Sue Smith

When P.L. Travers travels from London to Hollywood in 1961 to finally discuss Walt Disney's desire to bring her beloved character, Mary Poppins to the motion picture screen (a quest he began in the 1940s as a promise to his two daughters), Disney meets a prim, uncompromising sexagenarian not only suspect of the impresario's concept for the film, but a woman struggling with her own past. During her stay in California, Travers' reflects back on her...

"The garden has always been a place of peace and perseverance, of nurture and reward. Using contemporary neuroscience, psychoanalysis, and compelling real-life stories, The Well-Gardened Mind investigates the remarkable effects of nature on our health and well-being."--Dust jacket.

The rough Australian landscape and lack of luxuries cannot deter the temporary inhabitants of Baringa, a migrant camp in post-war Australia. They flock there from Italy, the Netherlands, England and beyond to gain a foothold on a new existence. Among their number are craftsmen, tormented lovers, rigid military types and drifters with a criminal past. Their languages and goals may differ, but this diverse population is united in their hopes of a fresh...