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A review by izzatiidrus
Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum
4.0
Glinda of Oz is the last book in the series that was actually written by the original author. Since it was published posthumously, it was the one book aside from the very first book in the series, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to have no author's note. That actually hit me hard because I know any continuation by another author will never be the same.
During the time of writing, Baum was ill and it showed when his original manuscript actually depicted Reera the Red as a skeleton with red eyes. He likely changed it to a more comical image after the advice by his editors. The thought that Baum still managed to bring us all to another great adventure at the end of his life is just touching to me.
I loved how in his last book, Baum in a way brought the adventure underwater. The adventures in Oz have always taken place on land and once up in the air so I appreciate that he completed it with water at the end. Despite writing in bad health, he managed to maintain the quality of his writing. Like the previous book though, Glinda of Oz was a little shorter than the rest.
I wanted to give this a solid five, but I don't know, it felt a little sad and helpless in a way. Like how the immortality of those in Oz kept being mentioned and how a fairy, a wizard and a sorceress could still have no power to break a specific spell. I felt like it spoke of the condition that Baum was in and I loved it for that but I didn't expect to end on a bittersweet note because the rest pretty much gave me quite a sweet ride.
During the time of writing, Baum was ill and it showed when his original manuscript actually depicted Reera the Red as a skeleton with red eyes. He likely changed it to a more comical image after the advice by his editors. The thought that Baum still managed to bring us all to another great adventure at the end of his life is just touching to me.
I loved how in his last book, Baum in a way brought the adventure underwater. The adventures in Oz have always taken place on land and once up in the air so I appreciate that he completed it with water at the end. Despite writing in bad health, he managed to maintain the quality of his writing. Like the previous book though, Glinda of Oz was a little shorter than the rest.
I wanted to give this a solid five, but I don't know, it felt a little sad and helpless in a way. Like how the immortality of those in Oz kept being mentioned and how a fairy, a wizard and a sorceress could still have no power to break a specific spell. I felt like it spoke of the condition that Baum was in and I loved it for that but I didn't expect to end on a bittersweet note because the rest pretty much gave me quite a sweet ride.