I very much enjoyed revisiting Maria Von Trapp and hearing her story. This is a fictionalized biography. It begins weeks before the opening of The Sound of Music on Broadway. Maria meets with a fictionalized character who is the assistant to Oscar Hammerstein. She shares her displeasure with the script and in doing so goes through her real life story, marriage and becoming the Von Trapp Family singers. I’ve read two of the seven books written by Maria decades ago so the real life events that vary from the stage play were familiar to me. But it is a chance to let another generation know about this person who is the inspiration for an iconic play and movie musical. I read straight through it in an afternoon. I liked the brief update on what happened to the children in their adult lives. The play ends on the escape to new life. The fact that life was hard as a new immigrant in a new country doesn’t take away from my enjoyment and fondness for the timeless musical. (4.5 Stars)

So thankfully to have received an advanced reader copy of this book, thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing! I had heard the movie was not an accurate depiction of Maria’s life, but never knew her true story. This book reveals her life through her telling of her story to Fran, an fictional employee of Hammerstein’s (the creator of the Broadway musical). Fran was assigned to meet with Maria to hear her complaints about the musical before it went live on Broadway. Through their meetings, we are privy to hearing her true story. You will be surprised to figure out what parts of the musical/movie are true and which ones are not. I always say the book is better than the movie, and I think it’s true in this situation as well.!

Totally loved this most interesting historical fiction novel of Maria VonTrapp of Sound of Music fame.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC to read and review.
While this book did not tell the fairy story that the show/ movie told of the Von Trapp family it was a very beautiful and human story. I must say it was a little bit of a shock for me. I particularly enjoyed the interactions with Maria , Fran ( who worked with Rodger’s and Hammerstein) and Oscar Hammerstein.
The author did a beautiful job or telling the story that is romanticized in the Hollywood version at the same time showing a real version that Maria wanted told. She was particularly protective of the legacy of BaronVon Trapp .
This was a very emotionally charged book that left me overwhelmed with emotion but in the best way.
I highly recommend this book - it is brilliant.
Definitely looking to read more from this author!

I must admit, I was not too familiar with the story of Maria von Trapp. I watched The Sound of Music when I was young, but vaguely remember it. I found Maria and the von Trapp characters loving. The author did beautiful work in structuring the book. For us the reader, the narrative is of flashbacks of Maria’s live and in the present in which a play is being written about her life. When the narrative shifted to the present and Fran, Hammerstein’s young assistant meets Maria von Trapp to discuss the inaccuracies of the play it felt like I was there with the two women. Highly recommend for any fan of The Sound of Music, historical fiction and Michelle’s work.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine| Dell for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review of the book received.

I was so excited to receive an arc of this book from netgalley and the publisher.

Wow, I loved every minute of this read and had a hard time putting it down. I read it in 2 days in every spare minute I had. Most of us realize that movies based on real lives are loosely based. Maria and her children were at first not a fan of how their lives and story were portrayed.

The author of this book did such a wonderful job sharing different points of view, how it was to work with Hammerstein, and how it was to meet the real Maria. I was surprised to learn that Georg was really not how it was depicted in the movie, but I think that portrayal endears people to him as he changes in the movie.

I loved this book, and I love the movie. Thankful we live in a world of music!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Michelle Moran has been my favorite author since 2007 when I first read Nefertiti so I struggle to not think everything she does or gold. This book is gold to me. I think it's going to have the same appeal as Madam Tussaud; it's a topic people know and are going to enjoy learning more. Objectively, it's not my favorite novel by her because I didn't think it had as gripping of a plot as something like Nefertiti or Hereric Queen. Since most readers will go in knowing at least the fact that the von Trapps flee Austria, you have that mental climax building as an audience, even if it doesn't come off on the pages a lot. With that said, the characters make up for the slower plot. I already did love Baron von Trapp from the musical and film (I love a man with character development!), but getting to meet the real Georg was wonderful and I fell in love with this real version of him even more. All of the children have distinct personalities and you'll love each of them. Your heart breaks for them as the story progresses. You'll feel discomfort getting to know the real Maria, whether you're frustrated with her naïveté or her forceful personality as their music careers take off. Maria is a multi faceted character with a much more distinct and complex personality than any musical or film could portray. The framing of the story was brilliant. Getting to know Maria and the family through flashbacks while also seeing the development of the play and getting to know the lovely Broadway characters, especially Hammerstein, was a brilliant plot device that kept me enthralled.

