Finding Dorothy: A Novel

I enjoyed this book, from the beautiful cover, to the questions and answers by the author, at the end. The story of Maud & Frank was enlightening. Over the Rainbow will always bring tears to my eyes! I will recommend this story to anyone who loves The Wizard of Oz.

Very interesting way of presenting the backdrop of a fantastic book and movie. So much relevant history of the era. It made me want to go back and read the The WONDERFUL WIZARD Of Oz again, so I did!

I like ordering books from Amazon because of the quick delivery.Finding Dorthy was one of the best books I’ve ever read….. and I am an avid reader. Sharing with several of my friends, then we are going to watch the original movie together…

Loved this

Excellent biographical account of the foundation for The Wizard of Oz. The chapters switch between young/adult and senior Maud, which are necessary to provide context for her later life interactions during the screen production of The Wizard of Oz.

We are all so familiar with this movie. Yet I never thought about the author and how the story came about. I loved this book because it told the story of where this story came from. The back story of how the idea came together was so sweet. It only makes sense that the author was this kind hearted persons who dreamed. Anyone that loves the movie will be so happy reading this book!

I chose Finding Dorothy because I'm a fan of both The Wizard of Oz and books in general, plus the journeys those books and authors take to become part of the wider world. I supported Maud in her efforts to show Hollywood the true Oz, and I enjoyed seeing parts of her childhood and youth.However, as other reviewers have said, the writing style of Finding Dorothy is far too slow and stilted. The story almost immediately gets away from its crux, which centers on finding the true Oz and communicating its purpose to others. Instead, we get hundreds of pages of Maud's personal life. And while some of that is legitimately interesting, a lot of it reads as a history lesson, or telling over showing (ex.: telling about the oppression and hardships of women in the 1880s and '90s, rather than showing Maud and others overcoming or fighting it. Having Maud complain in her head about how hard her circumstances are, rather than dealing with them. Having Josie devote almost all her dialogue to the "rules" of "proper behavior.")I couldn't finish this book. In fact, the bits I did read were so long and drawn out, I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or keep going. I'll keep following the literary road to something better.

I was pulled into the lives of Maud and Frank Baum. I never knew about him (or them) but now I feel the magic of Oz and the story of their lives so clearly. Thank you Ms Letts

Once in a while a book comes along that fires your imagination and warms your heart, Finding Dorothy was that book for me. The story is captivating and the book is extremely well written. its a wonderful work of fiction based on truth that gives us the story behind the story, I loved Finding Dorothy and hope you do too.

As an avid fan of Judy Garland the Wizard of Oz the background Ms Letts provides on the writer, L Frank Baum, his wife Maud, her mother Matilda and the lives they lived just adds love and depth to it all for me. Thank you.

Loved the book. Always been a fan of The Wizard of Oz and fascinated to read some of the back story about Frank L Baum. Well written and charming.

I'm not particularly a fan of The Wizard of Oz film or the books, but I am a fan of the process of creating works of art. This novel captures perfectly the heyday of Hollywood and paints a wonderful picture of Baum himself. The undoubted star of the novel is Maud Gage (Baum), who supported her husband throughout his various careers. In short, I loved it.

I was really excited about this but it was badly written and put together. Don’t buy it