Read Women discussion

This is the discussion thread for our March group read, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

Mary Poppins
When Jane and Michael Banks draw up an advertisement for a nanny, Mary Poppins arrives on a gust of the East Wind and slides up the bannister, changing their lives forever.
Their wonderful new nanny is strict but fair, and full of surprises. Soon the Banks children are whisked off on the most exciting and magical adventures they have ever had. But Mary Poppins has only promised to stay until the wind changes...

P.L. Travers
Pamela Lyndon Travers was an Australian-English writer best known for the Mary Poppins series of children's books, which feature the magical nanny Mary Poppins.
She grew up in the Australian bush before being sent to boarding school in Sydney. Her writing was first published as a teenager, and she also worked briefly as a professional Shakespearean actress. Upon emigrating to England at the age of 25, she took the name Pamela Lyndon Travers and adopted the pen name P. L. Travers in 1933, while writing the first of eight Mary Poppins books.
Travers travelled to New York City during World War II while working for the British Ministry of Information. At that time, Walt Disney contacted her about selling to Walt Disney Productions the rights for a film adaptation of Mary Poppins. After years of contact, which included visits to Travers at her home in London, Walt Disney obtained the rights and the film Mary Poppins premiered in 1964. A film based on Disney's efforts to persuade Travers to sell him the Mary Poppins film rights was released in 2013, Saving Mr. Banks, in which Travers is portrayed by Emma Thompson.

Anybody reading this?

Am afraid nobody volunteered to lead discussion so this is an open thread for anyone's thoughts and impressions.

This is not a book I would have normally chosen to read but thanks to this wonderful group, I have read some great selections.
This was not Disney's Mary Poppins for certain. She was quite vain and stern with almost everyone. She does a lot of haughty sniffing. I I wondered why the children did not want her to leave. Oh yes, the adventures that she denied occurred.
Right after finishing the book, I watched Saving Mr. Banks and it added a lot to my liking of the book.
Did anyone else see similarities to Alice in Wonderland?
I think I will find myself reading one or two of P.L. Travers other books.

As a child, I loved the Mary Poppins books so much that I would feel very sad upon finishing them. I would usually start rereading them straightaway!

As an adult, I'm a little less entranced. I once bought a first edition of Mary Poppins Comes Back, eagerly reread it, and really disliked some of the chapters (the ones in which Mary Poppins appears as (view spoiler)[the centre of the universe (hide spoiler)]. I later learned that in these chapters Travers' (view spoiler)[esoteric (hide spoiler)] worldview shone through.

Hello, if I recall well, I'm the one who suggested that book but didn't feel keen on leading a discussion. I prefer it when everyone gives their thoughts about it. Having finished the first book, I must say that I feel like Sophie in that the Mary Poppins by Travers is definitely different from the Mary by Disney. I did not really feel attracted to her character, like Sophie said, too stern and vain. I imagine that when you read it as a child what is appealing is the magic and the mystery around her character but it is true that I didn't feel like continuing with the other books even if the reading is easy and the style is well-written.

I just finished this. It was a short book but I found that I enjoyed it in small doses. I've actually loved this movie all my childhood, and never read these books. I really enjoyed it (and don't know that Disney actually did do it justice). It's hard to say since I've only read this first book, but it's clear that they picked through for which stories to fill the movie with. I actually appreciate a children's book that doesn't necessarily teach a moral lesson like this one. Let the kids have fun, see some wonder, and move in to the next. It was quite refreshing to read something actually geared towards children, not their parents. This is definitely one I would recommend to read at bedtime with kids.

I enjoyed reading Mary Poppins. I usually stay away from what I know. And, I seriously thought I knew Mary Poppins. But, that's the beauty of a book, that it can go anywhere.