My book club (The Interesting Women Book Club 😉 ) chose Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp as our October selection. We all knew (and loved) the musical but had no idea about the real woman behind the story. Michelle Moran did a credible job of unveiling the real Maria — her strengths and her flaws. We all recommend it!
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. And when the family was forced to flee their home to escape the Nazis, it was Maria who instructed them on how to survive using nothing but the power of their voices.
It’s an inspirational story, to be sure, and as half of the famous Rodgers & Hammerstein duo, Hammerstein knows it has big Broadway potential. Yet much of Maria’s life will have to be reinvented for the stage, and with the horrors of war still fresh in people’s minds, Hammerstein can’t let audiences see just how close the von Trapps came to losing their lives.
But when Maria sees the script that is supposedly based on her life, she becomes so incensed that she sets off to confront Hammerstein in person. Told that he’s busy, she is asked to express her concerns to his secretary, Fran, instead. The pair strike up an unlikely friendship as Maria tells Fran about her life, contradicting much of what will eventually appear in The Sound of Music.
A tale of love, loss, and the difficult choices that we are often forced to make, Maria is a powerful reminder that the truth is usually more complicated—and certainly more compelling—than the stories immortalized by Hollywood.
Michelle Moran is the international bestselling author of seven historical novels. A native of southern California, she attended Pomona College, then earned a Masters Degree from the Claremont Graduate University. During her six years as a public high school teacher she used her summers to travel around the world, and it was her experiences as a volunteer on archaeological digs that inspired her to write historical fiction.
In 2012 Michelle was married in India, inspiring her seventh book, Rebel Queen, which is set in the East. Her hobbies include hiking, traveling, and archaeology. She is also fascinated by archaeogenetics, particularly since her children’s heritages are so mixed. But above all these things Michelle is passionate about reading and can often be found with her nose in a good book. A frequent traveler, she currently resides with her husband, son, and daughter in the US. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages.
My Impressions:
There is much to love about Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran. This novel is a revealing look at the real Maria and is handled in a most credible way. Can you believe that Maria was not the saint portrayed in the Rogers and Hammerstein production of The Sound of Music? And there was much more to the love story of the Captain and Maria? Or that the singing children may not have always wanted to perform? To me, this novel presents a much more realistic view of the famous von Trapp family. But don’t worry. While Maria has more than a few warts, she is handled in a compassionate way. She brought some of her troubles on herself, but her early life explains, if not excuses, motives. The book is well-paced and is balanced by the behind the scenes look at the Broadway musical. I found Oscar Hammerstein’s story to be almost as intriguing and certainly as poignant as the title character’s. If you are a loyal fan of The Sound of Music, this book is for you. It is also a book for readers searching for a clean historical/biographical novel.
Highly Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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