Finding Dorothy

December 1, 2018
The story behind the story that became the legendary movie The Wizard of Oz.Letts (The Perfect Horse, 2016, etc.) builds her historical novel around Maud Gage Baum, the high-spirited wife of L. Frank Baum, who wrote the original Wizard of Oz books. In one of two intercut narratives, the 77-year-old Maud, who'd exerted a strong influence on her late husband, appears on the set of the movie in 1938; there, she encounters 16-year-old Judy Garland--cast as Dorothy--among others. The second narrative opens in Fayetteville, New York, in 1871 and traces Maud's life from age 10: her girlhood as the daughter of an ardent suffragette; her brief time at Cornell University--she was one of the first women admitted there; her early marriage to Baum, an actor at the time; and the births of their four sons. Frank, a dreamer, was not so talented at making money, and the family endured a hardscrabble, peripatetic life until he scored as a writer. This part of the story is dramatic and sometimes-poignant, though it goes on a bit. (Read carefully, and you can spot some elements that made their ways into the books and movie.) The Hollywood part is more entertaining even if some of it feels implausible. Maud did meet Judy Garland and attend the premiere of the film in real life. But in the book she tries to protect and nurture Garland, who was at the mercy of her abusive stage mother and the filmmakers and was apparently fed amphetamines to keep her weight down. And while it's true the movie's best-loved song, "Somewhere over the Rainbow," was almost cut at the last minute, the book has Maud persuading studio chief L.B. Mayer to keep it in.Much is made in these pages about the power of make-believe, and while the book falls short of magical, it's still an absorbing read.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2019
Maud Gage Baum, the wife of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, is the focus of this story of how the famous novel?and its film adaptation?came to be. Letts (The Eighty-Dollar Champion, 2011) begins the couple's story in the 1880s when Maud, daughter of a prominent suffragette, drops out of Cornell to marry Frank, who at the time runs a floundering theater company. Maud and Frank struggle for years to make ends meet as Frank, a starry-eyed dreamer, proves less than adept at earning a steady income to support Maud and their four sons. Alternating chapters set in 1938 tell of Maud's arrival on set as the book is adapted for the big screen, and of her concern for the film's young star, Judy Garland, victim of an overbearing mother and lecherous studio executives. While some scenes involving Maud and Judy feel implausible, Maud is a fascinating character, and this is a poignant, absorbing tale of the life and love story that led to the creation of a beloved classic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

December 1, 2018

In 1939, Maud Baum is fighting to protect the legacy and vision of her late husband L. Frank Baum during the filming of The Wizard of Oz. After making her way onto the set, she discovers the film's young star, Judy Garland, may be the one truly in need of protection. Interwoven are flashbacks telling Maud's story from her childhood as a tomboy to young adulthood with her famous suffragist mother to the often difficult life as the wife of a man more fit for the theater than daily life. This well-researched novelization weaves various moments that shaped Maud and Frank's life together and led to his writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and her desire to fight for a young actress she just met. Letts, an author of both nonfiction (The Eighty-Dollar Champion) and fiction (Quality of Care) once again crafts a tale of fortitude and triumph over adversity. Some may find it leans toward sentimentality, but readers looking for an inspiring true story will be delighted. VERDICT Fans of the Oz novels or film will be enchanted. This is a great fit for readers of Christine Baker Kline and Lisa Wingate, and will surely be a popular choice for book clubs. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]--Portia Kapraun, Delphi P.L., IN

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2018

Maud Gage Baum, widow of the man who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, intervenes to protect Judy Garland during the high-pressure shooting of the film while also recalling the hand-to-mouth life she and her husband led in South Dakota before Oz swept the nation like a tornado. Letts is a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author of nonfiction (The Eighty-Dollar Champion) and has written fiction as well.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.