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)

Weird and Good

I loved this series as a child. It is a much weirder story than I had recalled. As an adult I find some of it repetitive and not all of the adventures seemed important to the overall development of the story, but it is so imaginative and wonderfully bizarre that it was still very enjoyable. Also the reader does an absolutely amazing job with all of the characters and has immense energy.

Lovely narration!

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

Anne Hathaway does a wonderful job narrating this classic: her voices are very convincing, and consistent throughout the book (i.e. her Lion sounds the same in the beginning, as it does in the end). My 5 and 3 year olds loved it, although it is probably better suited for slightly older kids.

Absolutely Amazing

this book is absolutely amazing it reminded me a lot of my childhood and watching the film as a kid. Anne Hathaway's performance is absolutely stunning. I believe she put the charm to the characters you can't put into words she did a wonderful job and this book was wonderfully executed if you're a fan of fairy tales give this one a go it is truly worth it.

Surprised and Delighted

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

Of course, I know the movie and I remember reading these books as a child, so I was already favorable disposed to the Wizard of Oz but I was delighted with the audio performance from Anne Hathaway. I am new to Audible and this audio book made a good impression on me. Thank you.

Would you be willing to try another book from L. Frank Baum? Why or why not?

Yes but that comes from my having read the books as a child. I suppose it depends on the artist who narrates.

Fun story to listen to.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to be better than the print version?

The same.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Some of the character interpretations seemed a bit cheesy. At times I thought I was listening to Marge Simpson as one of the characters.

Revisiting a Childhood Favorite

This was fun to listen to as an adult. The narration was very good, and I found that there was quite a bit that I had forgetton. I felt like I was revisiting some old friends!

Never knew Anne Hathaway was so talented

We used this audio book to introduce our children to the Wizard of Oz on a roadtrip. It was wonderful! We never knew Anne Hathaway had so very much talent - the performance was lovely.

After 43 years, I find out, NO RUBY SLIPPERS!

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

This is a short romp of a story, so to compare it with most of my library is difficult, still I have some titles that my kids and I share on long rides through the New England Countryside, this one is absolutely one of the best. Anne Hathaway is terrific. My twelve year old was really impressed with her character diversity, (he is of course, unusually astute like his Father...) All kidding aside, this is a terrific book in content and performance, five stars man, five of them. (15 if you add them together.)

What other book might you compare The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to and why?

Story wise I guess I would have to say it was a bit more like Alice In Wonderland than I had anticipated. I recall looking at the cover of the book in the library when I was in grade school and being terribly troubled by the protrusion of needles from the lumpy head of the scarecrow. Having read the actual story, 30 plus years later, I understand much better. If your only exposure to the tale is through the movie, you should certainly add this title to your collection, even if you don't have young children to share it with. Don't get me wrong, I still love the film, but now I understand how much departure there was from the original story to adapt to the screen, not to spoil it too much for you but, there are NO RUBY SLIPPERS...

Have you listened to any of Anne Hathaway’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Anne Hathaway's other performances, I certainly would now. I am familiar with Anne as an actress, one of the few who's name I can actually recall in conversation. I find her to be incredibly talented, and yes I admit, lovely to look upon, but this is an auditory experience we are discussing here. I was particularly impressed with Anne's multiple character portrayals and the fact that she did not simply follow the voices of the film version. She owned the entire performance, and as has been stated often here, was spot on, bringing everything to life.

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

Here's a truly odd question to answer given the circumstances, however, it's easy enough. I certainly would not attempt to recreate what had been done so long ago with such perfection and apparent timelessness. I must say that I find that Gregory Maguire's series The Wicked Years, though, decidedly more suited to a mature audience, would be the best new hope for adaptation to film.

best version

Loved her narration! Worth the purchase! I have to write 15 words, awesome. An error occurs and says to write more.

Different than the movie - more adventures

Having watched the movie several times, but never having read the book allowed me to miss so much of the original story.