A review by quoththegirl
The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum
3.0
2017: Reread this aloud with my husband and forgot how incredibly unsettling the premise of this story would be if it took place anywhere other than Oz.
2014: Sam gave me an exquisite copy of The Tin Woodman of Oz for my birthday, which called for an immediate reread of the story. The twelfth Oz book, it was the last to be published before his death in 1919 (the two remaining stories were published posthumously). All of the Oz books kind of blend together for me since I read them all together many years ago, so this was almost like reading it for the first time. The book follows the Tin Woodman, obviously, on his adventures with the Scarecrow and Woot the Wanderer, which include becoming enchanted by a giantess, running into Polychrome, the Rainbow’s daughter, and finding the Tin Soldier, among other hijinks. Dorothy and Ozma pop in for a brief hello, and in general the book is a delightful romp through Oz. Baum’s outlandish creatures could easily be made creepy (watch the terrifying Return to Oz movie as proof of that), but he tells things so matter-of-factly and sweetly that they aren’t disturbing.
2014: Sam gave me an exquisite copy of The Tin Woodman of Oz for my birthday, which called for an immediate reread of the story. The twelfth Oz book, it was the last to be published before his death in 1919 (the two remaining stories were published posthumously). All of the Oz books kind of blend together for me since I read them all together many years ago, so this was almost like reading it for the first time. The book follows the Tin Woodman, obviously, on his adventures with the Scarecrow and Woot the Wanderer, which include becoming enchanted by a giantess, running into Polychrome, the Rainbow’s daughter, and finding the Tin Soldier, among other hijinks. Dorothy and Ozma pop in for a brief hello, and in general the book is a delightful romp through Oz. Baum’s outlandish creatures could easily be made creepy (watch the terrifying Return to Oz movie as proof of that), but he tells things so matter-of-factly and sweetly that they aren’t disturbing.