Received from a Bookmooch member in Texas.

A richly imagined novel that 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--from the family's hardscrabble days in South Dakota to the Hollywood film set where she first meets Judy Garland.

This was a really enjoyable novel telling a fictionalized version of the life of Maud Gage Baum, the wife of L. Frank Baum who authored The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Maud Baum was the daughter of the suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage who worked diligently for women's right to vote alongside Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. As such, Maud was sent to Cornell University for a college education but sacrificed this after falling for Frank Baum. Baum was in the theater and wrote and starred in various plays. Maud traveled with him and when his stage days ended, he worked as a salesman and later the couple moved to South Dakota where Baum ran a dry goods store. Maud's sister Julia also lived with her younger husband on a remote farm in Dakota. Julia's daughter, Magdalena, became the inspiration for Dorothy.

The novel tells of the Baum's hardships in Dakota but also of the joys including Frank's usually upbeat attitude and his knack for telling stories which later resulted in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Many of the events in their life were incorporated into the novel especially the wish to be in a better place. Later in life, years after the passing of Frank, Maud visited the set of the movie version of Oz and tried to make sure that Judy Garland was safe and played the role as in the book. The novel switches back and forth between Maud's early life and her visit in 1939 to the set of the movie. The author notes in her Afterword that the novel came about after she found a picture of Maud and Judy sitting together reading a copy of Oz.


Overall, this was really a wonderful story. Although it's hard to tell how much of the story is true, the author did her research and most of it is based on facts. I've seen the movie version of Oz countless times beginning back in the 60s when it was shown every year on TV but I have to admit that I have never read the book it was based on. I plan to do so soon!

Sending to another bookcrosser who had this on their wishlist. Enjoy!

Received safely. Thank you so much for the wishlist RABCK, perryfran! Much appreciated!

I found this novel engaging in the beginning, but was ultimately a bit disappointed with it. The writing style grated on me for some reason and I was most interested in the portions of the book set in Hollywood in the late 1930s. Those parts do not make up as much of the book as the marketing copy would lead one to believe. The backstory centering on Maud and Frank's lives was interesting, but somehow the narrative was not as lively as I had hoped. I wonder if it would have helped if the book had been written in the first person from Maud's perspective rather than in the third person. For myself, I think I would have felt less distance from the characters if that had been the case.

Not a bad novel by any means and I am glad that I read it, but I feel that it could have been a stronger book with a few tweaks.

I hope the finder enjoys the book!