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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
You're Wrong About recorded an audiobook of this for their Patreon and I've been casually listening when I can't sleep. Counting it!
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The movie is not the book, and in this case, the book is not quite the audiobook. Anne Hathaway performs an utterly delightful reading of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which made an already timelessly enjoyable story even more so. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is already a wacky story, with the magical land of Oz and all its quirks. Dorothy is a courageous young girl who finds herself whisked away to the magical land of Oz, alone but for her dog, Toto, and the companions she meets along the way as she journeys to the Emerald City and beyond in search of a way to get home. In the book, of course, this is no dream: she really does journey far from the prairies of Kansas to the magical, “uncivilized” land of Oz.
Dorothy’s innocence and open-heartedness attract such characters as the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, who join her journey one by one. Yet even when the companions have received their wishes from the Wizard, and Dorothy has not, they stick by her side to help her in whatever way they are able. While Dorothy and her story are the glue which holds the story together, it is also fun to see her companions the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion exhibit the very characteristics which they think they lack: for the Scarecrow, knowledge/brains, for the Tin Woodman, love/a heart, and for the Cowardly Lion, courage. It goes to show that we are capable of more than we think, and sometimes we just need a token to show us what we have been doing all along (even though that token ends up, for the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion, being physical objects).
While I am familiar with the magic and quirkiness of Oz from a couple of the later additions to the series (such as The Marvelous Land of Oz via DC comics which I recently read, as well as Grandfather in Oz, and Ozma of Oz, I believe are the ones I read as a child), it was still fun to see what we learn of Oz from the very first book. I love how…patchwork-like the land is, in both country and inhabitants, and how, no matter how strange something is, it always fits in with Oz. From a field of poppies which can cause eternal sleep to a dainty village of china, from a helpful talking stork to a golden cap which gives the wearer command three times over flying monkeys, there is no limit to the creativity Baum shows in Oz. It all fits together, and every new strange country or people or event has one going, “Yes, this is Oz, beyond a doubt.”
And of course, I listened to the audiobook (it was part of a Audible free giveaway of some sort due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020). Admittedly as Ms. Hathaway reads a sort of introduction/letter from the author I think it was at the beginning in a rather flat tone, at first I was worried that she would carry the dry tone throughout. But I was quickly relieved of this misplaced concern, as she proved a lively narrator who clearly gave each person, no matter how brief an appearance, their own way of speaking. She gives extra flavor to the characters of Oz by going an extra step from changing intonation/pitch from one character to the next to really giving them unique sounds as well, like a lisp or a Valley Girl accent (less the excess of “like”s scattered throughout!), which made it even more of a delight to meet more of the characters inhabiting the magical land of Oz. She even seemed to pay tribute to the actor who played the Cowardly Lion in the movie by imitating his speech style for the Cowardly Lion in this book, which was quite fun. There was no need for sound effects or music, as Ms. Hathaway does an exemplary job at reading the story so it is clear she is having as much fun reading it as I had listening to it.
Quote:
“No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country be it ever so beautiful. There’s no place like home.” – Chapter 4, 1:56
Dorothy’s innocence and open-heartedness attract such characters as the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, who join her journey one by one. Yet even when the companions have received their wishes from the Wizard, and Dorothy has not, they stick by her side to help her in whatever way they are able. While Dorothy and her story are the glue which holds the story together, it is also fun to see her companions the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion exhibit the very characteristics which they think they lack: for the Scarecrow, knowledge/brains, for the Tin Woodman, love/a heart, and for the Cowardly Lion, courage. It goes to show that we are capable of more than we think, and sometimes we just need a token to show us what we have been doing all along (even though that token ends up, for the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion, being physical objects).
