The Marvelous Land of Oz

By: L Frank Baum

Narrated by: Ron Knowles

Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Marvelous Land of Oz is the second Oz book.

In this sequel to the original book, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman are back with a boy named Tip as well as a host of new characters, including Mr. H. M. Woggle-Bug, Princess Ozma of Oz, Dr. Nikidik, and Old Mombi. When the Scarecrow, now the ruler of the Emerald City, is driven out by General Jinjur and her all-girl army, his friends--the Tin Woodman, a boy named Tip, and Jack Pumpkinhead--try to restore peace. Dorothy isn't in this story, though she is mentioned frequently by her friends.

©2009 RP Audio (P)2009 RP Audio

Holy long intro, Batman!

Any additional comments?

Almost 28 minutes of introduction to a kid's story? My son kept telling me he didn't like this book very much. I pooh poohed him, until I sat to listen - WOW! No wonder he got bored. And what's more annoying, the first chapter and the intro are all mushed up into the first section. Can't skip it! Have to 30sec forward until the end of the {Charlie Brown Peanuts teacher voice}. That was a PITA. For everyone else, the story is great just start about 27:30 to get right into it.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Excellent edition of an excellent story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I thoroughly enjoyed this production. It's well done and well voiced. The narrator did a terrific job with the voicing of the characters in the book. The annotations at the beginning are nicely done and add to the experience. Overall I thought it was one of the better performances I've listened to in all the years I've been listening to books on audio.

What did you like best about this story?

The performance is what's best about this one. Baum wrote an excellent story and in this it is excellently voiced.

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

The narrator made this experience. His voice is warm and one you want to listen to. To me, it felt like L Frank Baum himself was reading the book. I loved that!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is, and I did. Oz is magical and I couldn't wait to visit again.

Any additional comments?

I'm glad I bought this and I'm glad I picked this edition. Out of all the samples I tried, this is the one I liked the best. I recommend this for anyone who wants to experience what it might be like to have Mr. Baum himself read the Oz story to you.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Poorly produced

This audiobook was very frustrating for myself and especially my kids as the first 27 minutes is endless droning about each of the books in the series (complete with spoilers). Unfortunately, chapter 1 of the audiobook includes these 27 minutes followed by about 7 minutes of the first chapter of the actual book - with no marker in between. So, it took a very long time to find the actual start. Also, the narrator, in my opinion, is not very good.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

the story is wonderful the reader sucks.

Would you try another book from L Frank Baum and/or Ron Knowles?

Ron Knowles obviously doesn't ever read to children because he reads as though he were reading the telephone book

What did you like best about this story?

Frank L Baum is a genius - no matter what. So, all the stories are marvelous.

What didn’t you like about Ron Knowles’s performance?

He never takes his time over a scene or a character. Everything is spoken in the same rigid voice that would be better suited to reading an insurance policy. He manages to kill this book.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

funny

The voices of the characters are hilarious!!But the reader is.................. annoying, but ....its awesome i mean its so good and I love series!!!!