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 duo Rodgers & Hammerstein, 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.
Paperback, 310 pages
Published July 30, 2024
by Dell
4/5 stars
This was one of my highly anticipated books of 2024. Michelle Moran has solidified her place as one of my auto reads, her books about off the beaten track. I mean with stories about those figures of history that get little attention. I knew I was in for a treat with Maria.
Maria did not disappoint. Told from two timelines, that of Maria and during the production of the Broadway play. This included glimpse of Hammerstein and his struggles with a persistent Maria wanting him to get the story right. An entertaining read. It was great to get to know the real Maria, her upbringing and relationship with the von Trapp kids as well as her husband. Their escape from Austria and the little glimpses of life in USA.
The author notes at the end were just as enjoyable to read, to see the accuracy in history that played out here. A nice finishing touch was seeing what became of each of the children and see what life had instore for them.
Though I did not buy this book for my shelf, one day I will. My copy was obtained through my local public library.
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