While I am familiar with the magic and quirkiness of Oz from a couple of the later additions to the series (such as The Marvelous Land of Oz via DC comics which I recently read, as well as Grandfather in Oz, and Ozma of Oz, I believe are the ones I read as a child), it was still fun to see what we learn of Oz from the very first book. I love how…patchwork-like the land is, in both country and inhabitants, and how, no matter how strange something is, it always fits in with Oz. From a field of poppies which can cause eternal sleep to a dainty village of china, from a helpful talking stork to a golden cap which gives the wearer command three times over flying monkeys, there is no limit to the creativity Baum shows in Oz. It all fits together, and every new strange country or people or event has one going, “Yes, this is Oz, beyond a doubt.”
And of course, I listened to the audiobook (it was part of a Audible free giveaway of some sort due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020). Admittedly as Ms. Hathaway reads a sort of introduction/letter from the author I think it was at the beginning in a rather flat tone, at first I was worried that she would carry the dry tone throughout. But I was quickly relieved of this misplaced concern, as she proved a lively narrator who clearly gave each person, no matter how brief an appearance, their own way of speaking. She gives extra flavor to the characters of Oz by going an extra step from changing intonation/pitch from one character to the next to really giving them unique sounds as well, like a lisp or a Valley Girl accent (less the excess of “like”s scattered throughout!), which made it even more of a delight to meet more of the characters inhabiting the magical land of Oz. She even seemed to pay tribute to the actor who played the Cowardly Lion in the movie by imitating his speech style for the Cowardly Lion in this book, which was quite fun. There was no need for sound effects or music, as Ms. Hathaway does an exemplary job at reading the story so it is clear she is having as much fun reading it as I had listening to it.
Quote:
“No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country be it ever so beautiful. There’s no place like home.” – Chapter 4, 1:56
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is definitely one of my favourite classics that I've read and I still think that holds up today. This one is truly a classic for a reason and it's a fun (and short) story.
However, one thing that I did notice when reading this book (and that I found a bit annoying) was that every few pages, we got an interruption along the lines of "and it was dark so they had to find somewhere to sleep" and every single time it would also mention the fact that the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman don't sleep. There was also constant talk about food and the fact that Dorothy had to make breakfast or eat supper or something along those lines. This wasn't a bad thing, but it did get a bit repetitive.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book!
However, one thing that I did notice when reading this book (and that I found a bit annoying) was that every few pages, we got an interruption along the lines of "and it was dark so they had to find somewhere to sleep" and every single time it would also mention the fact that the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman don't sleep. There was also constant talk about food and the fact that Dorothy had to make breakfast or eat supper or something along those lines. This wasn't a bad thing, but it did get a bit repetitive.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book!
Fun to read this classic finally. And to discover the witch put a mark of safety with her kiss on Dorothy’s head, mind blowing!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such an enjoyable story!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
La verdad que esta fue más una lectura para contexto que otra cosa así que no esperaba mucho de nada. Entiendo el apego que le tiene mucha gente pero no es mi caso, no me interesaba mucho de chica, no lo hizo de grande y después de leerlo no tengo más que una impresión bastante neutra. Lo que encuentro es que me interesa mucho más los trabajos derivados de la idea de Oz... pero también por eso quise leerlo, para tener el contexto original en que tantas cosas se basan/ inspiran.
Pensandolo para niñes ( que es lo que es jajaj) creo que es una historia que está buena. Capítulo a capítulo se introducen nuevos desafíos, es una historia simple sobre cómo uno es capaz de hacer las cosas y cómo uno suele ya tener adentro lo que necesita. Este narrador hace buen trabajo en esta grabación, se le entiende muy claro, hace inflexiones de voz que creo pueden estar buenas para niñes y no es una grabación larga y dividida por capítulos
Pensandolo para niñes ( que es lo que es jajaj) creo que es una historia que está buena. Capítulo a capítulo se introducen nuevos desafíos, es una historia simple sobre cómo uno es capaz de hacer las cosas y cómo uno suele ya tener adentro lo que necesita. Este narrador hace buen trabajo en esta grabación, se le entiende muy claro, hace inflexiones de voz que creo pueden estar buenas para niñes y no es una grabación larga y dividida por capítulos