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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Yes! I love it so much! I read that story for the first time while learning English while reading children's books. There was a very short version of this story. But I forgot about the story and characters and wanted to read the full version. I was reading the book whenever I was free. And it was too comforting to me.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Ah yess. My childhood in a nutshell. Couldn’t rate it any less. I’ll even forgive the oh so various inconsistencies throughout the series because little me didn’t care and I respect her
Considered to be the first American fairy tale, this will delight any lover of myth and allegory (even more so than the incredible movie adaptation)! There are many characters, scenes, and plot devices that were not featured in the now immortalized film, making the story enjoyable for both children and adults, while still maintaining a level of intrigue that some children's stories lack.
Despite Baum's claim that the story "was written solely to pleasure children of today", I think the clues pointing to the economic statement supporting free silver are a little too obvious (but hey, I guess we'll never know). If you aren't familiar, I encourage you to check the theory out for yourself: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-wizard-of-oz-american-economy-meaning-2015-4.
If nothing else, you will be able to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in a new light!
Despite Baum's claim that the story "was written solely to pleasure children of today", I think the clues pointing to the economic statement supporting free silver are a little too obvious (but hey, I guess we'll never know). If you aren't familiar, I encourage you to check the theory out for yourself: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-wizard-of-oz-american-economy-meaning-2015-4.
If nothing else, you will be able to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in a new light!
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ciekawe to było chwilami jednak wydawało mi się tylko, że akcja jest nieco za szybka
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Oz series is more than a little uneven when it's all said and done, but there is something more than a little magical about the book that started it all for it to have captured so many peoples' hearts and survived so many different reinventions and manifestations without losing any of its original lustre. Reading the original now, for the first time, as an adult, is an interesting experience. Whatever it may be that makes this story magical,the truth is that it has embedded itself in popular culture so much that even reading it for the first time, you can't help but feel like you're visiting a familiar country, one that you have good memories of and are glad to have the chance to return to.
I know a lot of people have fond memories of the MGM extravaganza, but having read the original now, I have to say, the movie feels like a too-glossy imitation. We all know the story. Girl meets tornado, house meets witch, girl meets a menagerie of folks who are incomplete or broken in one way or another, and goes to the Wizard for help, but the actual world of the book is much stranger and darker and more complicated than you expect if you grew up on the movie version of events. If you come to this book after you've seen the movie, you may as well be warned that the slippers aren't made of ruby, Glinda doesn't enter the story until much later, and you can forget about good natured farmhands playing double roles, but still. Whether it's the Tin Woodsman's gruesome true origin story, or the intense battles en route to the witch's house, or the background on the Witch of the West's contract with the flying monkeys--the book version trumps the movie in most every case. Also, now that I'm nearly through the Baum-written books of the series I still feel like this stands up as one of the best ones of the lot; the most beloved of the core characters are introduced and at their best, and the fairy tale roots of Baum's inspiration are the most apparent. In later books, we have moments where the Lion backslides a bit and the Scarecrow and Tin Woodsman get a little too self-satisfied for comfort, but here they're the most genuine, brave, and loyal you ever see them. That's something that I feel like the movie we're all so familiar with presented really well. It's hard to read about Dorothy's travel comrades without conjuring up Bert Lehr (as the Cowardly Lion), Ray Bolger (as the Scarecrow), and Jack Haley (as the Tin Man) with some fondness, and I don't think that hurts anything.
I know a lot of people have fond memories of the MGM extravaganza, but having read the original now, I have to say, the movie feels like a too-glossy imitation. We all know the story. Girl meets tornado, house meets witch, girl meets a menagerie of folks who are incomplete or broken in one way or another, and goes to the Wizard for help, but the actual world of the book is much stranger and darker and more complicated than you expect if you grew up on the movie version of events. If you come to this book after you've seen the movie, you may as well be warned that the slippers aren't made of ruby, Glinda doesn't enter the story until much later, and you can forget about good natured farmhands playing double roles, but still. Whether it's the Tin Woodsman's gruesome true origin story, or the intense battles en route to the witch's house, or the background on the Witch of the West's contract with the flying monkeys--the book version trumps the movie in most every case. Also, now that I'm nearly through the Baum-written books of the series I still feel like this stands up as one of the best ones of the lot; the most beloved of the core characters are introduced and at their best, and the fairy tale roots of Baum's inspiration are the most apparent. In later books, we have moments where the Lion backslides a bit and the Scarecrow and Tin Woodsman get a little too self-satisfied for comfort, but here they're the most genuine, brave, and loyal you ever see them. That's something that I feel like the movie we're all so familiar with presented really well. It's hard to read about Dorothy's travel comrades without conjuring up Bert Lehr (as the Cowardly Lion), Ray Bolger (as the Scarecrow), and Jack Haley (as the Tin Man) with some fondness, and I don't think that hurts anything.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Violence
adventurous
lighthearted
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