When The Wizard of Oz graced the
silver screen in 1939, it changed cinema and popular culture forever. But the
true story began decades earlier with the young composer who risked everything
to bring it to the Broadway stage.
At the turn of the century, twenty-three-year-old Paul Tietjens is a gifted classical pianist with dreams of greatness and a non-refundable ticket to Europe to study with the master composers of his time.
But when the bank calls in the debt on his family’s Missouri farm, Paul forgoes his dream to save them from financial ruin. Desperate to find a new road to success, he moves to up-and-coming Chicago, where he persuades author L. Frank Baum to collaborate on a comic opera of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, setting the stage for the defining cultural touchstone that we know today.
Paul embarks on his opera with high hopes, but scandal threatens his soaring ambition when he falls in love with his best friend’s beautiful but married sister, and his fears grow as the Wizard of Oz demands not only his talent but his soul.
Inspired by Paul’s 1901 diary, The Lark follows Paul as he journeys from the theaters of Chicago to the streets of Manhattan, from his family’s Missouri farm to the beaches of Michigan, fighting to hang onto the chance of a lifetime, his integrity, and the woman he loves.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/m0RDZV
Laura C. Rader is the
award-winning author of the biographical historical novel Hatfield 1677. When
she isn’t writing, you can find her conducting research, playing her 1905
antique piano, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets.
A native of Southern California, she now lives north of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.lcrwriter.com
Twitter / X: https://x.com/LauraCR_Author
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcrwriter/
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Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/laura-c-rader
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laura.rader0
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Laura-C-Rader/author/B0CZF3SQT9?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47076598.Laura_C_Rader
If you enjoy discovering new stories, you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY
