1,017 books
—
9,990 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” as Want to Read:
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
by
With nearly 1,500 Broadway performances, six Tony Awards, more than three million albums sold, and five Academy Awards, The Sound of Music, based on the lives of Maria, the baron, and their singing children, is as familiar to most of us as our own family history. But much about the real-life woman and her family was left untold.
Here, Baroness Maria Augusta Trapp tells in h ...more
Here, Baroness Maria Augusta Trapp tells in h ...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
December 24th 2001
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published 1949)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Story of the Trapp Family Singers

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp
With nearly 1,500 Broadway performances, six Tony Awards, more than three million albums sold, and five Academy Awards, The Sound of Music, based on the lives of Maria, the baron, and their singing children, is as familiar to most of us as our own family history.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز پانزدهم ماه دسامبر سال 2002 میلادی
داستان اشکها و لبخندها از روی داستان زندگی خانواده همین خانواده تراپ ساخته شده است. ا. شربیانی
With nearly 1,500 Broadway performances, six Tony Awards, more than three million albums sold, and five Academy Awards, The Sound of Music, based on the lives of Maria, the baron, and their singing children, is as familiar to most of us as our own family history.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز پانزدهم ماه دسامبر سال 2002 میلادی
داستان اشکها و لبخندها از روی داستان زندگی خانواده همین خانواده تراپ ساخته شده است. ا. شربیانی

Mar 27, 2018
Diane in Australia
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction-autobiography
Remember the movie The Sound of Music? Well, this book was written by the real Maria von Trapp, about their real life ... not what you saw in the movie. Regarding the movie, her youngest son, Johannes, said, "This was the Hollywood version, of the Broadway version, of the German film version, of the book that my mother wrote." That sums it up quite nicely! So many things were changed, added, or omitted, that the movie barely resembles the real story. I won't go into all the differences, but they
...more

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, is a “must-read” for every family attempting to incorporate Thomas Jefferson Education in their home.
I say this because among many others, the following lessons are taught in this book:
1) Trust in God
2) Work together for the good of ourselves and others
3) Education can happen outside of a school
I pulled this book off the shelf for the second time because I was feeling rather discouraged and knew it was just what I needed to get me back on track.
Like Jo ...more
I say this because among many others, the following lessons are taught in this book:
1) Trust in God
2) Work together for the good of ourselves and others
3) Education can happen outside of a school
I pulled this book off the shelf for the second time because I was feeling rather discouraged and knew it was just what I needed to get me back on track.
Like Jo ...more

This account is written by the original Maria, it was only recently I discovered the film was based on a true story and more surprising to me, the film is very true to the actual story. The first part of the book covers the same ground as the film, the last two thirds concentrates on their life after leaving Austria and their singing career in America.
This book could have been more descriptive for me, I felt I didn't get to know the family much throughout the book, for example I didn't feel any ...more
This book could have been more descriptive for me, I felt I didn't get to know the family much throughout the book, for example I didn't feel any ...more

What a powerful story and testament to a spirited woman, a gentle loving husband, and ten extraordinary children. This was our local library's July book selection. Even though I absolutely adore "The Sound of Music", I would never have read this book if it weren't for our book group. I am very glad that I did.
I don't have too much more to add to what other reviewers have already stated so well. Except, I do have a couple of points of reflection that I would like to share. I recognize that some ...more
I don't have too much more to add to what other reviewers have already stated so well. Except, I do have a couple of points of reflection that I would like to share. I recognize that some ...more

This was such a great book written by Maria herself!! I could hear Julie Andrews' voice through the whole thing. The movie really captured my impression of Maria's real personality, at least according to this book. I always wondered what happened to them after leaving Austria--now I know! She was so optimistic about everything. She said at one point that she was happy that they lost all their money because it gave the children an opportunity to let their true characters shine through--and they w
...more

I happened to catch the Sound of Music on television the other day -- one of my favorite movies -- and decided to pick up the book. It's always interesting to see how reality inspires fiction.
In this case, I discovered that the fictional account bears almost no resemblance to reality. A few elements were accurately reflected in the play/movie: Maria was in the convent preparing to be a nun. She was a tomboyish young woman who was always in trouble for un-nun-like behavior. The Captain did have ...more
In this case, I discovered that the fictional account bears almost no resemblance to reality. A few elements were accurately reflected in the play/movie: Maria was in the convent preparing to be a nun. She was a tomboyish young woman who was always in trouble for un-nun-like behavior. The Captain did have ...more

