daughter of a famous women right’s activist, Maud left college (back when just attending one was pretty revolutionary for a young woman) in defiance of her mother to marry the man she loved, a theater producer, writer and actor, a man with grand dreams and a spectacular mustache. The book follows the couple over the two decades and all their challenges and tribulations until finally Frank, after trying his best at so many different careers to provide for his family, writes a story that changes their lives. Years later, Maud finds out about the movie of Oz being made and is determined to get involved to see that the adaptation stays loyal to Frank’s ideas. So it’s a historical novel that spans years, decades, lifetimes really and it’s a fascinating making of feature for the movie too, where behind the scenes ugliness somehow never affected the onscreen beauty. The biographical narrative ends with Wizard of Oz being published, there’s not much on the later years of Frank Baum. The book stays with Maud throughout, even as she attends the movie premiere. So the reader does get a satisfactory well rounded biographical account and, although the author made some adjustments to the details, majority of the account is factual. For historical fiction it works very well, the mores and tones of the bygone days are presented accurately. The characters are lively, engaging, charismatic, all the more interesting for being real. And I loved the way it describes and imagines the various inspirations behind the beloved story. The writing was probably the weakest link, too women’s fiction or something, too Lifetimey, with all the plainness, simplicity and quaintness of language associated with that. So I just told myself it wasn’t a modern choice so much as a desire to stay authentic to the more innocent (at least narratively) times. Which pretty much worked, because I found myself completely engaged with the story and read it almost straight through in two long sittings. It’s possible it was pure proximity that animated this book so much, just by being so closely associated with such a magical story. Somewhere Over the Rainbow remains one of the best songs ever recorded, according to sources considerably more legit that personal opinions. It conveys longing for a brighter world…perfectly. It speaks to a desire so basic, so innate as to be positively universal. My fiancé’s favorite, first one I learned to play and just a lovely, lovely song. And did you know it was almost cut from the movie? Well, now you do and if you read the book you’ll find out so much more. For fans of Oz this book is pure delight. Maybe not in execution per se, but definitely as a narrative. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House/Ballentine for an advance read of this novel.. I was initially drawn in by the thought of learning a bit more about the making of The Wizard of Oz, but weaving the tale with historical fiction was so well done, and I couldn't put it down.. I didn't know much about Frank Baum, and I knew nothing of his wife. This was the story of not only the beloved book, but also of tenacity, following your dreams and the importance of marrying someone who will be supportive of your dreams.

A delightful insight into the story behind the creators of the Wizard of Oz. Though fiction, the novel traces the background of Maud Baum, the wife of L. Frank Baum. Her mission to insure the veracity of her husband's work as it is turned into a film is informative as well as captivating.
Many thanks to Net Gallery for the prepub ebook edition.

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book! I am a lifelong fan of The Wizard of Oz movie, and know all kinds of little bits of trivia about the filming and the movie itself. This book just adds to the wonder and fun that the movie promotes. The author writes of Maud and her husband with love and rich details. This is a terrific book and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend reading this.. historical fiction fans will enjoy as well as fans of the Wizard of Oz. Well done!

So many of us know and have been enchanted by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz via the classic MGM movie starring Judy Garland. But here, in Finding Dorothy, Letts introduces us to the man (author) behind the book, behind the movie--L. Frank Baum--and to his wife-his family. It's a story told through his wife Maud's voice--a story of her life, actually -- growing up the daughter of a suffragist/author, being one of the first women to attend Ivy League, meeting Frank Baum and choosing a life of love with him over a college degree. It's not an easy life, but it is a life of adventure, challenges, many moves, and their love. The story begins with Maud as widow, holding her worn copy of Frank's book, and waiting to be let in to the MGM lot to fulfill a promise to Frank to protect his Dorothy. I was taken with Maud's story and re-enchanted with the heart at the heart of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

As a fan of historical fiction, and especially stories that show insight into real historical events, I jumped at the chance to read Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts through Net Galley. It took a bit for me to get into the story, as I felt the events seemed a bit too coincidental. I began to wonder what was based on historical event and what was fictionalized. Maud seemed quite a spunky lady for the times of 1939, demanding her way onto the set of "The Wizard of Oz" movie. But the more I read, the more it made sense, and I began to trust that much of this must be true, or no one would have made this up:)

I really enjoyed the story of how Frank and Maud met and how he came to write the book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". I knew there were issues and controversy surrounding the making of the movie, but this book provides some insight that. The story of how Judy Garland and Maud Baum actually met and had somewhat of a relationship is fascinating. I appreciated the detailed afterword to explain which parts of the book were based on diaries, letters, and other historical fact, as well as which parts were fictionalized.

This is a very well-written book touching on the themes of women's rights, the treatment of girls and women in show business, sexual harassment, exploitation of children, domestic violence and much more. Who would have thought such heavy themes were behind "The Wizard of Oz?" Yet, Letts makes this an engrossing and fascinating look inside the history of the movie and original book.

I fell in love with this story! It's kind of like the story behind the Wizard of Oz. The story is mostly about Maud, her life and history, and you can see blips and pieces of how her history comes to life in her husband's book. It goes back and forth between 1939, when the movie is being made, and various points in her adolescent and adult life. There is a lot of history to be gleaned in these pages, and the story is beautifully woven together, tying fiction in with historical fact in a way that makes it feel very real!

I love a good historical fiction novel, and this one did not disappoint. I didn't know much about Maud Baum or her husband L Frank Baum, other than he wrote The Wizard of Oz. The best part of any historical fiction novel is, in my opinion, falling down the rabbit hole of internet searching after the story's over in order to find out what was real and what was fabricated. Maud and Frank's story was pretty accurate, as far as I could tell. I really enjoyed this read and definitely recommend it to all movie and historical fiction lovers.

FINDING DOROTHY is one of the most itteresting pieces of historical fiction that I have read in years. Centered around MGMs's filming of The Wizard of Oz, the book's heart is the story of Maud and Frank Baum . As the creator of Oz, Baum built the story of the Emerald City from his dreams for a more magical life---a counter-balance to the constant struggle he and his wife faced in the late 1900's and early 20th Century.

Maud Baum was the daughter of an early woman's rights pioneer. Reared in a household that valued education and self-reliance, Maud dropped out of the University to marry for love. The book is a testament to the strength of the Baum's relationship, but it is also a social history of the women's right's movement in its early days. It also pays homage to the sacrifice and strength it takes to stay true to yourself in a marriage, and in life.

The novel is really Maud Baum's story, but her husband comes alive in the pages as a vivacious, forward-thinking dreamer. And, he is totally captivating. Maud is more grounded (and less lovable), but the chapters where she terrorizes the MGM executive suite in an effort to protect Judy Garland are wonderful.

There is a lot to like in this book:
. . . . the back-story of Oz is interesting;
. . . . the biographical information on the Baum's is worth reading;
. . . . the insight into Judy Garland's "star turn" is fun to read about; but
. . . . the best part of the book is its heart, and its optimism.

Netgalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.