Simon and Karen’s classics reading weeks are always a good excuse to pick up an older book or two. The mistake I sometimes make is to have just one option lined up; if I don’t get on with it, I can’t participate. I read the first 20 pages of Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of a Mask, which promised to be a psychologically astute picture of awakening to homosexuality in a repressive culture (“in this house it was tacitly required that I act like a boy. The reluctant masquerade had begun”) but also had the makings of a queer tragedy, which I couldn’t bear just now. Then I found a nearly new copy of The Parent Trap in the Little Free Library a few days ago and spotted that the twins share my birthday! Of course, I could have reviewed it for German Literature Month and Novellas in November, as I did with Kästner’s Emil and the Detectives last year, but instead I treated myself to the delightfully cosy, if far-fetched, story.
You likely know the story from a film adaptation starring Hayley Mills or Lindsay Lohan. I don’t think I’ve seen either, though they are culturally familiar to me. In Kästner’s original, separated twins are rejoined by chance at a summer camp in Bavaria. Luise Palfy has come here from Vienna, where she lives with her single father, a music director. One day an additional group of 20 little girls arrives from southern Germany, including Lottie Körner, who resides in Munich with her single mother, a journalist. It’s immediately evident that the two nine-year-olds are identical twins – same birthdate and -place – but with different hairstyles and their own personalities. They decide to switch places, partly as a trick to teach their parents a lesson, but partly to regain a long-lost and much-missed mother / father.
The girls have to be quick studies to cover up that ‘Lottie’ has ‘forgotten’ how to cook and that ‘Luise’ has suffered a horrendous decline in her handwriting and schoolwork. But there’s no fooling some, such as the doctor’s pug, Peperl, who is suspicious of a blonde stranger pretending to be an old friend. The girls are canny and stubborn, envisioning a new future and then doing whatever it takes to achieve it, but the emotional strain starts to show. I found myself upset with the parents’ Solomonic decision to split up their twins at their divorce. It’s just cruel; who would do such a thing?! In a sense, the whole premise of the novel is as hard to believe as the fantasy ending (“Catching up with lost happiness as if it were a missed lesson at school”), yet I gave myself over to it. Kästner’s tone is just right, shrewd and playful, and Walter Trier’s illustrations are charming. I recommend reading something middle grade every once in a while as an antidote to the awfulness of adulting and the occasionally depressing nature of modern literature. [Translated from German by Anthea Bell] (Little Free Library) 
(The whole Pushkin Children’s classics range is brilliant – see also From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg and The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius.)
Here are other famous 1949 titles that I’ve read (just 3 of the top 20 on the Goodreads list of the most popular books published that year):
- The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
- A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
- 1984 by George Orwell
I’ve previously participated in the 1920 Club, 1956 Club, 1936 Club, 1976 Club, 1954 Club, 1929 Club, 1940 Club, 1937 Club, 1970 Club, 1952 Club, 1925 Club, and 1961 Club.
Bookish Beck = Rebecca Foster. American transplant to England. Freelance proofreader and book reviewer.
I read this one for 1949 too and enjoyed it thoroughly–much less dramatic than the film versions (I think I’ve only seen the Lindsay Lohan and a 60s version in Hindi), and quite sweet! Emil was a book I very much enjoyed as a child and again more recently as a grown up–now for the Three Twins.
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Das doppelte Löttchen! We read it in school and saw German language adaptation of it. Mind you, I’ve heard of other cases of children being split up in divorce, although not yo the extent of not knowing about each other.
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Does that title literally mean “The double Lotties”?
I think I’ve only ever heard of shared custody arrangements. It seems cruel to deprive a child of a sibling as well as a parent.
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Oh, you’ve quite sold this to me! He was quite a popular author when I was young, but although I was a voracious reader, I think I never actually sampled his work. I wonder when the 1947 club is coming – the year of my birth?
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I only came across him last year myself.
It already happened in 2016, alas! (Before my time being connected with these particular bloggers.) https://www.stuckinabook.com/the-1947club-is-here/
That was my mother’s birth year as well.
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An excellent vintage! So … I’ve missed 1947. NEver mind. I can form my own club. I’ve read several of the authors mentioned, but none of those particular books
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I’ve enjoyed my casual project of reading books from my birth year.
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You know, I didn’t know The Parent Trap was a book! I’ve only seen the film adaptations. I’m going to have to add this to my TBR!
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I’m not sure I realized, either. The book is a delight!
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It does sound like a lovely read though I totally agree with you about the concept of splitting up twins – shudder…
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I certainly hope that is a period detail that wouldn’t be repeated nowadays.
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That’s funny. I never knew there was a book or that it was in German. Of course, I’m familiar with the movies.
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Readers learn new things every day 🙂
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I just learned last year that this was based on a book when some friends from Germany gave my kids a copy. My daughters both read it but I haven’t yet. I might have to change that this week!
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A good excuse for you to read it, too 🙂
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I grew up with the movies and loved them both – I will have to find the book. It is a classic children’s story where kids have big ideas, dreams, adventures and they come true / work out (no matter how far fetched)! Thank you for reminding me of this one!
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I found Emil to be similar, but a little more far-fetched.
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Being German, I am, of course, more than familiar with “Lisa and Lottie” as the first translation of “Das doppelte Lottchen” is called. And yes, it does mean the double Lottie, Lottchen being a nickname for Lotte. The girls were called after their mother, Lieselotte.
I’m surprised though, that they have put the holiday camp to Austria. In the original, it’s in Northern Germany. Doesn’t change the story but it is a little weird.
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That may have been my misunderstanding about a subalpine setting. I guess it’s meant to be Bavaria. Whereas the new group of girls is described as being from southern Germany. I’ll correct my review.
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It doesn’t really matter, I was just surprised.
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I really enjoyed this one. Sadly it’s one of my lost reviews. You can’t go wrong with an Anthea Bell translation either.
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Yes! I’m reading her Inkheart translation now (another MG classic).
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The Lohan film was my favourite growing up – now, I might be too angered by the decision to split up the twins to enjoy it. But I really should read the book at some point!
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Definitely worth a read!
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The doctor’s pug Peperl being the one character nobody can fool made me laugh. Have you seen either film since, or is the book enough?
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No, I don’t have a means of watching films. I’m good with just the book 🙂
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I suspect I’ve been corresponding with an AI — any further comments from this name and website will be sent to Spam and deleted.
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I really loved this book, as you say, the tone is Just Right. Emil was charming too. I wish there were more of his books available in translation; otherwise, I’ll have to get much better with German. heh
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I think there’s at least one more available in English?
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One or even two, I think? But when I realised how many books he actually wrote, that just seemed like nothing!
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