The Sound of Music (Trapp Family Singers) (by Maria von Trapp)

(Amazon UK link)

‘The Sound of Music’ is the title of the book which inspired the well-known film. I believe it was originally entitled ‘The Trapp Family Singers’, then changed in the 1960s due to the popularity of the film. I’m pretty sure I read the book - or at least dipped into it - at some point, but it was probably at least three decades ago. It has been sitting on our shelves, and I thought it would be interesting to read.

The book is written by Maria von Trapp herself, as a biography. It starts roughly where the film version starts, with Maria in a convent, hoping to be accepted as a nun. She finds it very hard to keep to the rules as she’s an outgoing, inquisitive and spontaneous person. And the older nuns are concerned that she doesn’t seem healthy. 

I could almost imagine the nuns singing, ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’ within the first few pages, and looked forward to reading more of the background to the film. However, from that point, the film started to diverge more and more from reality. Maria is sent to work for a captain who has seven children, but the older ones all go to school. Unlike in the film she’s not expected to be the governess for all of them. She is just to be the tutor to little Maria, who is ill. The older ones all go to school. The names of all the children are changed in the film, apparently to protect their privacy, although as their surname is kept, I’m not sure how that would be relevant. 

Unlike in the film, Captain von Trapp is not harsh or reluctant to allow the children to have fun. He’s still grieving the loss of his first wife, but he loves music, and wants his children to be happy. They are not entirely unmusical either; they are familiar with ‘Silent Night’ and other Christmas carols, and already have good voices. Maria teaches them some folk songs (she does have a guitar in reality, one thing the film got right). And she does quickly become very fond of all the children. 

The writing is good, with a mixture of descriptions and anecdotes, some of them quite amusing. Maria brings light and life to the grieving family, and - unlike the film again - it’s Georg, the captain who falls in love with her, believing that she will be a good mother to his children. She returns to the nuns, asking them to pray for the will of God to be revealed, and then agrees to marry Georg. She does eventually fall in love with him, apparently, but at the beginning of their marriage she cares more about his children.

Moreover, the marriage is towards the end of 1927, some years before the outbreak of World War II. By the time it becomes clear that the family needs to leave Austria, Maria has two children of her own and is expecting her third. The escape is not a dramatic, secret one over the hills, but a more leisurely journey by train. The family has started singing together in public by then (and they win a local competition) but the decision to go to America is primarily due to an invitation from a producer who wants them to do a singing tour in his country.

The second half of the book then follows the family’s time in the United States. They are determined to learn English, and make some amusing mistakes at first. It’s interesting to read of the culture shock they experience, and the ways that they gradually adapt. It’s also quite encouraging to read about their struggles with money. Georg had lost most of his money as war approached and the banks crashed, but Maria is good at managing on very little, and the family become closer as they learn to live on very little.

Here and there I did skim lightly over some descriptive paragraphs, or details about some of the music. But on the whole I enjoyed the book, and finding out the real story that was inspirational for the film, even though the film veered so far from the actual story.  I didn't feel that there was much characterisation for the children - I found it hard to recall who was whom, and they all seemed to be extremely hard-working and well-behaved. 

There's no 'Max' in the book, no teenage love interest for one of the children, and the end of the film is pure fiction.  The book also has some quite strong Catholic content - Maria's faith, and that of her new family, is very important to them all and they regularly meet for devotions, with a priest travelling with them. 

Recommended if you like biographies, or if you’re interested in knowing the story of the real Maria von Trapp. Apparently it has been republished again, with the original title, and some photos too, which are not in my 1970 paperback edition. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews