Reading Maria is like rediscovering a beloved childhood lullaby—familiar, comforting, yet richer in emotion. Michelle Moran peels back the layers of The Sound of Music, inviting us into the real Maria von Trapp’s story with warmth and grace, blending historical depth with the bittersweet glow of memory.

So I suppose this is historical fiction--the way the book is constructed kept the reader engaged, Oscar Hammerstein's assistant is working with Maria Von Trapp so that she is supportive of The Sound of Music and her story is interspersed with Maria's story. What I found amazing is that I cannot imagine Julie Andrew's Maria recounting the story. However, when I was a little girl we had lunch at the Von Trapp lodge and the real Maria was there and spoke to all the diners. However, I could have imagined the words in Ms. Moran's book coming from that Maria. This is a novel of characters--a lot of characters and a plot picked from history of a certain time and place. But it is mostly a story a family--their love, their hardships, and their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A fresh look at a beloved musical. This book would be excellent for book clubs and will be recommending it to mine.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Maria

A Novel of Maria von Trapp

By: Michelle Moran

Publish Date: July 30, 2024

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Dell

Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction

#Maria#NetGalley

200 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:

I really enjoyed this book, and I gave it 4 stars. I liked this book because it gives us the history on how the Sound of Music play was down. To be honest I didn’t realize that The Sound of Music was a play first then a musical movie. I really enjoyed the musical movie.

In this book you learn a little more about the von Trapp family. How they came to America and how they survived the war. I love how the author gave us all on the family even though the findings could be hard. Maria wasn’t at all as she was portrayed in the movie and that the oldest was actually a boy and not a girl. I like how Fran was interested in Maria’s story and really wanted to make a difference in the play even though it would be hard because it was already written and they were in rehearsal now. They is also a couple of side stories between Fran and Jack. Also, the side story of Hammerstein and what he really wanted to do.

This book was fun to read, and it took me back to the movie and how much joy the movie gave me.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge musical theater nerd with over 30 years of obsession! The Sound of Music is one of my all-time favorites so when I saw this book, it was a no-brainer. The portrayal of Maria was different than in the musical, but it really made her more relatable. She was a woman with flaws whose resilience and determination saved those she loved most. The story deepened my appreciation of both the iconic story and the real woman behind it. Highly recommended!

This was a fascinating book, and has sent me on a quest to discover more about the von Trapp family through Maria's autobiographies and other primary sources. I am so grateful for that.

This book completely caught my attention just from the title and cover. As a huge fan of The Sound of Music (I mean, who didn’t grow up watching and loving it?!) I was intrigued by this story of the real life of Maria von Trapp and what she thought of the making of the musical.

I found the story fascinating as we got to see where Maria’s life matched the story in the musical and where they differed. Maria was written in such a unique, complicated and nuanced way that really brought the character to life.

As a big musical fan, I also loved the behind the scenes look at the making of the musical and a bit about the end of Oscar Hammerstein’s life as he wrote the music for the show.

If you’re a fan of The Sound of Music or historical fiction in general, run, don’t walk, to get your hands on a copy of this book! I absolutely adored it!

3.5 Stars

As someone who grew up watching "The Sound of Music" movie, I was intrigued when I got the NetGalley Recommendation email from Random House about this ARC last year (yes, I'm behind on my reviews - that's the life of a mood reader). This is a historical and biographical fictional retelling of Maria von Trapp's life, before, during, and after the events of "The Sound of Music." This primarily focuses on her feelings towards the Broadway musical, her disagreements with the script, and the creative liberties taken. The story is primarily told by Maria to Fran, Hammerstein's secretary, who is tasked with determining Maria's concerns about the script, obtaining her approval, and convincing her to attend the premiere.

It was a decent and entertaining read overall; it had its highs and lows, but it does foster a curiosity about the von Trapp family and learning more about them and their story. It's well written and flows well, and it mostly kept my attention. Again, this is a fictional retelling, so while there is some truth to the story, it's not non-fiction, so some things need to be taken with a grain of salt.

