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A review by hidekisohma
The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum
5.0
Now before i get into this review, I have to say this. I am not a big fan of the Wizard of Oz (aka the movie). The highest praise i can give for that movie is that i find it....meh. It's not good, it's not bad, it's just kind of...there.
So when i heard that the books were better than the movie, i didn't exactly have a high bar to set. Which in my opinion is the best way to go into this. No expectations whatsoever. and to my surprise, I actually found myself enjoying this book WAY more than i thought i would.
What i can say about this book is that i actually had FUN. It wasn't depressing, violent, or anything like that, i just had plain fun. Which is rare for me when i read a book. Even novels like Narnia have violence and death, but for once, it was nice to read a book where none of that happens, and for the first time in a while i can use this word unironically. "Whimsy". that is the word i would to describe this book. Whimsy. And it was like a breath of fresh air.
There's a few main characters in this book, and for the most part, i can say that i liked all of them. Ojo, the munchkin wasn't annoying, but actually endearing. The Woozy (a block-shaped cat-like creatures) was funny, and the patchwork girl was actually a delight. She has quickly become one of my favorite literary characters. She's just so much fun to be around, and from what i hear, she's in the later oz books which is nice.
I had to think about it for a while, but i think one of the reasons i like the main character so much (ojo, not patchwork) is because, while he has his own adventure and meets up with the other main characters from other novels such as dorothy, the tin man, etc, and they become quick friends with him, he doesn't FEEL like a Gary Stu. He actually feels like a real character with foibles and negative personality traits. It's so rare to see this that it just made the book even more enjoyable.
The best way i can describe this book is with a quote from the middle of the book when they're talking about their prison
"We consider a prisoner unfortunate. He is unfortunate in two ways — because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of his liberty. Therefore, we should treat him kindly, because of his misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not be sorry he had done wrong…"
This is the kind of message that's in this book, and it's just so refreshing to see. To see a fantasy world where people aren't getting stabbed every five minutes (ala Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings) but they solve their problems with WORDS. And that's the thing, it feels fantastical. hence FANTASY. And i think a lot of fantasy novels forget that.
Overall, LOVED this book and i hope the rest of the Oz books are this good. This book is over 100 years old but you'd never feel it. 5/5.
So when i heard that the books were better than the movie, i didn't exactly have a high bar to set. Which in my opinion is the best way to go into this. No expectations whatsoever. and to my surprise, I actually found myself enjoying this book WAY more than i thought i would.
What i can say about this book is that i actually had FUN. It wasn't depressing, violent, or anything like that, i just had plain fun. Which is rare for me when i read a book. Even novels like Narnia have violence and death, but for once, it was nice to read a book where none of that happens, and for the first time in a while i can use this word unironically. "Whimsy". that is the word i would to describe this book. Whimsy. And it was like a breath of fresh air.
There's a few main characters in this book, and for the most part, i can say that i liked all of them. Ojo, the munchkin wasn't annoying, but actually endearing. The Woozy (a block-shaped cat-like creatures) was funny, and the patchwork girl was actually a delight. She has quickly become one of my favorite literary characters. She's just so much fun to be around, and from what i hear, she's in the later oz books which is nice.
I had to think about it for a while, but i think one of the reasons i like the main character so much (ojo, not patchwork) is because, while he has his own adventure and meets up with the other main characters from other novels such as dorothy, the tin man, etc, and they become quick friends with him, he doesn't FEEL like a Gary Stu. He actually feels like a real character with foibles and negative personality traits. It's so rare to see this that it just made the book even more enjoyable.
The best way i can describe this book is with a quote from the middle of the book when they're talking about their prison
"We consider a prisoner unfortunate. He is unfortunate in two ways — because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of his liberty. Therefore, we should treat him kindly, because of his misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not be sorry he had done wrong…"
This is the kind of message that's in this book, and it's just so refreshing to see. To see a fantasy world where people aren't getting stabbed every five minutes (ala Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings) but they solve their problems with WORDS. And that's the thing, it feels fantastical. hence FANTASY. And i think a lot of fantasy novels forget that.
Overall, LOVED this book and i hope the rest of the Oz books are this good. This book is over 100 years old but you'd never feel it. 5/5.