10/10 would recommend

This book almost read like a biography . But in a fiction kind of way . That’s not a bad thing ! I think it kept my interest in that way . I learned things I did not know about the Von Trapp family and it was I tresting learning about Maria from child hood .

"Nec aspera terrent" - The von Trap family motto it means Frightened by No Difficulties

Very seldom do I sit down to read and finish a book in a day. This story pulled me in to the life of Maria von Trapp. If you are a fan of The Sound of Music this is a Must Read! I really loved this book and was picturing the hills from the movie as I read.
Dual timeline that has you following Maria's life from childhood through adulthood.
A more realistic picture of the family and the making of the Broadway Musical.
I found this book interesting, fascinating and learned a lot about the von Trap family, especially Maria.
Authors notes at the end will answer any questions about what was fiction and what was real.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC ebook of “Maria” by Michelle Moran! This historical fiction novel takes us to Broadway in 1960, where Oscar Hammerstein is preparing to stage “The Sound of Music”, but is meeting opposition from the real-life subject of his play, Maria von Trapp! “The Sound of Music” has legions of obsessive devotees who should love this book, but even those with only a nodding acquaintance with the film will film will find much to like here. Hammerstein’s assistant, budding writer Fran, is tasked with talking to and making peace with Maria. In doing so she, and we the reader, learn the story-behind-the-story of TSOM. I had no idea that the facts of Maria’s life were so difficult and that many of the events that were in the movie did not happen quite as presented. It is engrossing reading! As a lover of TSOM, I give it 5 stars but would highly recommend to those who merely like or know of the move,or have an interest in historical fiction about WWII! #NetGalley #Maria

The Sound of Music is my all time favorite movie, so when I saw this book about the life of Maria von Trapp I jumped at the chance to read! It highlighted some truths from the movie, but also pointed out things that weren't depicted accurately.

It describes Maria as the less "fun" parent and how she may not have been as fun loving as the movie portrays. At the same time, this is coming from her point of view and we are our own worst critics. I would imagine the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I enjoyed reading the story to find out what happened after the family left Austria. I also enjoyed the update at the end about each child. Fun fact that I never knew is that the real Maria von Trapp shows up in the background as a cameo in the movie.

I was worried that reading this book may spoil The Sound of Music being my favorite movie, but I think it actually made me fall in love with it more. Now I can relate to the family members more closely and hear about their joys and struggles.

This book is an absolute must for any fans of The Sound of Music!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It is rare that I find a book that I enjoy so much that I drag out the reading over days. This is one of those few books. I was ensnared right from the very first chapter.

This book is a wonderful mixture of fact (please read the author's notes) and fiction.

While I don't seem to have the same love for the film The Sound of Music as most others do, I knew enough about it that it was very easy to follow the events in this novel. As a matter of fact, you never have had to watch the movie to become fully engrossed in the events of Maria's life.

This book was filled with heartache and happiness. I admit that finding out that Maria was nearly tyrannical about having the children sing was a shock to my system! The film portrays her a bit differently. Learning about their escape from the Nazis was a heart-pounding eye-opener.

What a fantastic read for anyone who likes historical fiction, The Sound of Music, or just a wonderful book.

I HIGHLY recommend this novel!

*The publisher Delacorte/Dell -Random House, the author, and NetGalley supplied the ARC. I'd like to thank all three for this opportunity.