Maria Augusta Trapp, what a wonderful inspiration to women everywhere! Reading the story of her life has made me in awe of her. She persevered through every tribulation possible, and remained strong in her faith to God and relied on that faith to endure. Her writing is so beautiful, her descriptions are so rich that you feel you are there with her experiencing it all over again with her. This is true to the end and I caution you that the two final chapters require several boxes of Kleenexes to m
...more

For pure sentimental reasons I loved it, but if it wasn't for The Sound Of Music this would be just another mediocre book. It was published in 1949 so the style of Maria's writing is archaic and old-fashioned; people don't talk like they did 60 years ago, even if English wasn't their first language. So that was kind of annoying and hard to get past. It was good to read how the family's story actually happened, though, and not the whitewashed version of TSOM. However, it would've been nice if she
...more

To say I loved this book is an understatement - it was fabulous, moving, and even funnier than I imagined it would be! Of course I grew up watching the great film, Sound of Music, of which Maria's life was based from, but I'd never read the true story of her life. There was so much more to her life than was portrayed in the film, and it was exciting to really get to know her in her own words.
Maria von Trapp shares her life from convent to barroness to family singing group - from Austria to Ameri ...more
Maria von Trapp shares her life from convent to barroness to family singing group - from Austria to Ameri ...more

I picked this book up when I was staying with a friend and had to buy a copy after I'd read 40 pages! I was curious to read the book that the famous film/musical version was based on. It was completely different but that's no surprise!
I preferred the book because it was more realistic and I learned much more about the Trapp family and their adventures beyond leaving Austria. Maria von Trapp has a natural intimate writing style and is very religious and spiritual. As an atheist I found this inte ...more
I preferred the book because it was more realistic and I learned much more about the Trapp family and their adventures beyond leaving Austria. Maria von Trapp has a natural intimate writing style and is very religious and spiritual. As an atheist I found this inte ...more

While I enjoyed reading this pleasant tale of an Austrian family emigrating to the USA and then setting down roots, I found it a bit exhausting to see Maria von Trapp's world through her nun-coloured glasses. Maria couldn't even say anything bad about Adolf Hitler, but to describe him as a bit rude. In fact, the worst thing she says about anybody, in the entire book, is to call a soldier's party girl a "bedbug".
The woman has put such a rosy gloss on everything, it becomes difficult to percieve ...more
The woman has put such a rosy gloss on everything, it becomes difficult to percieve ...more

I caught half of The Sound of Music on tv a couple of weeks ago and I had a sudden desire to know about the real Trapp family and their story. I thought this book was interesting and very different from the movie. I'm glad that Maria wrote a book and that I could find out about what the family did after escaping Nazi-occupied Austria. It was funny in some parts and slow in others--you can tell the book wasn't written by a writer, but by a real person just telling her story (so that is both good
...more

Loved it! Maria writes it as if you're her friend. She's kind of hilarious. I love some of the anecdotes she shares about funny situations that develop from her not-yet-firm grasp of the English language. I had no idea the depth of the family's faith, or their experience in America. The first half of the book is what the movie is based on, but the second half all deals with them in America and it was really interesting to hear her perspective on Americans, especially considering it was during WW
...more

So much more to the story than The Sound of Music! I loved reading about what happened *after* the family fled their native country, and von Trapp's faith is central to the story, but in a quiet, continuous manner
...more

I first read this book back in about 5th grade as a Scholastic Book. It is one of about a dozen books I have re-read. And I've re-read it many times. It is also the reason that when I went to see The Sound of Music I came away very disappointed. So much had been changed to appeal to the movie audience. I have recommended the book to several and since I finally lost (probably lent it and it was never returned to me) my copy from the 1960's, I bought a new copy to re-read yet again.
So much better ...more
So much better ...more

The True Story that inspired the film/ play "Sound of Music". This book barely resembles the events of the film. However, that does not make it any less satisfying. This is truly one of the most interesting biographies you will ever be sucked into. Maria Trapp is able to laugh at herself but at the same time it feels like this book is deeply biased to her point of view. But that doesn't mean I didn't find a lot of entertainment in trying to read "between the lines" of what she was saying. It see
...more

Such a great book. I wonder when she wrote it and what inspired her to do so? I'm wondering if she was offered a book deal or just did it of her own accord? I wonder how much of the book is straightforward truth and how much is a bit slanted to sound more positive? Just things I'm curious about!
An excellent autobiography, really encourages spiritual strength, focus, and positivity in the face of true adversity (war, poverty, miscarriages etc). Such an amazing story, they are a couple that has do ...more
An excellent autobiography, really encourages spiritual strength, focus, and positivity in the face of true adversity (war, poverty, miscarriages etc). Such an amazing story, they are a couple that has do ...more

it certainly was interesting that the book was so different then the movie. Not even the names of the children were the same. There is nothing in the movie about the second part of the book about their life in the US. There also was no dramatic escape from Austria, which also occur far earlier than right after their honeymoon.

