The Original Story of "The Parent Trap"
Erich Kästner's 1949 Book Was the Basis For the Films
Jul 24, 2008
Before Walt Disney got a hold of the story and it became a well-known film starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, and Brian Keith (or Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Richardson, and Dennis Quaid in the 1998 version), "The Parent Trap" was actually a book by children's author Erich Kästner. The novel, Das doppelte Lottchen, is the story of twin sisters who plot to bring their divorced parents back together. It was just one of Kästner's books to be transformed into a film; another was the popular Emil and the Detectives.
While Das doppelte Lottchen and both versions of "The Parent Trap" have many similar components, such as the camp, the sisters' differing personalities, the switch, and an elegant fiancée who throws a wrench into the girls' plans, the book has its own unique charm, enjoyable for both those who have seen the films, and those who have not.
The Story of the Twin Girls
Rather than Susan from California and Sharon from Boston, or Annie from London and Hallie from the Napa Valley, the two girls in the book are Luise Palfy from Vienna and Lotte Körner from Munich, twins separated as babies when their parents divorced. Neither knows that the other exists. Luise lives with her father, Lotte with her mother. The two meet, like in the film, at a mountain camp for girls. The only difference here is that the two girls are in the Alps rather than somewhere in the woods in the northeastern United States.
After a rocky beginning, the two girls become friendlier with each other as they discover, in addition to being almost mirror images of each other, some more eerie similarities, such as sharing a birthday. Of course, the girls eventually learn that they are twin sisters.
Hatching a plan to switch places so that Lotte can meet her father and Luise her mother, and in the process somehow bring their parents back together, the sisters fill each other in on their respective lives. The girls must also alter their appearances in order to be convincing. Luise and Lotte's transformations are not too complicated: Instead of one sister chopping off the other's hair or piercing her ears, as in the movies, all the girls have to do is change hairstyles, as one wears braids and the other curls. When camp ends, Luise goes to Munich to meet her mother, Lotte to Vienna to meet her father.
From there, the story unfolds with various incidents--predicaments--that complicate the girls' scheme to get their parents back together. Eventually, the girls' mother discovers what her daughters have done, and Luise and her mother go to Vienna to switch the girls back. The ending? Well, you can guess that for yourself.
Where to Find the Book
Online, Amazon has some older versions of the book, and eBay is also an option. Das doppelte Lottchen was published in English as Lisa and Lottie or Lottie and Lisa. Used bookstores may also have the book, as do the larger chains. Try the small book shops as well, and if you're lucky, the children's section at your library may even have it.
Of course, if you can read German, newly printed versions, including one published by the Zurich-based Cecilie Dressler company, are available in bookstores and online.
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