Finding Dorothy

I'm a Wizard of Oz fangirl. 

It's my favorite movie ever - EVER - and, I could recite the whole thing for you right now, down to my dead-on impression of the coroner in munchkin-land (no pun intended.) But, I have never read the books on which they're based. Does that make me a poser? I don't know. But, this book does a remarkable job touching on both and it makes me love the movie even more.

Elizabeth Letts' book is a work of historical fiction because there's no source material for certain conversations that took place, etc. But, it's based on the true story of the wife of L. Frank Baum, who wrote the books. It tells Maud's story as the daughter of a famous suffragist and the whimsical theater man she fell in love with. He's the classic dreamer, always thinking bigger and more fantastical. He failed many more times than he succeeded, then finally ended up writing the children's books that are still beloved today.

In Finding Dorothy, we bounce between Maud's life with Frank and 1938, where she crashes the movie set of the Wizard of Oz, desperate to make sure they stay true to her husband's story. She's particularly obsessed with Judy Garland and making sure she captures the true essence of Dorothy. She quickly sees the way Garland is treated on the set and makes it her mission to see that the actress is protected. She's truly the woman behind the curtain.

That picture above is Judy Garland and Maud Baum, looking at one of the original books. This picture, I read, is why Letts wrote the story.

The book is wonderful and sweet; it shares not only the story behind the classic book series/movie, but also sheds so much light on the plight of women at the turn of the century. Maud Baum was a woman before her time and so was her mother before her. Without her, Oz does not exist. Her love for the story and for her husband are so beautiful and this book is an absolute delight.