I am a huge fan of Michelle Moran books so I was very much looking forward to this story. As usual I was not disappointed. To me The Sound of Music was a just a movie that I had grown up with. Nothing more and nothing less. I was intrigued to see what this author would create to fill in the gaps of Maria’s on screen life. What this story contains is so much more. A fascinating telling of a life of real people that I had no idea had actually existed. Michelle Moran has a unique talent for bringing her characters to life in a way that the reader feels deeply connected to each one. This book brought out so many emotions as the Von Trapp family endured good times and bad throughout their lives. My only complaint would be that I was left wishing that this book had been longer and that I could have learned more about each person. As with the other books this talented author has written I highly recommend this one.

This was a great, quick read. I know the movie version, and believe I read a book about the family when the movie was released. I enjoyed this new version, as the older Maria was correcting everything that was not told accurately. The story, told either way, is enjoyable.

In this novel the author re-imagines the story of Maria von Trapp and her family. Just as the Broadway production of "The Sound of Music" is about to begin, Maria insists that the play be changed to reflect the actual experience her family went through. Hammerstein's secretary Fran is assigned the job of placating Maria and letting her know that it's too late to make any changes to the musical. Fran earns Maria's trust and friendship, and over several meetings Maria tells Fran the real story. Since I saw Mary Martin and "The Sound of Music" on Broadway when I was a little girl, I found it most interesting to read the author's take on what went on behind the scenes of the production.

What a delightful quick read about the backstory of The Sound of Music! Maria, written by Michelle Moran, presents the story of Maria von Trapp that we don't know from the musical adaptation for Broadway and the silver screen. While many of the details remain surprisingly true-to-life, others which were omitted from the artistic portrayals enhance the depth of Maria von Trapp's life experiences which shaped her into the impressive woman she became. Behind-the-scenes scenarios also give insight into the creative endeavors of Rogers & Hammerstein and their classic Broadway musicals. I often found myself smiling as I read familiar scenes and hummed the timelessly familiar songs. A definite read for fans of The Sound of Music!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital ARC and opportunity to review Maria. All opinions expressed are mine alone. Follow my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, and NetGalley.

I’ve watched The Sound Of Music many times as this was my son’s favorite movie so I was very excited to see a book depicting the life of Maria. This is my first experience reading a novel by this author and I must say that she drew me right in. Her expert storytelling made the story move along as she works with a few different timelines. The reader learns about her past and the reasons for her decisions. Michelle Moran has meticulously researched Maria from many sources which enabled her to include many interesting anecdotes to her story. The author delves into Maria’s personality as well as all the members of the family. If you are a fan of the movie this is a definite book that needs to be on your to read pile. Even if you are not it’s a great story by an extremely talented author. Well done and I will be enthusiastically recommending this to all.
Thank you to Dell Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced eGalley.
#Maria #MichelleMoran #NetGalley

If you loved the Sound of Music, you will love this. No, really. The story provides a great backdrop for the musical, but as always with Michelle Moran's writing, it is meticulously researched and an amazing effort is made to provide a very accurate historical picture of the characters. Also important is there is clarification in the author's note regarding which characters were based on real individuals and which weren't, which is so helpful when looking at the book critically. The book juxtaposes the story of the run up to the release of the musical on Broadway [starring Mary Martin, NOT Julie Andrews, SAD], with Maria's side of her story - what really occurred starting from her childhood through the Von Trapps coming to the US. I loved this book so much, and I learned a LOT through it as well. There is a reason there was a book, a movie [German] and a very well-known musical about them, as they were amazing and multi-faceted individuals all around.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something different, fresh, and gives you a new taken on the Von Trapps.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley and @RandomHouseBallatine for this ARC. Fran is Hammerstein's assistant and the real Maria von Trapp has some things she needs addressed regarding the musical that is to debut in a matter of weeks. She is upset about some inconsistencies from her real life autobiography to the musical adaptation. Fran meets with Maria over the course of a week to hear her real story to take back to Hammerstein. After all is said, he reads Fran's notes and though he can't make the changes to the musical, he can write one final song - Edelweiss. This song seems to appease Maria and her concerns. I absolutely loved this book! The true story of the von Trapp family vs. how we fondly remember The Sound of Music. The oldest von Trapp sibling was actual a boy named Rupert. The Baron was actually 25 years older than Maria. The von Trapps lost all their money when Georg tried to back a failing Austrian bank that folded. They took in boarders in their villa and started singing to make ends meet. They actually escaped on the last train out of Austria before the Nazis closed the border under the guise of a new US tour. They ran because they would not sing for the Fuhrer and they knew he would come for them. Lastly, Marie was a formidable force both in good and bad ways. #Maria #MichelleMoran #TheSoundofMusic #RandomHouseBallatine #July2024

