The problem with locked room mysteries is that the 'locked room' element can be overdone. I don't read a mystery novel for exacting logic puzzle with The problem with locked room mysteries is that the 'locked room' element can be overdone. I don't read a mystery novel for exacting logic puzzle with two dozen components; I read them because I enjoy the way a story can be built around a clever problem. This book goes way too far in constructing a puzzle that's not ultimately that interesting to solve, and the characters are mostly so bland that they become indistinguishable. ...more
I watched the Disney film for the first time recently, and either someone plopped me in front of it at an age I'm too young to recall or through sheerI watched the Disney film for the first time recently, and either someone plopped me in front of it at an age I'm too young to recall or through sheer cultural osmosis it felt very familiar. Like most musicals it feels like it goes on a bit too long, but the old-fashioned special effects and classic performances are so charming. I knew a little bit about tension between P.L. Travers and Walt Disney over the adaptation and thought it might be interesting to go back to the source material. In short, I think the Disney company spun straw into gold.
It's not that 'Mary Poppins' is a bad book, and it's perhaps unfair that I can only evaluate it in light of the film, and in that light it's a bit perplexing. It reminds me most perhaps of a children's book I once read called 'Sideways Stories from Wayside School,' by Louis Sachar. That was a collection of vaguely surreal, episodic short stories all set within a school that was accidentally built sideways. 'Mary Poppins' is a collection of a series of brief adventures had by a couple of kids and their magic nanny. Mary Poppins is largely serving as the frame, which is where my problem lies: novel Mary Poppins is a jerk!
Now, I've babysat kids before, and I know how exhausting and all-consuming their needs can be. I'd be lying if I claimed my deportment was "practically perfect in every way." But Mary Poppins seems absolutely incensed at the fact she has to do the job she showed up and applied for. There's not much sense of love or affection for her charges, which Julie Andrews managed to convey despite her relentless efficiency and penchant for propriety. Novel Poppins seems like someone you'd tolerate because of the experiences you could have with her, more than someone you'd love in her own right.
And that's fine. It clearly works for generations of readers. But it left me a bit cold. And aside from that, much of the spectacle in the book is amplified through the magic of cinema, so it feels like the film wins out in that respect, as well. Interestingly, in the sequel film 'Mary Poppins Returns' Emily Blunt seems to be playing the role much more akin to the novel's characterization, and I didn't care for it there, either.
Worth reading, certainly, but I think the film is the definitive version of the character, all due apologies to P.L. Travers....more
Decent enough, but it felt a bit thin. It covers anarchist activism in the U.S. in the early 20th century, the development of scientific policing, andDecent enough, but it felt a bit thin. It covers anarchist activism in the U.S. in the early 20th century, the development of scientific policing, and the birth of federal law enforcement, and while it's useful to tie those things together, none of them feel like they get enough attention. I was surprised at how quickly this ended: the Kindle version from my library was marked as about 350 pages, and easily the last 100 of those were footnotes and other ephemera....more
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