Reviews

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

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novelesque_life's review against another edition

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4.0

I will be rereading this book and will write my review then.

andiadair22's review against another edition

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5.0

"Mary Poppins" is a very clever book, sure to entertain both children and adults alike. However, one mustn't begin reading this book with hopes of meeting Disney's tender and doting nanny, for the original Mary Poppins is much more self-amused and merely shares her magic with children for her own entertainment and ease of work.

kstring's review against another edition

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3.0

A cute story: short and sweet, but kinda weird, and nothing like the movie. This would be a good book to read at bedtime with kids.

allisonmarie223's review against another edition

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2.0

When I picked up this book, I expected a charming classic tale of a nanny who has inexplicable powers and a slightly aloof, but loving demeanor.

But Mary Poppins was downright mean.
""I wish I were invisible, " said Michael, when Mary Poppins had told him that the sight of him was more than any self-respecting person could be expected to stand."

Ah! Although each chapter tells a story of an adventure the kids go on, Mary's snark and the children's lack of personality made this a less than stellar read.

Not my cup of tea.

minty's review against another edition

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2.0

I've always watched the movie--a beloved favorite--and wondered how the book might present the characters differently. I've always been confused by the way Mary Poppins, in the movie, seems to open the kids' minds to imaginative play but then flatly, and rudely, denies it all after. ("A respectable person like me in a horserace? How dare you suggest such a thing.") I listened to the book as an audiobook, and confess I was doing enough other things while listening that I didn't listen closely, but it didn't seem to be too much more enlightening on that point. In fact, Mary Poppins came across as even more vain, and the adventures were still downplayed. It was more obviously a metaphor for real life in the book (the animals in the zoo, for instance, were openly described as stand-ins for real people), but the overall effect seemed much more like Alice in Wonderland, in a way that I don't get from the Disney movie. Odd odd book.