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: Depth of Christian character in the Trapp family.
Review: This book is a refreshing view of family life that is exemplary. A great deal more of the spiritual character of Maria and the Trapps are seen in this book than was even hinted at during the movie. Throughout the book the reader can rejoice in the love and understanding of people that Maria von Trapp has. The Trapp children readily sacrifice and work to make it during the hard times. Maria says that the family that sings together, plays together, and prays together usually stays together.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and entertaining
Review: This book is an easy read. It is interesting and there are many entertaining parts. Inspiring, uplifting? Less so. One soon realizes that Maria is the "Captain" here. Such amibition, enthusiasm and hard work is admirable but it becomes a little tiresome when piously clothed in "the will of God". Clearly all of this is the will of Maria. Read it for part of the "real" story. See the play and movie to see how great artists can make a story come alive and inspire us to better things.
Rating: 
Summary: Maria von Trapp: A Portrait in Self-Contradiction
Review: This book is the story of the Trapp family as told from Maria's viewpoint. It would be interesting if we could read the honest appraisal of the children. For example, in the 1949 book, Maria tells about meeting the captain and the children for the first time. She describes a scene that is very similar to what we saw in the movie. She even tells how the captain used a whistle to call the children. In 1972, however, she wrote a book called "Maria," in which she states that the captain was not at home when she arrived, and that "Baroness Matilda" introduced her to the children. OK, which was it? I suspect there are deep divisions in this family (as there usually are in second-marriage situations), and so far, the children have been too polite (or too psychologically mixed up) to tell us the real truth. Evidence of the division is found in the fact that the movie does not use the children's names, and mixes up the order of their births (e.g. in real life, the oldest child was a boy, not a girl). Did the children refuse to grant the right to use their names?
Rating:
Summary: Should be a traditional reading requirement, of excellence.
Review: This book tells the real story of the Trapp Family Choir, as it started, and ended, the beginning(first couple pages) was slow but picked up speed rappedly, the further you got , the better it got. This intriging nove I would recommend for all adults, and mature children(as I am 10).
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.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: This is my all time favorite book! I have watched the movie a million times since I was two years old, portrayed Maria von Trapp in the musical play and read this book. I find it extremely engaging and entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud while reading and at other times on the brink of tears. I think it is an uplifting, encouraging story! I reccomend it to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: An uplifting story of a family who loved God and one another
Review: This is simply one the most uplifting books I have ever read! I adore the movie "The Sound of Music" but this book is even more amazing. The von Trapp family went from immense wealth to poverty in a very short time, but throughout their trials they never lost their faith that God would provide. I was also impressed that they were so easily able to recognize the evil around them (Hitler, etc.) for what it was. My favorite part of the book is when Georg gathers his family together and tells them, "Children, we have a choice now: do we want to keep the material goods we still have. . .our friends, and all the things we are fond of?--then we shall have to give up the spiritual goods: our faith and honor. We can't have both any more." The family chooses to relinquish their wealth and retain their honor. This is the best example I know of a family that stuck together through thick and thin.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and inspiring
Review: This was a very enjoyable book about the Von Trapp family. It was fascinating to find out how many things in the film, The Sound of Music, actually happened, as well as how many things were different. Maria Von Trapp also shares the role faith had in sustaining the family through some very difficult times. I recommend this to all who would enjoy a relaxing and positive book. The second half of the book does lag in spots, but the overall reading experience makes the book worthwhile and fun reading for ambitious upper elementary students through adults.
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