The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

By: L. Frank Baum

Narrated by: Anne Hathaway

Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration - Female, 2013

One of the best-known stories in American culture, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has stirred the imagination of young and old alike for over 100 years. Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married, Alice in Wonderland, The Dark Knight Rises) lends her voice to this uniquely American fairy tale.

Follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto as they get swept away into the magical land of Oz , where they encounter characters and places you may remember from the movie - and several more that never made it to the big screen - on an unforgettable journey to the Emerald City.

“It’s such a wonderful book and I was so happy to be a part of bringing it to life”, Ms. Hathaway said. “There are a lot of great voices in it. The more fun you have with it, the sillier and the more free you get with it, the better it is because it’s a story that can handle it. It’s amazing to be able to discover something new about something you feel you know so well.”

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Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Anne Hathaway is nothing short of masterful in her narration of Baum’s beloved classic.... As narrator, she is lithe yet precise; her voice sounds lilting or emphatic, as the story details require. In character, she is spectacular. Each character is filled with personality - a light-voiced Witch of the North; a brusque soldier at Oz’s palace; a monotone, robot-like Oz; and a usually cheerful and genuine Dorothy. The variety enriches the listening experience. Yes, one may know the story well, but Hathaway makes this recording a definitive one.” (AudioFile)

Fun Story, I'm Impressed by Anne Hathaway

Where does The Wonderful Wizard of Oz rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10%

What did you like best about this story?

It is fun and playful, and intriguing. I'd never read the book, but I've loved the movie. I don't know why I put it off this long.

Which character – as performed by Anne Hathaway – was your favorite?

Dorothy.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

We're off to see the wizard?

Any additional comments?

Okay, I'll admit... I've not been a big Anne Hathaway fan. I'm not sure what it is, but she just doesn't do it for me. I know, I know, I'm one of five--maybe six, guys who feel this way. Not that I hate her or anything, I just don't understand the hype. What can I say?

But I was blown away by her performance. She did extremely well, I was seriously impressed. I might have to reevalutate how I feel about her based on her performance here alone. Or not. Either way, I thought she hit the home run with this recording. I would seriously consider picking up other audio books performed by Anne.

Enjoyed immensely

When my son saw "The Great & Powerful Oz," he got very Oz-centric. He was 9 when I downloaded this version, and together we listened to it on the drive to/from school. We loved how Ms. Hathaway kept all the voices distinctly different from eachother, but found the Scarecrow's voice just plain annoying.
The only Wizard of Oz versions I'd experienced were the film versions (with their variants), and I'd been wanting to read the source text, but never found the time. Having it read to me (and my son) was a delight.

Fantabulous performance

I could literally enjoy the story despite the fact that I do not know so many words in this book. Actually I’ve been learning English two decades, but, for the first time, I am enjoying this book which is written and read in English.

Excellent narration

The story might be old but Anne Hathaway's narration is splendid. One can only hope she will narrate more books in the future.

One of the few books where the movie was better.

One of the few books where the movie was better. Anne Hathaway did a good job but the book was not as good as the movie.

So much better than the movie!

I've never cared for the movie but I finally listened to the audiobook. Anne Hathaway is lovely to listen to and the story is delightful!

Fantastically read

The voices were great, the pace was perfect! My kids loved hearing this through Anne’s view of the story.
Personally, I nearly fell over laughing at the stork’s voice! I loved this version of an old favorite! ❤️

Loved this narration

Anne Hathaway did a wonderful job narrating this book and I loved the story! My first time ever reading/hearing it.

Anne Hathaway is talented

What did you love best about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?

What a fun read! I absolutely love the movie and was excited to read the book. It was fun going through the book and picking out differences from the movie.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?

I loved reading more details about this story.

What does Anne Hathaway bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Holy cow. Anne Hathaway had a voice for every single character in the book!! Even the minor characters! This made the read so enjoyable and held my attention throughout the whole book!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Loved loved loved the performance by Anne Hathaway!!

Any additional comments?

Download and listen to this book!

Fantastic book and performance!

A great light read made very entertaining by Anne Hathaway. Multiple laugh out loud moments. Highly recommended!