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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
lighthearted
medium-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
Read this in book format. Story was clever and exciting, very different from what I remember of the film. Writing style was a bit tough to get through. Very little description. Perhaps an easy to read style for the younger readers?
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
Wow! Never having been exposed to this except through movie, I really had no idea how different it was and what I was missing. (Not to take away from the movie...its excellent...just significantly different.) Nothing like a little political commentary cleverly disguised as an adorable children's book. I may have to run down the rest in the series.
I was so disappointed with this book. The Wizard of Oz is one of my all-time favourite films, but I don't think the book was particularly well written. The characters were poorly conceived and described (I KNOW this was a child's book!) and it's a shame it took the imagination of a movie maker to have to bulk them out to make this the enjoyable and magical story the original idea should have been.
[Listened to the audiobook narrated by Tituss Burgess.]
When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. It was one of the only films I would watch, along with Shrek, the 1991 Alice In Wonderland, Annie, and the live-action Cat In The Hat... for some reason. Anyways, this has been a long time coming.
Despite its discrepancies with the 1939 film, I loved this. It felt so nostalgic to me, even though I'd never read it before. It was a short, simple, and sweet story that has lived with me for a long time and still will. Definitely worth the many years of dressing up as Dorothy for Halloween.
When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. It was one of the only films I would watch, along with Shrek, the 1991 Alice In Wonderland, Annie, and the live-action Cat In The Hat... for some reason. Anyways, this has been a long time coming.
Despite its discrepancies with the 1939 film, I loved this. It felt so nostalgic to me, even though I'd never read it before. It was a short, simple, and sweet story that has lived with me for a long time and still will. Definitely worth the many years of dressing up as Dorothy for Halloween.
Anne Hathaway's reading is very good. This story is much different from the movie; for starters the slippers are SILVER. The winged monkeys aren't so bad after all. Crazy, fun, imaginative story. I listened to this in the car with my 5 year old and 2 year old and they loved it.
Spoiler
Oz flies away in a hot air balloon leaving Dorothy in the lurch, breaking his promise to her.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
I never read the Wizard of Oz when I was a kid and never found a reason as an adult until now. I don't dislike the famous movie but am not a particular fan. My library movie club is going to see Oz the Great and Powerful, so I decided to finally read The Wizard of Oz even though the new movie is a prequel.
I like it more than I thought I would (or perhaps it's more accurate to say I disliked it less than I thought I would). The 1939 movie is actually quite faithful to the book, and I found the book interesting from that standpoint, although the movie adds touches that improve on the book, including casting an older Dorothy.
I am surprised at Baum saying that the book "aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out." I don't think he fully understood his own tale, as there are plenty of nightmarish elements (as is true in many great fairy tales). Read the story of how the tin man came to be made of tin, for example, or ask anyone who is terrified of the flying monkeys (I've met plenty).
As an adult reader, the Wizard of Oz did not captivate me. However, it no doubt is more enchanting to a young child. I do recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the movie but has never read the book.
One odd note about the new movie. Oz is frequently referred to in the book as Oz the Great and Terrible, but the new movie title is Oz the Great and Powerful. It's really an odd change, as Oz is not either, but tries very hard to come across as Terrible (as in, provoking terror) in the book. Perhaps the movie writers didn't think modern audiences would understand what was meant by "terrible."
Oh, and I did enjoy the land of the china dolls! I might like the original movie more if they'd put that chapter in.
I like it more than I thought I would (or perhaps it's more accurate to say I disliked it less than I thought I would). The 1939 movie is actually quite faithful to the book, and I found the book interesting from that standpoint, although the movie adds touches that improve on the book, including casting an older Dorothy.
I am surprised at Baum saying that the book "aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out." I don't think he fully understood his own tale, as there are plenty of nightmarish elements (as is true in many great fairy tales). Read the story of how the tin man came to be made of tin, for example, or ask anyone who is terrified of the flying monkeys (I've met plenty).
As an adult reader, the Wizard of Oz did not captivate me. However, it no doubt is more enchanting to a young child. I do recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the movie but has never read the book.
One odd note about the new movie. Oz is frequently referred to in the book as Oz the Great and Terrible, but the new movie title is Oz the Great and Powerful. It's really an odd change, as Oz is not either, but tries very hard to come across as Terrible (as in, provoking terror) in the book. Perhaps the movie writers didn't think modern audiences would understand what was meant by "terrible."
Oh, and I did enjoy the land of the china dolls! I might like the original movie more if they'd put that chapter in.