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Published On: August 2, 2019Categories: ReviewsTags: 16 Comments
mary poppins book review book info

Cooking Directions

[scroll-box] By P.L. Travers, the author featured in the major motion picture, Saving Mr. Banks.

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed.

It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life! [/scroll-box]

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Okay, so I have a confession to make: I don’t have every Mary Poppins song memorized. *A collective gasp escapes from the crowd* What’s worse is that I don’t even have them all on my iPod. *Insert even more intense gasping here* That’s how you know I never really loved Mary Poppins as a child, because as a diehard Disney fan, I make it a general rule to always know the words to every single song in every Disney movie in existence (I’m totally chill, I swear).

Even though I didn’t adore the original, I still decided to watch Mary Poppins Returns last month (mostly because Emily Blunt is a goddess in human guise and Lin-Manuel Miranda is…well, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Need I say more?) and it was practically perfect in every way. So, the obvious next step for a helpless bookworm such as myself was to check out the Mary Poppins audiobook from my library.

Still flying high on the magic inside the balloon that is Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda singing a duet together, I went into P.L. Travers’ book expecting it to be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. What I got was a rude, self-obsessed Mary Poppins who was condescending and *gasp* rather unlikable (can you imagine that?). She was always admiring herself in mirrors (Emily Blunt captured this wonderfully in the movie) and I felt like I needed a spoonful of sugar just to help it all go down. Considering that this book is a staple of children’s literature, I’m half expecting an angry mob to show up on my doorstep with rotten fruit and pitchforks for even thinking such heretical thoughts.

Somebody give this woman an Oscar.

My dislike of Mary Poppins’ blasé attitude aside, Travers shows us that when the day is gray and ordinary, there is always a bit of magic that can be found to make the sun shine bright. Unremarkable and commonplace scenes, such as an ornery little boy throwing a tantrum or a neighbor’s lost dog, can become extraordinary with the right amount of imagination and the correct attitude. At its heart, Mary Poppins is a story about finding the miraculous among the mundane, and although I enjoyed this enchanting sentiment, the rest of the book paled in comparison to the Disney movies (Oh my goodness, I’m actually suggesting that a movie was better than a book? Now I KNOW the pitchforks are imminent).

This is probably how you’re looking at me right now.

In the end, the story of Mary Poppins just isn’t the same without the catchy showtunes, the perfectly choreographed dance numbers, and the beautifully animated cutscenes.

My Rating: Meh

Another Opinion

Because sometimes people prefer pancakes, and that’s okay!

Just because I didn’t absolutely love Mary Poppins doesn’t mean you won’t! It also doesn’t mean that it’s a bad book; it just didn’t work for me. Over on Goodreads, Wendy Darling wrote a wonderful review where she gave it a glowing five stars. You should go check it out!

What’s a book you dislike that most people love?

What’s a movie that you liked more than the book?

16 Comments

  1. Tammy August 2, 2019 at 9:43 pm - Reply

    I have never read the book, and it’s never occurred to me to try it, since I love the movie so much! And really it’s the music I love most😁

  2. Never Not Reading August 2, 2019 at 11:32 pm - Reply

    It’s almost like the idiot American writers in Saving Mr. Banks knew what they were talking about… lol

  3. ERK August 3, 2019 at 1:29 am - Reply

    Rare to see a movie being better than the book!

    I recently read City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and I wasn’t impressed. I don’t get the hype 🤔

    Btw Kat, great job with the blog! Love the graphics 👏

  4. marydrover August 3, 2019 at 3:02 am - Reply

    I liked Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro much more as a movie than as a book, but only because I thought the overall feeling of the book was captured so well in the soundtrack and the way the film was shot. It’s also got some heartbreaking scenes in the movie that are just kind of glossed over in the book, though there is one scene in the book that didn’t make it into the movie, and it destroyed me.

  5. Krysta August 3, 2019 at 9:25 am - Reply

    I was never in love with the movie growing up, but I can see how it might be better than the books. I haven’t read them yet, but my understanding is that they are rather different and a bit darker. Thanks for a great review!

  6. Kelly | Another Book in the Wall August 3, 2019 at 11:31 am - Reply

    Wonderful review, Kat! I actually never watched the movie growing up (which is odd, because I watched just about every other Disney movie there was!), but mostly enjoyed it when I watched it a few years ago! I’m sorry to see that Mary was unlikable in the book, and that it overall paled in comparison to the movie! Hopefully your next read is a bit more enjoyable! <3

  7. Emma @ AFCTL August 3, 2019 at 3:10 pm - Reply

    I think that watching the film “Saving Mr Banks” would kind of clear things up a bit; there is a huge story between PL travers and the Disney studios regarding this film, and although I enjoyed both, I found the ‘Saving Mr Banks” film to be an eye opener!
    -Emma :)

  8. [email protected] August 4, 2019 at 12:29 am - Reply

    I have not seen the new Mary Poppins, but I do love the original movie. I had a similar reaction to you when I read the book. Mary Poppins was very off-putting to me. Though I think Julie Andrews captures this pretty well. I think Disney overall smooths out her rougher edges.

  9. Lindsi August 5, 2019 at 1:21 pm - Reply

    Well, I won’t be trying the book! Haha. Honestly, I didn’t even realize it was a book, so… I really enjoyed the original as a child, but my children like the new one! I feel like it had even more songs though.

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

  10. Malka @ Paper Procrastinators August 6, 2019 at 3:03 am - Reply

    I’ve never actually read the book, but I do love the movie! I think at this point I don’t even want to read the book because I know there were differences between the book and the movie and I think the movie is “practically perfect in every way” and I don’t want the book to change my feelings! I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy it though!

  11. CHARIS RAE @ charisrae.com August 6, 2019 at 3:10 am - Reply

    I actually don’t like the Mary Poppins movie at all, so I get you, haha! Mary has always seemed slightly psychopathic to me. *yikes* I also didn’t like the Mortal Instruments series, and I’ve tried to read Six of Crows twice and failed.

  12. Kenzie Pierce August 6, 2019 at 6:52 am - Reply

    Just here to say you have the freaking MOST ADORABLE BLOG EVER, and I have found none to rival it! You drew a new profile picture since I was last here and it looks amazing! You go girl, cutest EVER. <3

  13. Olivia @ Purely Olivia August 7, 2019 at 2:29 am - Reply

    I completely agree with you!! While both Mary Poppins movies will always have a special place in my heart…they definitely were better than the book. I remember reading it as a child and being so disappointed because it wasn’t like the movie and Mary Poppins was rude??

  14. Julianna @ Paper Blots August 7, 2019 at 12:24 pm - Reply

    I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but seriously: I LOVE YOUR RECIPE CARD THINGY IN THE BEGINNING OF YOUR REVIEW. Also… I have approximately 0 songs memorized from Mary Poppins, LMAO. Tbh all I remember from the movies (??) was that rooftop dancing scene, the umbrella, a vague bridge scene, and the supercalifragilicious— song. And… I have confused Mary Poppins with the nanny from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. #fakefan #lowkeynotevenafan

  15. Elizabeth June 2, 2021 at 4:27 am - Reply

    I totally agree. The songs and dance numbers are what make the movies great. I am reading the book to my children and find the title character rather unlikeable.

    • Kat @ Novels & Waffles June 2, 2021 at 10:28 am - Reply

      Exactly! I’m glad to hear you agree, Elizabeth. Thanks so much for reading for for leaving such a lovely comment :)

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