Agathe von Trapp, the oldest daughter in the Trapp Family Singers, offers readers the real story behind an American classic in her poignant and fascinating autobiography Memories Before and After The Sound of Music. The courageous family and events immortalized in the beloved Broadway musical and hit Hollywood film come vibrantly alive in these pages, and Agathe’s post-Sound of Music life is equally compelling.
From Booklist
From the seasoned perspective of her eighty-nine years, Agathe, the eldest von Trapp family daughter paints a rose-hued portrait of life before and after the highly fictionalized Broadway and Hollywood account of her famous family’s story. Though diehard Sound of Music fans may be disappointed to learn that the von Trapps’ “escape” from Austria—they simply boarded a train to Italy—was much less dramatic than the memorable Technicolor climb over the mountains depicted in the movie, their hearts will still be blessed with the sound of music that resonates throughout the pages of this charming, family-friendly memoir. Agathe dishes no dirt; in fact, her recollections of her beloved Mamá, Papá, stepmother, and fairy-tale-like childhood in Austria, are all refreshingly positive and upbeat. A gentle patriarch, unlike the strict disciplinarian portrayed in both the stage and film versions, Georg von Trapp, oversaw the musical education of all his children after the death of his first wife. After immigrating to the U.S. and embarking on their collective musical career as the Trapp Family Singers, the close-knit bonds forged in their Tyrolean childhoods never frayed. Though less fantastical, Agathe’s homespun recollections, illustrated with her own sketches and family photos, is a must-read for diehard Sound of Music fans. Sugar-sweet but never saccharine. --Margaret Flanagan
Review
“The eldest daughter in the Trapp Family Singers writes poignantly…..In her telling, we learn the real details in this truly providential tale about a tight-knit, devoted, and wonderfully gifted family.”
Description:
Agathe von Trapp, the oldest daughter in the Trapp Family Singers, offers readers the real story behind an American classic in her poignant and fascinating autobiography Memories Before and After The Sound of Music. The courageous family and events immortalized in the beloved Broadway musical and hit Hollywood film come vibrantly alive in these pages, and Agathe’s post-Sound of Music life is equally compelling.
From Booklist
From the seasoned perspective of her eighty-nine years, Agathe, the eldest von Trapp family daughter paints a rose-hued portrait of life before and after the highly fictionalized Broadway and Hollywood account of her famous family’s story. Though diehard Sound of Music fans may be disappointed to learn that the von Trapps’ “escape” from Austria—they simply boarded a train to Italy—was much less dramatic than the memorable Technicolor climb over the mountains depicted in the movie, their hearts will still be blessed with the sound of music that resonates throughout the pages of this charming, family-friendly memoir. Agathe dishes no dirt; in fact, her recollections of her beloved Mamá, Papá, stepmother, and fairy-tale-like childhood in Austria, are all refreshingly positive and upbeat. A gentle patriarch, unlike the strict disciplinarian portrayed in both the stage and film versions, Georg von Trapp, oversaw the musical education of all his children after the death of his first wife. After immigrating to the U.S. and embarking on their collective musical career as the Trapp Family Singers, the close-knit bonds forged in their Tyrolean childhoods never frayed. Though less fantastical, Agathe’s homespun recollections, illustrated with her own sketches and family photos, is a must-read for diehard Sound of Music fans. Sugar-sweet but never saccharine. --Margaret Flanagan
Review
“The eldest daughter in the Trapp Family Singers writes poignantly…..In her telling, we learn the real details in this truly providential tale about a tight-knit, devoted, and wonderfully gifted family.”