Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts (audiobook)

 genre: historical fiction

A novel in two time periods, Finding Dorothy is not just about the drama surrounding the making of the classic film based on the book The Wizard of Oz, it is also the story of a the wife of the author, a woman named Maud Gage Baum.  Along with Maud, we learn about their hardscrabble life both in big cities and tiny prairie towns, with Frank always searching for the next hot thing that will fullfil his dreams.  In that way, this is just as much a story of a marriage as it is about Oz, which I don't think is a bad thing.  Maud's early years with her formidable Suffragette mother strengthened her to know what she's capable of and what she deserves.

If you already are very familiar with the book or movie, this story is full of fun little Easter eggs!  It was fun to catch them, even if every dang time I found myself wondering - wait, is that true?  Was THAT true? The authors note at the end did a pretty good job of helping answer my questions.  For me, the storyline with the sister was an interesting side thread that sympathetically illustrated the plight of women on the plains during the time period.  Also, I also just love that Maud's mom WAS a suffragette, for me that really added to my interest in the story and it added another dimension that really worked for me.  Literarily, it was sometimes a bit meh, I wasn't blown away by the writing, but I am not sorry that I read this one.  Once again, thanks to Book Club for stretching me because I'm not sure I wouldn't tried this otherwise.