⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
“I've always taken 'The Wizard of Oz' very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it.”
-Judy Garland
Old Hollywood. I sometimes wish the true magic of movies still existed. In a time where the world was suffering, motion pictures allowed for a new way of escaping into another world. I’ve always been fascinated with old movies and The Wizard of Oz is definitely one of them.
“Finding Dorothy”, centers around Maud Baum the wife of the author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. Through her well researched life story from a child, to a married adult with four sons, to a seventy seven year old woman meeting Judy Garland on the film set, readers get the full picture of how Frank Baum came to write the character of Dorothy. I always love finding out where stories come from, especially well known ones and finding out how these beloved characters (Dorothy, The Scarecrow, Tin Man etc.) came to be was heartfelt and surprising at times! I think the fascination with the world of Oz, the Emerald City and the metaphors of courage, knowledge, and love is what continues to stay with people; generation to generation.
For fans of the movie, “Saving Mr. Banks”, this book had a very similar set up. I actually think this book would make a great movie somehow, but it would be tricky because Judy Garland is no longer alive. It was so fun reading from her perspective though! I absolutely love her movies. Her life though was surprisingly sad. I had no idea the things she was dealing with while becoming one of the firsts of America’s most beloved actresses.
I will say this book was drawn out in parts, but if you’re patient, fans of the book and movie will be pleased with the majority of this novel!
Side note: the second I finished I hopped on YouTube to listen to Miss Garland sing, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” again. It’s still one of the prettiest written songs and she had such a beautiful voice to bring it to life!
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