Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful and inspiring
Review: "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" is the wonderful life story of the Trapp family singers. Maria details how she met and married the Baron Georg von Trapp; loved and cared for his children; and went on to have three children of her own. The first half of the book is set against the background of pre-World War II Austria, with charming details of holidays and the annual Salzburg music festival.Then the Baron loses his money; and the family uses their musical talents to earn a living. They become more and more successful, but when the Nazis invade Austria, the von Trapps must choose between material success (on the Nazis' terms) or freedom (and starting over) in America. Their choice proves to be an inspirational one. The second half of the book deals with the von Trapps's new life in America. There are many comical scenes of Maria's struggle to learn English. And they also face the problems of continuing their careers in America, as well as dealing with publicity, agents, etc. But their faith in God sees them through all difficulties. I really found this book inspiring. The von Trapps never gave up, even when they were tempted to, many times. They were --and are-- a strong family.
Rating: 
Summary: Maria von Trapp: A Portrait in Self-Contradiction
Review: ....in the german language - but that's not important. The story is written very good. But the cover is sign in on the false side. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: A slightly skewed version of reality
Review: Along with everyone else who has read this book, I loved "The Sound of Music" and knew that it was a glossed over account of their real life. I picked up this book, hoping that there would me some truth to it. While I am sure that the majority of the events DID happen, they way they are presented leaves much to be desired. I got the impression reading this book that there was yet a 3rd side to the story that is not presented here. This is the story of the family, as told by Maria. This is the book on which the movie is based. The book leads the reader to believe that everything was sunshine and roses and that whenever anything bad happened, God provided the opportunities. While I am not doubting Maria's faith, I also think that she worked her tail off to get some of the opportunites the family recieved. This book is very moving. Some of the antics of the little kids made me chuckle and the story of Georg's death brought tears to my eyes. I would be interested in finding out what happened later..... I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the movie.
Rating:
Summary: A powerful woman
Review: In the late 1960s, when I was maybe 9 years old, my mother let me ditch school to attend a lecture by Maria von Trapp. I'm guessing that the author was promoting a newer edition of her book at the time. She struck me as an opinionated, very strong personality, but one who had twinkling eyes and who encouraged me to continue my piano lessons. The baroness autographed my EZ-Play "Sound of Music" piano book, but sternly made sure that I realized that the movie was not REALLY what her life was about--that it was just Hollywood stuff. When I grew up and became a music teacher myself for 15 years, I wish I'd remembered this book, because I would have recommended it to every student of mine. I just found this copy in an antique shop, but THIS one won't be recycled or resold! What comes through on every page is the dedication to a will and purpose higher than any human's will. This was not meant to be a "religious" book, but a history of a family who made a huge difference in the world by their faithful service to God. Being willing to work hard, submit their discomfort or inconvenience to God's will and have Him turn it into great blessings and lessons for the family and indeed the world, are truly building blocks of faith, hope, love, and encouragement. In addition, the stories of the family's dedication to their profession and the pursuit of excellence are inspiring. To attain such stature and not have one's nose in the clouds is an accomplishment in itself! (Ever meet a music scholar or highly-educated performer? The humble ones are few and far between.) I agree with the other reviewers that Maria probably was the Captain of the family, but look what happened to a country peasant girl who was truly noble, not just assigned the title!
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing, Entertaining, But Incomplete
Review: It's been a while since I've read this book, and I realize now that Maria Von Trapp wrote it in the style of an earlier time in which the main characters look unfailingly noble. While we can admire the family's stand against the Nazis, the details that have been left out, which were recently revealed by A&E's "Biography" make them more human and realistic. For in reality, we learn that Maria was the stern, tempermental, dictatorial one and the Captain the more mild mannered one, and that it was against Maria whom the children had to fight for their independance when they wanted lives outside the singing group. The A&E version also gives a more detailed account of Maria's harsh childhood, that she hadn't always been so religious and in fact had been an atheist at one point, her stepchildren's true feelings about accepting her into the family, and the way Maria took her husband for granted. Her account of their lives resulted in one of the world's greatest musicals, and is a clear monument to virtue in the world, but as part of a modern audience, I don't mind a touch more reality and humanness to such stories. Without it, they seem a little too lofty and untouchable.
Rating:
Summary: Ave Maria!
Review: That really was an interesting book!!!!! When I started to read the first page, I was so cautivated by its contense, that I could hardly stop reading!!!! I also liked it, because I read it when I had already seen the movie and so I could see what was true and what was invented by the producers of the film. What I liked best in this absolutely interesting book is the way Maria starts learning Enlish in the ship American Farmer, because thats really an ingeniouse and funny way of learning a language. I also liked the part when they arrived in America and they saw that the american culture was very different from the european one. In this part it was very easy to understand how lost and confused they surely felt in the first days of being there. But also in this part of the book we can see how brave they were, because although they had a lot of problems, they had success in their lives in the american continent. The part in which I was almost moved to tears was the ending, because there you can see what friends are for and why you have to have some.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read.
Review: The Sound of Music is my favourite film I have seen it at least 25 times. But when I read the real story I liked it more. I think Maria was a great woman who kept the family together with her love. It was the most important thing for her. When I am sad and fed up with all the things around me I always read the book /of course only parts of it/ and after reading I always feel better. It is One Of My Favourite Things! I would recommend to everybody to read it. It is about love and history.