As a fan of “The Sound of Music,” I really enjoyed this “story behind the story.” It was fun discovering the factual details, such as: Maria’s disappointment at her assignment with the von Trapps, that she taught/encouraged them to sing, that the Captain initially really didn’t want them singing in public, that the Captain’s other love interest was the one to tell Maria she was in love with him, that the Captain did have an offer from the Axis powers to fight in their Navy, etc. Their escape fro
...more

I'd been wanting to read this for awhile, as The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies - Maria's boundless optimism, youthful energy, can-do attitude, and bottomless faith, combined with Captain von Trapp's worldliness and stern yet vaguely faggy swashbuckling are, for me, a match made in heaven and I never tire of watching these two fall for each other onscreen. How did the movie match up with the reality, I wondered? More than I thought they would, actually. Although the courtship and ma
...more

As someone who's seen the Sound of Music dozens of times throughout my childhood, I was excited to read the real story. And for the most part, it delivered - an interesting, easy to read expansion on a familiar tale, that suffers a bit from a lack of depth.
By now, the basic story is probably familiar to most people - a young nun-to-be leaves her abbey to become a governess to a family of seven children. Fate intervenes and she marries into the family, before they all have to flee Europe to escap ...more
By now, the basic story is probably familiar to most people - a young nun-to-be leaves her abbey to become a governess to a family of seven children. Fate intervenes and she marries into the family, before they all have to flee Europe to escap ...more

I would give this a *3.5* this book by Maria von Trapp. writes of the famous Trapp family Singers. She takes her memoir for 1926-to about 1947. anyone who has seen the Sound Of Music may find this book interesting. Maria von Trapp gives an honest depiction of her meeting the family when she is hired a a teacher for the daughter also named Maria who was in poor health. she soon becomes close to all the children. she actually does teach them how to sing and blend their voices. within a year Captai
...more

Just a tad bit long, the end is not as exciting as the beginning. The religious references, too, are quite repetitive in the end. It feels like reading about a whole family of Pollyannas: always happy, always positive, somewhat reckless.
You've seen the musical - The Sound of Music - or the movie of the same name. Maria, an aspiring nun, gets a job as a private teacher in the family of widowed naval commander Georg Johannes von Trapp. They end up married, touring the world as a musical choir, esc ...more
You've seen the musical - The Sound of Music - or the movie of the same name. Maria, an aspiring nun, gets a job as a private teacher in the family of widowed naval commander Georg Johannes von Trapp. They end up married, touring the world as a musical choir, esc ...more

I saw the movie "The Sound of Music" in its entirety for the first time last year and loved it. When I saw this book available written by Maria Von Trapp, I decided to read it and I am glad I did!!
The book tells the story of the Von Trapp Family and goes beyond where the movie ends, to their life in the United States after they had to leave Austria during WWII. The book was written in 1949 by Maria Von Trapp (played by Julie Andrews in the movie) and conveys her boundless optimism, energy, can-d ...more
The book tells the story of the Von Trapp Family and goes beyond where the movie ends, to their life in the United States after they had to leave Austria during WWII. The book was written in 1949 by Maria Von Trapp (played by Julie Andrews in the movie) and conveys her boundless optimism, energy, can-d ...more

The story that inspired one of my favorite movies and several versions of the musical - The Sound of Music - was one that I'd always been interested in learning about. Not surprisingly Maria seemed to have been a delightful and scrappy individual, imbued with a steadfast belief in God, a genuine goodness, a "can do" attitude and a definite sense of humor. She certainly was the driving force in the family as they transformed a singing hobby into a successful business, although it had its ups and
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
News & Interviews
Kerine Wint is a software engineering graduate with more love for books than for computers. As an avid reader, writer, and fan of all things...
21 likes · 10 comments
14 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Music- what a powerful instrument, what a mighty weapon!”
—
45 likes
“We are not poor. We just don't have any money!”
—
10 likes
More quotes…