What a fantastic read for fans of the Sound of Music! I found this story to be informative & exciting. Because of this story, I want to dig deeper into the story of the Van Trapp family. I highly recommend!

A great story for The Sound of Music and von Trapp fans. I enjoyed stepping back in this time period.

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

What a lovely book, from start to finish! I love the way Moran weaved in Maria's story with the writing of the play and movie by Hammerstein. A book of nostalgia and intrigue for any and all lovers of The Sound of Music! I believe this is my first book I've read by Moran, and it won't be my last. She is an excellent author!

Maria by Michelle Moran. Pub Date: July 30, 2024. Rating: 4 stars. I found this book to be intriguing and interesting in the respect of learning more about the Famous Maria Von Trapp from The Sound of Music. This novel gives a voice to this woman and she gets her side of the story highlighted. I found it interesting how she was against the adaption of the Broadway musical and the differences in her opinion/experience compared to the Broadway show. I think it is a strong representation of how media in all forms can be skewed from the original story line for the sake of drama. I enjoyed this novel. Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishinggroup for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

My grandmother adores the Von Trapps, so this wasn't necessarily new for me given how much she's talked about them. But it was still interesting enough and for people who haven't heard about Maria since they were very young, probably a great read.

The hills truly are alive with The Sound of Music in this beautiful novel.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp. If you're a fan of The Sound of Music, this book is an absolute must-read.

Brimming with heart, history, and harmony, this story brings Maria's world vividly to life. From insightful conversations with Rodgers and Hammerstein to tender moments with the von Trapp family singers, every page is filled with warmth, music, and love.

Whether you're revisiting a beloved classic or discovering Maria's journey anew, this book will leave your heart singing at the top of your lungs.

It's always a joy to me to have the excuse to revisit all things "Maria" - whether it is the tarted up (not an insult!) beloved musical movie, the Broadway play, Maria's actual autobiography, their website, visits to where they lived and walked (or performed), finding another book? - well that's a bonus. (Another bonus is the Where Are They Now section at book's end.) Even better - the book tells her story from new perspectives: hers (with origins and backstory info), and the ballet that was Hammerstein & Maria's staff-managed conversation about all the ways the writers of the play script (and maybe music) had her story wrong and how he could correct them. That's the best stuff of this book - the insider's jam. The story we see onscreen or onstage isn't Maria's - it's BASED on Maria's. She's not Julie, and Georg isn't Christopher - but that isn't the point of this book. It's closer to the truth - but as the author states at the end, her book too is a retelling, not a biography.

My guess is this read will appeal most to those who are fans of Maria, her family, their all&everything taken by the Nazis - this reluctant celebrity who rose up out of a convent to turn that pesky fame into a way to keep her family together. . .with all the ribbons of history that wrap around them. In this read we get the real Maria - and she's the one at the heart of the truth. For me that's all the ribbons and all the stars.

*A sincere thank you to Michelle Moran, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #Maria #NetGalley

A vey well written story, with characters that many of us know. Even though I knew the story of Maria and Ari, I appreciated this story. Well written.

I was really looking forward to this book, but it fell flat for me. I still read it, but I did not like it as well as I thought I would.

2.5 stars- This felt dry and flat for me. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review

In my view, an incident in which one of the children got into serious trouble at school, should have brought about the arrest and imprisonment of the Von Trapps. Yet this did not happen. Instead there was a conference between Maria and the principal. I found this very unlikely under the circumstances.

There was a discussion question in which readers are asked "What is it about Maria's story that appeals to audiences?" I thought that it was Julie Andrews, the actress who performed as Maria in the Sound of Music, that was really most appealing.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. This was an engaging historical novel regarding the backstory of the Maria Von Trapp we know and love from the sound of music. I also loved the little insight we got into the making of a Broadway musical. Thoroughly enjoyable