Rating:
Summary: Curiosity satisfied
Review: This book is a personal family history of the Trapp Family Singers. It begins with Maria's days in the convent, traces the migrations of the family during the War years, and finishes in their family home in Vermont. Ever since seeing The Sound of Music for the first time, I have always been curious about what happened next- -did the entire family manage to safely climb the Alps to freedom? How did they pay for their journey to the US? And what connection do they have to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont? Maria Trapp answers all of these questions in this book. While the musical version of their life did convey many of the main episodes, the storyline of the musical compressed these episodes so that they seemed to happen one after the other: Maria leaves the convent, teaches the children how to sing, marries their father, and they flee the country at the outbreak of the war, all within 2 hours. Phew! Like the musical, this book also starts with Maria's last day in the convent, but more than a year passed before she and the Baron were married, in 1927. They were married some 12 years and had 2 additional children along the way before leaving Austria. Yes, as unknowns, the family did win a song festival, but that was in 1936, and by the time they fled Austria, they were already quite well-known and had toured Europe as a family singing group. Indeed, one additional reason for leaving the country when they did was that they had been invited to sing at Hitler's birthday. When driving past the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, I have always thought of it as a ritzy place, and assumed that the money to purchase it and develop it had come from the Baron's family fortune. In reading this book, I found that that was not the case at all. The Baron's fortune was lost before the family left Austria, and they arrived in the US on borrowed money. In their new American lives, they had to restart from the very bottom of the social ladder, digging themselves out of debt before they could even begin to think of buying new clothes or a home. For years they dressed in the same simple clothes they had arrived in, and they built their first house in Vermont from the foundation up with their bare hands. That is, the girls did, since the two boys had been drafted into the US army and were fighting in Europe at the time. This book relates all of these details and many more, with a considerable sprinkling of humor. Maria comes across as a determined optimist, a young girl barely out of her teens who arrived on the doorstep of a house filled with grief and dissension. Through her personal character and upbringing, she created a family with strong bonds to each other that was able to withstand remarriage, loss of fortune, becoming refugees, and establishing a home and a livelihood in a distant foreign land. The two elements that were her constant guidance and source of inspiration were her faith and the music. This book is peppered with remarks that ring true even today: "The family that sings together, plays together, prays together, and usually stays together." "Our age has become so mechanical that this has also affected our recreation. People have gotten used to sitting down and watching a movie, a ball game, a television set. It may be good once in a while, but it certainly is not good all the time. Our own faculties, our imagination, our memory, the ability to do things with our mind and our hands- -they need to be exercised. If we become too passive, we get dissatisfied." The Sound of Music is a great story, but the story presented in this book is much better.
Rating:
Summary: Curiosity satisfied
Review: This book is a personal family history of the Trapp Family Singers. It begins with Maria's days in the convent, traces the migrations of the family during the War years, and finishes in their family home in Vermont. Ever since seeing The Sound of Music for the first time, I have always been curious about what happened next- -did the entire family manage to safely climb the Alps to freedom? How did they pay for their journey to the US? And what connection do they have to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont? Maria Trapp answers all of these questions in this book. While the musical version of their life did convey many of the main episodes, the storyline of the musical compressed these episodes so that they seemed to happen one after the other: Maria leaves the convent, teaches the children how to sing, marries their father, and they flee the country at the outbreak of the war, all within 2 hours. Phew! Like the musical, this book also starts with Maria's last day in the convent, but more than a year passed before she and the Baron were married, in 1927. They were married some 12 years and had 2 additional children along the way before leaving Austria. Yes, as unknowns, the family did win a song festival, but that was in 1936, and by the time they fled Austria, they were already quite well-known and had toured Europe as a family singing group. Indeed, one additional reason for leaving the country when they did was that they had been invited to sing at Hitler's birthday. When driving past the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, I have always thought of it as a ritzy place, and assumed that the money to purchase it and develop it had come from the Baron's family fortune. In reading this book, I found that that was not the case at all. The Baron's fortune was lost before the family left Austria, and they arrived in the US on borrowed money. In their new American lives, they had to restart from the very bottom of the social ladder, digging themselves out of debt before they could even begin to think of buying new clothes or a home. For years they dressed in the same simple clothes they had arrived in, and they built their first house in Vermont from the foundation up with their bare hands. That is, the girls did, since the two boys had been drafted into the US army and were fighting in Europe at the time. This book relates all of these details and many more, with a considerable sprinkling of humor. Maria comes across as a determined optimist, a young girl barely out of her teens who arrived on the doorstep of a house filled with grief and dissension. Through her personal character and upbringing, she created a family with strong bonds to each other that was able to withstand remarriage, loss of fortune, becoming refugees, and establishing a home and a livelihood in a distant foreign land. The two elements that were her constant guidance and source of inspiration were her faith and the music. This book is peppered with remarks that ring true even today: "The family that sings together, plays together, prays together, and usually stays together." "Our age has become so mechanical that this has also affected our recreation. People have gotten used to sitting down and watching a movie, a ball game, a television set. It may be good once in a while, but it certainly is not good all the time. Our own faculties, our imagination, our memory, the ability to do things with our mind and our hands- -they need to be exercised. If we become too passive, we get dissatisfied." The Sound of Music is a great story, but the story presented in this book is much better.
Rating:
Summary: Very Inspiring Book--keep on going when life gets tough
Review: This book was truly an inspiration to read, seeing the hardships the Von Trapps went through after leaving Austria. It reminds us all of what our priorities in life should be. Knowing that this was a true story and not fiction made it all the more inspiring, that a family could go through such hardships and still survive without being bitter.
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