Name of Book: Maria
Author: Michelle Moran
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group ~ Ballantine/Dell
Genre: Historical Fiction- Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars!
Pages: 304

In the 1950s, Oscar Hammerstein is asked to write the lyrics to a musical based on the life of a woman named Maria von Trapp. He’s intrigued to learn that she was once a novice who hoped to live quietly as an Austrian nun before her abbey sent her away to teach a widowed baron’s sickly child. What should have been a ten-month assignment, however, unexpectedly turned into a marriage proposal.


The Prologue starts with a letter based on what Maria wrote in her 1949 autobiography. For dramatic affect Maria's story is changed in many ways for the play and Maria has come to New York to tell Oscar Hammerstein the revisions she wants him to make to the play before its opening night. T
Dear Mr. Hammerstein.
She tells him that she is not happy with the portrayal of her life with the von Trapp family in the play.

She did teach the children to sing and was force into their success as a group. The play fictionalizes the von Trapp story and she states
was far from the reality. In actually Maria had lost most of her family over her aggressive ways and Maria wants to set the record
straight.
She wants to meet with him in New York as she has some ideas on revisions on how the script can be fixed.
The story starts with Maria meeting Fran, Hammerstein's young assistant and they do discuss her concerns over accuracy.
Maria tells her story and some of the events in the musical are real; others are not.


Aww the story is great and just as many readers, have I too saw the movie ‘Sound of Music’ many times.
And after reading this I want to see it again.💕

The end of the book is also wonderful – A must read!!
Michelle Moran gives us the inside scoop in her ‘Author’s Note’
She tells us that Hammerstein died of stomach cancer before the release of the “Sound of Music’,
(I totally believe he still enjoyed watching its success.)
She also tells of some of touching things that happened that really were true.
She did love the the sisters singing Maria ~ "How do you Solve a problem like Maria"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-VRyQprlu8
Also most of us weren't aware that Maria had a cameo role- she walks by the archway during the song “I Have Confidence”.

Then there are several pages where she tells us
What ever Happened to . . . .
It tells us a little about each including what happened to the Von Trapp villa.

There are Discussion Questions
Which readers will enjoy especially if you are in a book club discussion.
I loved this and truly could not put it down.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group ~ Ballantine/Dell for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 30, 2024.

4 the hills are alive with the sound of music stars

I’m a huge fan of the stage musical and the movie, so I had to decide whether to include this on my reading list. Did I want to mess with my love of that story? Now that I’ve read it, I’m so glad to have this perspective, too,

Maria von Trapp is such a wholesome character in the movie, but she is much more flawed in real life. It’s easy to see why her life was dramatized, as it has many of the pivotal moments that also occur in the musical. She really was working towards being a nun when she was called away to be a nanny to a large family. She cut up the curtains to make play clothes for the children, earned the captain’s affection, and married him.

The other storyline involves Oscar Hammerstein working on the musical as it nears a Broadway opening. Maria reaches out because she wants to change the story to bring it closer to the truth. Maria shares her life story with Oscar’s secretary.

I learned more about what happened once the family left Europe and how hard it was to succeed. Overall, a very enjoyable book and I’m glad I decided to read it.