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alecthelad's review against another edition
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
5.0
abbydee's review against another edition
Maybe part of why I like Ozma of Oz best is that there is no old guy taking care of Dorothy and the kids and solving all the problems in that one. I mean, no shade on the Shaggy Man. I love the Shaggy Man and his hazy origins. He seems to have come from our non-magical world, but has done a lot of traveling, is in possession of the Love Magnet (a fairy gadget if ever there was one), and doesn’t even blink at the magic of Johnny Dooit–who knows where he ran into him. But of course, Shaggy Man has to be the man and take the brunt of the discomfort and responsibility in every circumstance. I just like when kids have adventures on their own. I do enjoy seeing the characters making plans and solving problems together, and should probably try that scene in my own work. Baum wrote road trip stories all the time and is so comfortable with this mode, and with the episodic nature of the narrative.
But people in Oz don’t die?? Of natural causes, at least, since capital punishment does exist, and also people like the bad sorcerer fall off precipices occasionally?? This is another one of those instances like “Toto never bites” where Baum makes the statement and almost instantly contradicts it, so that I almost can’t believe he’s not doing it on purpose. But there are too many gaps in the logic to mention…Parentage is extremely mysterious in Oz, so the fact that no one ever dies has not disrupted hereditary monarchy. Who knows what happened to Ozma’s father and grandfather, who are mentioned explicitly (they could not have died, surely) or her theoretical mother and grandmother who never get mentioned at all. Billina’s chicks evidently have no father, unless she came equipped already.
I did like that the Good Witch of the North gets a passing mention here, since she basically disappeared from the series after giving Dorothy the shoes. But then the rulers of the four sub-countries of Oz are mentioned as though they are different (all male) people, when I thought at least the Gillikins and the Quadlings were nominally ruled by the good witches. Ozma courteously invites the people who transformed Shaggy’s head into a donkey to her party but refuses to invite the Musicker (Ozma: “Not that guy, he’s annoying as hell!”). Consistency and logic are not Baum’s strong suits at all. They’re not what support the world-building here. What does the work is a real inventiveness of imagination, like the Musicker and the Scoodlers. I did laugh my head off (no pun intended) every time they yelled “Soup!”
Ozma’s birthday, like the jewel-encrusted grandeur of the palace, is clearly designed to appeal to kids and particularly to little girls, and I find that quality endearing in Baum, however gendered and misguided some of his notions may be.
giopep's review
4.5
Più andiamo avanti e più la serie dei libri di Oz mi sembra l'universo cinematografico Marvel: è affidabile, sai che in ogni episodio ci trovi più o meno la stessa roba, lo stesso genere di idee e sorprese, questo e quel personaggio che torna a salutare. In La strada per Oz, come al solito, ci sono almeno due o tre momenti completamente fuori di testa che valgono il prezzo del biglietto e in più torna a farsi vedere l'unico personaggio che si poteva lecitamente pensare fosse effettivamente morto. Volemose bene, avanti così.
chandraleereads'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Oz is always fun to visit and silly too. In this one I just wish the journey was a hair shorter and the festivities at the end were more detailed.
monarchbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Why can't Toto talk?
lady_jess_87's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
michellenet's review against another edition
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
3.0
calbowen's review against another edition
3.0
My Plan was to read the entire OZ series. I will stop at book 5. Every book is a Lather-Rinse-Repeat. Dorothy gets to a magical land (not always OZ) has to find a way home, usually by finding OZ again, with strange characters that may or may not show their faces in the next book.
Not really my flavor.
Not really my flavor.
tregina's review against another edition
2.0
I really need to stop expecting these to have a plot, rather than a series of adventures culminating in someone going home again, but this one seemed even slighter than usual and I'm afraid just didn't do it for me. I didn't connect to the new characters (though delighted a little when old friends showed up), and nothing really happened. At least there were cannibals. (Well, I suppose they weren't technically cannibals. People-eaters, then.)