kzcishou's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was so cute! A lot better than I had expected and better than the movie entirely. I loved the characters and the world. It made me want to draw the characters
lizjane's review against another edition
3.0
I read this to prepare for reading and seeing Wicked. It is so much better than the movie based on it The Wizard of Oz.
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
3.0
It was good to read the original of this and see what had changed to the versions I know - the ruby slippers were actually silver!
sandyclare's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
At first, this book reminded me of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I found the storytelling to be too linear and I wish we got to know more of Dorothy as a main character. Lots of exciting things happened in the story, but due to the robotic storytelling it felt like I was reading a wiki plot summary. Not a bad piece of children's fiction, but definitely mid.
aurinkotuuli's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
3.0
secre's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was quite amazed at just how poorly I actually remembered this classic tale. Admittedly, it's been many a year since I last saw a film representation and I hadn't previously read the book, but I thought I knew the tale quite well. I really didn't. This is a fun and short read that surprised me at times. I also didn't realise it was a series of novels and may have to look at the remainder of the series which I don't recognise at all. Either way, I enjoyed my brief foray with this classic.
goblin_reaper's review against another edition
4.0
“There is no place like home.”
•
“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?”
•
“ ‘If we walk far enough,’ says Dorothy, ‘we shall sometime come to someplace.’ ”
⚔⚔⚔
After getting my curiosity spiked about the world of Dorothy, Oz, Toto, munchkins, and the Wicked Witch of the West (when I watched that one animated adaptation with Tom and Jerry years ago), I was reminded to read the storybook only a few weeks ago when I was reading an article on the world's most expensive shoes (don't ask me how I ended up there from reading an article on cryptocurrency). The article featured the ruby glass slippers used in the original film (1939) and I suddenly wanted to read the book after seeing that. So here I am, a few weeks later, with a review on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
This remarkable classic by L. Frank Baum is a story about a young girl, Dorothy, and her dog, Toto, who are swept away by a cyclone (yes, a cyclone) from their home in Kansas to the Land of Oz. Accompanied by three unusual friends, Dorothy and Toto must travel across marvelous kingdoms and wicked enemies to reach the great wizard, Oz, with whom their fates lie.
The beauty of this story was in its writing's simplicity. The dialogues— funny and almost bordering on silly— had a magic of their own and provided a direct incentive for being a light read.
“No, indeed; I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all.”
This was by far the strangest thing I had heard the day I was reading the book.
⚔⚔⚔
“Whenever I’ve met a man I’ve been awfully scared; but I just roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go.”
“...whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.’ ‘Perhaps you have heart disease,’ said the Tin Woodman. ’It may be,’ said the Lion.”
Dialogues like these cracked me up and made it very difficult to not laugh like a maniac at 1 am. The peculiar, charming, and humorous dialogues were the main reason I loved this book so much.
“Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.”
“While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth, but no one can love who has not a heart, …”
“ ‘You people with hearts,’ he said, ‘have something to guide you, …”
“ ‘A baby has brains, but it doesn’t know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get, …’ ”
Sentences like these came up in the middle and each one managed to surprise me every time. There were a dozen more that are just as clever and funny but I would just spoil the fun for you if I mentioned them all (...no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I am too lazy to type em out, not at all!).
⚔⚔⚔
The truly wonderful (hehe) characters, second only to the dialogues, were what made me fall in love with the story.
The five companions (including Toto) had enough part in the story for a reader to gather enough about their characters. Dorothy, kind heart, fierce nature (blunt, too, sometimes… but it just might be her innocence speaking) and so very clever, stuck to her convictions and goal (to get back to Kansas) till the very end. I loved how the author portrayed the young girl.
Another thing that captured my notice (and interest along with it) was how the Tin Woodman, for one without a heart, seemed to be the most empathetic and compassionate out of all the others.
In context to the Tin Woodman stepping on a beetle and killing it, the narration goes like this—
“This made the Tin Woodman very unhappy, for he was always careful not to hurt any living creature; …”
His actions were contradictory to the way he described and thought of himself; if he was more conscious of himself in the absence of a heart, what does this tell? Something I pondered on…
I kind of disliked how the ending with the Wicked Witch of the West, Flying Monkeys, and meeting the wizard, Oz seemed rushed. I would've loved it if it had gone a little slow.
Regardless, I think I might be willing to try the sequel to this delightfully wicked story.
•
“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?”
•
“ ‘If we walk far enough,’ says Dorothy, ‘we shall sometime come to someplace.’ ”
⚔⚔⚔
After getting my curiosity spiked about the world of Dorothy, Oz, Toto, munchkins, and the Wicked Witch of the West (when I watched that one animated adaptation with Tom and Jerry years ago), I was reminded to read the storybook only a few weeks ago when I was reading an article on the world's most expensive shoes (don't ask me how I ended up there from reading an article on cryptocurrency). The article featured the ruby glass slippers used in the original film (1939) and I suddenly wanted to read the book after seeing that. So here I am, a few weeks later, with a review on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
This remarkable classic by L. Frank Baum is a story about a young girl, Dorothy, and her dog, Toto, who are swept away by a cyclone (yes, a cyclone) from their home in Kansas to the Land of Oz. Accompanied by three unusual friends, Dorothy and Toto must travel across marvelous kingdoms and wicked enemies to reach the great wizard, Oz, with whom their fates lie.
The beauty of this story was in its writing's simplicity. The dialogues— funny and almost bordering on silly— had a magic of their own and provided a direct incentive for being a light read.
“No, indeed; I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all.”
This was by far the strangest thing I had heard the day I was reading the book.
⚔⚔⚔
“Whenever I’ve met a man I’ve been awfully scared; but I just roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go.”
“...whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.’ ‘Perhaps you have heart disease,’ said the Tin Woodman. ’It may be,’ said the Lion.”
Dialogues like these cracked me up and made it very difficult to not laugh like a maniac at 1 am. The peculiar, charming, and humorous dialogues were the main reason I loved this book so much.
“Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.”
“While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth, but no one can love who has not a heart, …”
“ ‘You people with hearts,’ he said, ‘have something to guide you, …”
“ ‘A baby has brains, but it doesn’t know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get, …’ ”
Sentences like these came up in the middle and each one managed to surprise me every time. There were a dozen more that are just as clever and funny but I would just spoil the fun for you if I mentioned them all (...no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I am too lazy to type em out, not at all!).
⚔⚔⚔
The truly wonderful (hehe) characters, second only to the dialogues, were what made me fall in love with the story.
The five companions (including Toto) had enough part in the story for a reader to gather enough about their characters. Dorothy, kind heart, fierce nature (blunt, too, sometimes… but it just might be her innocence speaking) and so very clever, stuck to her convictions and goal (to get back to Kansas) till the very end. I loved how the author portrayed the young girl.
Another thing that captured my notice (and interest along with it) was how the Tin Woodman, for one without a heart, seemed to be the most empathetic and compassionate out of all the others.
In context to the Tin Woodman stepping on a beetle and killing it, the narration goes like this—
“This made the Tin Woodman very unhappy, for he was always careful not to hurt any living creature; …”
His actions were contradictory to the way he described and thought of himself; if he was more conscious of himself in the absence of a heart, what does this tell? Something I pondered on…
I kind of disliked how the ending with the Wicked Witch of the West, Flying Monkeys, and meeting the wizard, Oz seemed rushed. I would've loved it if it had gone a little slow.
Regardless, I think I might be willing to try the sequel to this delightfully wicked story.