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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
What a gorgeous story. It was at least as good as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! So modern too, I can't believe it was first published 110 years ago! There was humour for all ages and many pearls of wisdom too. Really looking forward to reading the rest if the series.
ahhh i loved this one even more than the first!!
these books are so charming & whimsical, i truly wish i would have read these as a kid. the writing is so fun & easy to follow. these books pull you in & i really couldn't help but keep reading. the storyline developed so well in this one, but i won't say anything else to avoid spoilers... hehe.
it really leaves the world open for more books too! i really loved the overall story & ending of this one more than the first. i feel like the narrative was given ample time to fully unfold & all action & creation was purposeful.
also the illustrations got better! its such a beautiful book, even just to flip through & admire the artwork :')
these books are so charming & whimsical, i truly wish i would have read these as a kid. the writing is so fun & easy to follow. these books pull you in & i really couldn't help but keep reading. the storyline developed so well in this one, but i won't say anything else to avoid spoilers... hehe.
it really leaves the world open for more books too! i really loved the overall story & ending of this one more than the first. i feel like the narrative was given ample time to fully unfold & all action & creation was purposeful.
also the illustrations got better! its such a beautiful book, even just to flip through & admire the artwork :')
So, uh, there's a really really REALLY unexpected twist that maybe I should have seen coming but didn't, and I don't know how to feel about it.
I cannot believe how boring this book is. I can't believe that this is what passed for children's literature in 1904 - Not only is the writing terrible but a lot of the story lines don't make any sense. And shall we mention how the author writes about women? I know times were different, but evidently women are only interested in their looks, their clothes and eating caramels. I have five more books sitting on a shelf in this series, and I don't think I can force myself to read them. There are too many good young adult and children's books out there.
Loved the puns, loved the Scarecrow, Tip is delightful.
At one point Glinda smiles a sweet smile while threatening someone in a big way and that proves she is the most terrifying character of the bunch
At one point Glinda smiles a sweet smile while threatening someone in a big way and that proves she is the most terrifying character of the bunch
I wanted to find out how the original story goes so I can compare / contrast it with the retellings. However, I did find it a bit too "young" for me, which I never thought I would say.
Of all the Oz books I've read, this is the one I remembered the most clearly, aside from The Wizard of Oz, and it was a delight to re-read it again.
Growing up, I was obsessed with the 1985 film Return to Oz, which drew heavily from this book (and the next one, I believe), and it was fun to recognize all the bits and pieces that made it into the film.
Maybe it shouldn't be that surprising since this was written during the Women's Suffrage movement, but it's quite a remarkable book to read in 2020 with several of its key plot points revolving around gender politics which surprisingly subvert the expectations that we might have of a novel written for children in 1904. There were a few moments that started making me cringe only for it it take a positive turn. In the end, the women are the heroes and the villains, and the men are kind of just along for the ride and happy to be there, so, honestly, I was living for it.
As a side note, it's actually incredible depressing to see how the women in Land of Oz are so compelling and given so much agency, only to remember how that awful, soulless dumpster fire of a movie from a few years ago – Oz the Great & Powerful – completely shortchanges the women in favor of Franco's insufferable, punchable-faced bro-dude of a Wizard... I'm still bitter... but I digress...
Also, Tip is also a wonderfully surprising character to find in a children's book that is over a century old, and I won't tell you why, but I've always found it incredibly fascinating and wonderful.
The book continues the quirky and whimsical yet darker tone of the books, which may surprise those only familiar with the Garland film (which I also love, but it's definitely its own thing). The returning characters' personalities and mannerisms continue to develop, and the new characters are charming and imaginative.
I've read a few others of the First Fourteen, but I don't remember them as well as the first two, so I'm excited to work my way through the rest.
Growing up, I was obsessed with the 1985 film Return to Oz, which drew heavily from this book (and the next one, I believe), and it was fun to recognize all the bits and pieces that made it into the film.
Maybe it shouldn't be that surprising since this was written during the Women's Suffrage movement, but it's quite a remarkable book to read in 2020 with several of its key plot points revolving around gender politics which surprisingly subvert the expectations that we might have of a novel written for children in 1904. There were a few moments that started making me cringe only for it it take a positive turn. In the end, the women are the heroes and the villains, and the men are kind of just along for the ride and happy to be there, so, honestly, I was living for it.
As a side note, it's actually incredible depressing to see how the women in Land of Oz are so compelling and given so much agency, only to remember how that awful, soulless dumpster fire of a movie from a few years ago – Oz the Great & Powerful – completely shortchanges the women in favor of Franco's insufferable, punchable-faced bro-dude of a Wizard... I'm still bitter... but I digress...
Also, Tip is also a wonderfully surprising character to find in a children's book that is over a century old, and I won't tell you why, but I've always found it incredibly fascinating and wonderful.
The book continues the quirky and whimsical yet darker tone of the books, which may surprise those only familiar with the Garland film (which I also love, but it's definitely its own thing). The returning characters' personalities and mannerisms continue to develop, and the new characters are charming and imaginative.
I've read a few others of the First Fourteen, but I don't remember them as well as the first two, so I'm excited to work my way through the rest.
Saya selalu menyukai dongeng klasik, ceritanya menarik, imajinatif tapi juga gak luput dari pesan moral. Salah satunya yang paling banyak disukai memang kisah petualangan Dorothy dari Negeri Oz ini, sebagai serial lanjutan dari buku pertama, saya rasa ynag kedua ini sama menariknya. Sangat imajinatif si Frank Baum. Saya selalu salut melihat penulis cerita dongeng seperti ini, darimana aja gitu ya mereka mikirin cerita beginian tapi gak lepas dari pesan moral yang membuat anak-anak mengerti dengan mudah banyak hal.
Kalo anak-anak yang suka cerita dengan lebih banyak gambar, jelas buku ini memang gak terlalu menarik buat mereka. Gambar tetap ada tapi tidak banyak seperti halnya buku dongeng pada umumnya. Buku ini memang sepertinya ditujukan bagi orang dewasa yang memang menyukai dongeng klasik yang tak pernah mati. Paling tidak cerita beginian bisa diceritakan kembali kok pada anak-anak sebelum tidur, mungkin?
Kalo anak-anak yang suka cerita dengan lebih banyak gambar, jelas buku ini memang gak terlalu menarik buat mereka. Gambar tetap ada tapi tidak banyak seperti halnya buku dongeng pada umumnya. Buku ini memang sepertinya ditujukan bagi orang dewasa yang memang menyukai dongeng klasik yang tak pernah mati. Paling tidak cerita beginian bisa diceritakan kembali kok pada anak-anak sebelum tidur, mungkin?
I read this as a child and remember some of the events and the whimsy.
The thing that struck me most this time was the tones of women's suffrage woven quietly into the story. I obviously didn't see them as a child. Those make more sense given that Baum's mother in law, Matilda Joslyn Gage, was a leader in the first wave of women's rights.
The thing that struck me most this time was the tones of women's suffrage woven quietly into the story. I obviously didn't see them as a child. Those make more sense given that Baum's mother in law, Matilda Joslyn Gage, was a leader in the first wave of women's rights.