Mary Poppins kinda sucks?

I read some books! Last post I mentioned that I would be posting a bit more often than never, but I clearly underestimated how busy I would be, and my estimation was already pretty low. So while I can't do full reviews right now, I'm still reading as much as ever. Instead of those full reviews, here's a speed review of random thoughts I have put into three sentences. This week, it's P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins series minus the first book!

Disclaimer: mild spoilers. Most of these are easily figured out, and I won't state things explicitly. Anything major will be marked. Keep in mind, these reviews are meant to be objective, these are purely my subjective opinions. You're totally free to disagree!

Let's get to!

Enjoyability | ★★☆☆

I read the first Mary Poppins book a couple years ago. This genre isn't my cup of tea (sorry Mary) so I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it or anything, but it was alright. It passed the time and I couldn't help but smile in some parts, so it's a solid 2/4 from me.

Characters | ★★★☆

I promise the title isn't clickbait. Now, I'm no psychologist, but does Mary Poppins gaslight the Banks children? Whenever they experience Mary Poppins' magicalness, they always ask her if what happened was real. Poppins always replies with no when the answer is clearly yes. (But it is possible I have entirely misunderstood the story.) Straight from Healthline: "Someone who's gaslighting might: ... Deny or scoff at your recollection of events". I reckon this is exactly what Poppins does.

But somehow, Mary Poppins is still so endearing. While I wouldn't like to have her as my nanny, she never comes off as dangerous or abusive like Mother Gothel does. Why? Well, I think it's because of that magicalness in the first place. She doesn't have to give it to the kids. She didn't even have to become their nanny in the first place. But because she did, the genuine affection she has for them is obvious. Misguided love always helps people understand why even the worst actions were taken. It doesn't make those actions right, of course, but understanding always helps.

As for everyone else, they're kind of just...there. Which I suppose is fitting for a book of that genre named after Mary Poppins.

Source: WiffleGif

Plot | ★☆☆☆

The plot wasn't my favourite for entirely personal preference reasons. I'm not too huge on episode plots unless there is something strong tying them together. In Mary Poppins' case, the string is Mary Poppins' comings and goings, which I didn't find super enticing. Plus, it was only for the first three books. Don't get me wrong, the third going definitely made me feel a thing, but on the whole, I couldn't really bring myself to care.

The last three books were "pretend this happened in one of the first three books" kind of thing, which lost my interest even more. Especially since I couldn't remember what happened in the first book (my bad...lol). I know some people would love a plot like this, but just not me.

Worldbuilding | ★★★☆

This book is set sometime in the past in (I assume) London. I imagine a Peter Pan-esque setting because the author probably stated the location and I just forgot (my bad again). It doesn't particularly stick out. What I love about Mary Poppins' world is the magic. It's a soft magic system, something I don't normally love, but because it's soft, it preserves the most important thing about what Mary Poppins is about: wonder. It's wonder that made me push through the remaining five books. It's wonder that made me wish I could have a Mary Poppins of my own. Only for a second though. I still think she's a bit scary.

Prose | ★★★☆

Nothing stood out to me, either good or bad. On the whole, I would call it good because it felt really comforting for some reason. Reading Mary Poppins made me feel like I was drinking hot chocolate under a pile of blankets during winter. FYI, it was still shirts and shorts weather where I live when I read it. Just thinking about it gives me the warm fuzzies.

~

Final rating | ★★★☆☆

Mary Poppins has been on my TBR for around ten years now, so I'm glad I finally got around to reading it, lol! While I did enjoy it, it's not my fave so I probably won't be reading it again any time soon. That said, I still would recommend Mary Poppins has a fun little story if you want something more light hearted and just really sweet!

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