HEY, I’M FLYIN’ HERE.
For week 44, I read Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers. I didn’t read the edition I linked to, I read a copy from Project Gutenberg, because the story itself is now public domain (at least, here in the U.S.). True, the free e-book version doesn’t have any illustrations in it, because those are still under copyright by the artist, but free is free. Head over to Project Gutenberg and search for your own copy before you pay money for one with illustrations. I think this is one of those books that you’ll either like or you won’t, depending upon how you feel about British nannies in general, about the Disney version of the story in specific, and whether or not children should be treated like special little angels or given a much firmer hand.
Travers’ Mary Poppins is kind of a jerk. She might be mystical and enigmatic and unexpected, but she’s also vain, judgmental and curt. The children adore her, the adults are in their own world as much as their children are and quite oblivious, and Mary only seems to take notice of them long enough to sniff disapprovingly at their behavior.
I gave it three stars out of five, and I’ll give the other books a chance since they’re free.
Love your goal! I’m a Poppins fan, precisely because she was all those things. As a kid, I liked that someone could be totally tough, stick to her own opinions and sense of self, and still find magic and fun. (I’m talking about the books, here, not the movie.)