Mary Poppins by P.L Travers

“Don't you know that everybody's got a Fairyland of their own?” 

After tackling War and Peace for the better part of this month, I wanted to switch to a shorter and lighter read for my next book and Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers' beloved story about a magical British nanny, fit the bill perfectly. This novel fit into several of my challenge categories for this year, including my Classics Club list and the Popsugar "book with an eccentric character" bonus category.

Having been raised watching (and absolutely loving) the Disney version of this classic, I knew that I'd have to keep a very open mind while reading. I was aware that the Mary from the books had a bit of a harder edge than the Disney version of the character. I also knew that Travers did not approve of the film at all, to the point where she refused to let Disney make any sequels. So, as I started reading, I tried to keep the movie in a separate box in my head, and just enjoy the book on its own merits.

The plot of Mary Poppins is very simple. At the beginning of the story, we learn that the Banks family of Number Seventeen, Cherry-Tree Lane, are in need of a new nanny. Luckily for them, a wind from the east blows the enigmatic Mary Poppins to their doorstep. Mrs. Banks hires her on immediately and she begins taking care of the children. In her charge are Jane and Michael, the two eldest, and little John and Barbara, who are infant twins.

Jane and Michael soon learn the Mary Poppins isn't an ordinary nanny. She can slide up banisters, pull a never-ending amount of bulky objects out of her carpetbag, speak to animals, travel long distances in the blink of an eye, and even fly. Her personality is quite prickly and she demands perfect obedience from the children. Mary doesn't play games, speak encouraging words, or flatter Jane and Michael. Rather, she treats them in a very no-nonsense and, at times, condescending manner. Despite her outward harshness, the children are fascinated with her magical abilities. She takes them on several fantastic adventures throughout the course of the book. However, at the conclusion of these adventures Mary refuses to acknowledge that they ever happened at all, leaving the children wondering if what they experienced was real, or some sort of dream. When the wind changes directions and blows from the west, Mary opens her umbrella and flies away with no ceremony, devastating Jane and Michael, who had grown to love her. They story does end on hope though - Mary leaves a note behind with a vague promise to return one day.

Each chapter in Mary Poppins is a self-contained little adventure, making this a good choice for parents to read as a bedtime story to their kids. There isn't really any connection between the tales at all aside from the fact that they star the same characters. While this strategy gives the novel an old-fashioned storybook feel, it also makes it disjointed and shallow. Aside from a few witty one-liners, I didn't find much to sink my teeth into. There didn't appear to be one major theme or lesson present in the work, except perhaps the idea that magic could be hiding in the most mundane places, and we ought to pay better attention. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that there isn't a whole lot for an adult audience to enjoy. This is true children's literature.

That being said, the adventures that Mary brings the Banks children on are very creative and fun to read. During their time with Mary, Jane and Michael get to have a tea party on the ceiling, travel to the four corners of the globe in the space of a few minutes, visit a zoo where the animals walk free and the humans are in cages, and meet one of the Pleiades from Greek mythology, among other things. Most of these stories are all wondrous fun, but a few have some oddly dark tones to them. One such adventure is when the children visit Mrs. Corry's shop. Mrs. Corry is a little wizened old woman that runs a sweets shop with her two giantess daughters. Her relationship with her daughters is terrible. She mercilessly ridicules them in front of customers until they break down in tears. Seeing the emotional abuse going on actually made me uncomfortable, but Travers glosses over it as if it's nothing. During the children's visit with Mrs. Corry, she breaks off two of her fingers to feed to John and Barbara, claiming that they taste like a different type of sweet each day. Her fingers regrow immediately, and she confesses to nibbling on them herself from time to time if she gets hungry. Later in the chapter, Jane and Michael spy her sticking stars up in the night sky with Mary. Nothing further about her is ever explained, because Mary always refuses to discuss anything magical that happens with the children, so the character remains a weird, dark mystery. Odd little chapters like that make the novel quite unique and a little unsettling.

A classic children's novel full of odd adventures, iconic characters, and magical moments would normally earn high praise from me. However, in the case of Mary Poppins, I have to admit that Mary's demeanor irked me. It wasn't that she was tough, or strict, or had high expectations for the kids. It was that she was mean. For example, once she told Michael that, "the very sight of him was more than any self-respecting person could be expected to stand," among other insults. In fact, she never seemed to have a nice word to say to anyone. I found myself wishing that she'd bend just a little and show some outward affection for the kids, who so obviously loved her to bits, but she didn't. I understand that her standoffish attitude is part of her eccentricity as a character, but I wasn't a fan of it. She was a little too tough for me.

Overall, my feelings on Mary Poppins were mixed. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind book with some very imaginative adventures, but its lack of a deeper story or overarching theme made it feel shallow. I understand why those who read this novel as kids would have a strong, nostalgic connection to it. Coming to it as an adult, however, left me shrugging my shoulders. I'm glad to have experienced this story in its original form, but all things considered, this won't be one of my favorites in the children's literature genre.

Challenge Tally
Classics Club (#26 on my list): 16/100 

Popsugar Bonus Challenge (a book with an eccentric character): 1/12
TBR Challenge: (previously owned) 39/60

Total Books Read in 2017: 50