Let's Bust a Recap : The Story of the Trapp Family Singers

I have been meaning to read the true story of Fräulein Maria and the von Trapp family since at least college when I went to Austria on a short study tour. The Sound of Music has been one of my favorite movies (and, I would argue, one of the greatest movies of all time) since I was a small child. I can sing every song from the iconic soundtrack—and often do—a power achieved not only from watching the film countless times, but from hearing my mother play the songs on the piano throughout my childhood and learning to play many of them myself. I always knew The Sound of Music was based on a true story, but I didn't realize that Maria herself had written it—years before the film came to be—until much later in my life. I've had my eyes peeled for a copy for years, but never came across one in the myriad bookstores I've visited. After rewatching the film for the gazillionth time earlier this year, I decided enough was enough: it was time to order a copy and finally read it. So in the middle of the night, while my husband was sound asleep (he didn't even make it through the first quarter of the movie), I opened my laptop, found a used copy on AbeBooks, and purchased it for $6.16. Before the book even arrived in my mailbox, I discovered that not only is the movie turning sixty this year, it's being re-released in theaters nationwide for the anniversary, and I'd have the opportunity to see it on the big screen about midway through September. So when the book did arrive, instead of reading it right away, I stuck it on my trusty book cart with the rest of my 2025 TBR and determined to read it right before going to watch the film at my local cinema. 

And come last week, on September 1st, I sure enough picked up The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp and started to read it. 

And it is my favorite book of the year (so far). I laughed, I cried: it was the best of times. 

Originally published in 1949, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers starts where The Sound of Music starts, with mischievous Maria living as a novitiate at Nonnberg. The book is divided into two parts with the first part covering what we see in the film, and the second, much larger part covering the family's story after escaping from Nazi-occupied Austria. While I think The Sound of Music actually does a lovely job with Maria's story, after reading the book I've realized the film gives just a teeny tiny glimpse of a teeny tiny slice of the von Trapp family's life. There was so much I didn't know about the Trapp Family Singers. Like the fact that before Germany annexed Austria, the Trapp family traveled all over Europe singing for monarchs and even the pope. And that to escape Austria, they actually signed a contract for a concert tour in America and moved to the United States where they eventually became citizens and started their own Trapp Family Music Camp. Not to mention the relief work they did after the conclusion of the war to help Austria recover. The von Trapp Family Lodge and Resort is a travel destination in Vermont to this day...and has been added to my personal bucket list of places to go as soon as possible. 

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but I loved Maria's simple, straightforward writing style, her no-nonsense, honest approach to telling her story, and especially how her deep faith was woven throughout every inch of this von Trapp family history. It was absolutely beautiful to read. And not only that: Maria was funny. Her story of being in the hospital after a surgery to have kidney stones removed and convincing her gullible nurse that the pet turtle Georg brought to keep her company is an animal that feeds on newborn babies' toes had me howling with laughter. I will add that Maria, like all of us, was very much a product of her own time and place in history, and at times it was jarring to see terms pop up in her writing for people of color, including black, Asian, and Native American people, that are no longer acceptable today. There was obviously no malice behind these monickers which made them seem even more out of place in this otherwise charming book. 

I can't recommend The Story of the Trapp Family Singers highly enough. Before I was even halfway done with the book, I texted my mother and told her she needs to read it immediately and I talked to my sister and told her she needs to read it, too. My mother and I, along with my sister-in-law and one of her friends, will be going to see the film based on this amazing story tomorrow night, and I'm excited to watch it once again, this time with a much fuller understanding of what this incredible family went through. 

What's the last book that absolutely delighted you? And do you plan to go see The Sound of Music this weekend on the big screen?