It's always bittersweet when I come across a book that I know my mom would have wanted to read. Maria: A Novel of Maria Von Trapp by Michelle Moran is one of those books. While it is fiction, it tells the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers famously (and incorrectly) portrayed in The Sound of Music.
Moran takes us back to 1959 when Rodgers & Hammerstein are almost finished and ready to premiere their new musical. Except, Maria Von Trapp has arrived and would like an audience with Hammerstein to convince him to make changes to the script. Hammerstein's assistant Fran is charged with meeting with Maria in Hammerstein's place and taking notes about what needs to be changed.
While this is mainly a story about the real Maria Von Trapp, it's also a story about Fran, an aspiring writer, and how she does her best to appease Maria, do her job well, and go after her own dreams.
I had no idea what the real story was about the Trapps. I didn't know it was based on a German film that itself was based on Maria's autobiography. I knew that the family bought and owned a lodge in Vermont. I've visited it!! But I didn't know the specifics of the real children or that Georg and Maria had children of their own or how they managed to escape from Nazi-occupied Austria.
If you're a Sound of Music fan, you'll enjoy learning more about the real story through this historical novel. Discussion questions in the back make this a great read for a book club. Or just discussing with your mom.
Maria: A Novel of Maria Von Trapp is published by Dell and will be available to purchase tomorrow, 7/30/24. I received a free e-ARC to review.
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