Finding Dorothy

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Letts

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee, Elizabeth Letts

This richly imagined novel tells the story behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that inspired the iconic film, through the eyes of author L. Frank Baum’s intrepid wife, Maud.

“A breathtaking read that will transport you over the rainbow and into the heart of one of America’s most enduring fairy tales.” (Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours)

Hollywood, 1938: As soon as she learns that M-G-M is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, 77-year-old Maud Gage Baum sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set. Nineteen years after Frank’s passing, Maud is the only person who can help the producers stay true to the spirit of the book - because she’s the only one left who knows its secrets.

But the moment she hears Judy Garland rehearsing the first notes of “Over the Rainbow,” Maud recognizes the yearning that defined her own life story, from her youth as a suffragette’s daughter to her coming of age as one of the first women in the Ivy League, from her blossoming romance with Frank to the hardscrabble prairie years that inspired The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Judy reminds Maud of a young girl she cared for and tried to help in South Dakota, a dreamer who never got her happy ending. Now, with the young actress under pressure from the studio as well as her ambitious stage mother, Maud resolves to protect her - the way she tried so hard to protect the real Dorothy.

The author of two New York Times best-selling nonfiction books, The Eighty-Dollar Champion and The Perfect Horse, Elizabeth Letts is a master at discovering and researching a rich historical story and transforming it into a pause-resister. Finding Dorothy is the result of Letts’s journey into the amazing lives of Frank and Maud Baum. Written as fiction but based closely on the truth, Elizabeth Letts’s new book tells a story of love, loss, inspiration, and perseverance, set in America’s heartland.

Praise for Finding Dorothy

“In some ways reminiscent of Jerry Stahl’s excellent I, Fatty, Letts’ Finding Dorothy combines exhaustive research with expansive imagination, blending history and speculation into a seamless tapestry.... It’s a testament to Letts’ skill that she can capture...that same emotion we have all felt sometime over the last 80 years while listening to ‘Over the Rainbow.’” (BookPage, starred review)

©2019 Elizabeth Letts (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A breathtaking read that will transport you over the rainbow and into the heart of one of America’s most enduring fairy tales and the hardscrabble life that inspired it. Gripping, fascinating, Finding Dorothy is a novel for anyone who ever stared in awe as Oz came to life onscreen, and wondered what other secrets lay hidden behind the curtain. A dream of a book you’ll want to savor and share!” (Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours)

“In some ways reminiscent of Jerry Stahl’s excellent I, Fatty, Letts’ Finding Dorothy combines exhaustive research with expansive imagination, blending history and speculation into a seamless tapestry.... It’s a testament to Letts’ skill that she can capture on the page, without benefit of audio, that same emotion we have all felt sometime over the last 80 years while listening to ‘Over the Rainbow.’” (BookPage, starred review)

“Beautifully researched and written, Finding Dorothy pulls back the curtain on a fascinating relationship behind the making of The Wizard of Oz.” (Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls)

“Old Hollywood is its own kind of Oz in Finding Dorothy, complete with false dazzle and complex combinations of threat and allure. But what really satisfies here is the unlikely friendship between L. Frank Baum’s unsinkable widow, Maud, and the young Judy Garland, on the vulnerable cusp of fame. It’s an alliance that seems touched with magic and serendipity and something even more transformative, true understanding between women.” (Paula McLain, author of Love and Ruin)

Must read for all Oz fans!

Great work of historical fiction! Bits of movie woven into Baum's pre-book life. Truly remarkable!!

I was sitting it my dad again

As I listened to this beautiful book I was once again sitting beside my dad. Gone from this earth for 39 years now this book brought to life the movie we watched together every year. The author tells a magical tale sometimes tragic, sometimes laughable, and always honest story of the author of OZ and his family. My favorite genre is historical fiction yet this author has a special gift of bringing it close to your heart. A beautiful love story entwines through out which gives us all hope for our own Somewhere over a Rainbow.

You have to read this!

It all makes since now. I look forward to finding out more about Maud and L Frank Baum.

Dorothy doesn’t look the same now

I loved this book. I love the glimpse behind the scenes of the making of one of the greatest movies I think I have ever seen, maybe of all time. And learning about the story of the author and his beloved wife, the inspiration in the book, was very enlightening and some thing that I am so proud to have been able to read about. Definitely a wonderful book. And now I need to go watch the movie again!

Enjoyable Historical Fiction

I found the story to be fascinating since I like many women my age felt a kinship to Dorothy. I was delighted by the amount of research the author did. The author was able to develop characters who were multidimensional.

Great story / average reader

This story, based on the true story of Maud Baum’s life was intriguing and flowed nicely between the two different time lines. However, I did not enjoy the reader. She sounds like a Broadway actress projecting her voice and slightly askew intonations in a way that disturbed the flow of the writing enough to bug me, but not enough to give up on the book.

Didn’t Want it to End!

This was so lovely, eye opening, and beautiful! No wonder generations were drawn to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz….a family of incredible people truly created that tome.

For anyone who grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s

What a delightful telling of the lives of Maude and L. Frank Baum that led to the writing of the classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

Great story! Bad narration

I LOVED the story but perhaps I would have been better off reading it. The narration was less than satisfactory. I almost gave up half way through but stuck with it because I really enjoyed the story. The narrator maintained the same tone of voice throughout the entire book, disregarding the writing. Some of the morbid parts were read as they were cheerful and fun. It most certainly did not reflect the seriousness of the subject such as the death of a child or a near fatal sickness. Still, I’m glad the author based the book on her research and real life events. Thank you for that. I’m glad I listened to the book and will recommend it in book form to my friends.

Enthralling

A Ferris wheel ride of emotions as this author takes you through the ups and downs of the Baums knowing their story ends in the triumph that we all know and love as The Wizard of Oz!