Wicked

I don't know how many times I've read this book. I love it, and each time I read it I learn something new. Political, romantic, dramatic, witty, tragic--Wicked is all of these things and more.

Magic isn't the focus of this book, and it's an entirely different Witch from the one depicted in The Wizard of Oz, but it is really a great read. Gregory Maguire describes the land of Oz...more

I don't know how many times I've read this book. I love it, and each time I read it I learn something new. Political, romantic, dramatic, witty, tragic--Wicked is all of these things and more.

Magic isn't the focus of this book, and it's an entirely different Witch from the one depicted in The Wizard of Oz, but it is really a great read. Gregory Maguire describes the land of Oz vividly, and the characters are so very lovable. And although his descriptions and story are thorough, I love the bit of mystery he leaves for the readers to imagine for themselves.

For those who like audiobooks, John McDonough does a wonderful job reading this story. I don't know how he came up with so many different, distinct voices for each and every character in the book!

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I had heard much about this book and was eager to read it. Unfortunately, I was incredibly disappointed. The writing was strong and the creation of the rest of the world of "Oz" was well imagined. However, that is where my praise ends. The story was dull and convoluted. The veiled sexual references and shots at religion were completely unnecessary. The author obviously had an agenda in...more

I had heard much about this book and was eager to read it. Unfortunately, I was incredibly disappointed. The writing was strong and the creation of the rest of the world of "Oz" was well imagined. However, that is where my praise ends. The story was dull and convoluted. The veiled sexual references and shots at religion were completely unnecessary. The author obviously had an agenda in writing this story and the story suffered because of it. Instead of providing a background and history to the Wicked Witch of the West, the author attempted to rewrite the entire Wizard of Oz story. In this he failed miserably. Add to this the author's apparent obsession with sex and his anti-religious sentiments and you have a formula for a monumental failure. This book was a great disappointment and I am sad to have wasted the time and energy on such a text.   hide

Im no fan of wizard of oz..IMO it's a simplistic childish story. However, -Wicked-based on the POV of the wicked witch of the west is an great story with complex storylines and grey characters. (my mind went to lord of the rings). The witches, the fairy: are all interesting characters, specially the heroine with her green tinge, philosophical leanings and intelligence. the novel meanders with...more

Im no fan of wizard of oz..IMO it's a simplistic childish story. However, -Wicked-based on the POV of the wicked witch of the west is an great story with complex storylines and grey characters. (my mind went to lord of the rings). The witches, the fairy: are all interesting characters, specially the heroine with her green tinge, philosophical leanings and intelligence. the novel meanders with interconnecting lives, political issues incl. Animal rights and religion in the land of munchikins and assasinations. the first 3/4 of the book is fantastic, however in the last 1/4th the author falters n becomes awkward specially in trying to interconnect the book with the dorothy. characters suddenly go off track, behave illogically and many threads in the story are left untangled. But still a good read and left an impression specially on the larger questions of good and evil.   hide

"The libertine is always the worst moralist"I finished after slogging through it for the last two or so weeks. It's billed as a comic allegory, a satire, and a "fantastical meditation on good and evil, God and free will."Hogwash. It's a self-indulgent, juvenile tirade against faith and authority that fizzles out into a wishy-washy "but then again, maybe...more

"The libertine is always the worst moralist"I finished after slogging through it for the last two or so weeks. It's billed as a comic allegory, a satire, and a "fantastical meditation on good and evil, God and free will."Hogwash. It's a self-indulgent, juvenile tirade against faith and authority that fizzles out into a wishy-washy "but then again, maybe not."Maguire retells the backstory of the life of the Wicked Witch of the West, trying to explain the familial, religious, inter-personal, and political reasons that fated a precocious green-skinned Munchin girl to become the Witch. Was it fate: did all these things conspire together that hurled poor Elphaba (as she's called) down the road of wickedness? If so, could she then truly be called evil?The book flirts with the idea of forgiveness and whether anything can truly be forgiven, but Maguire never really seems to have a grasp on it--or even on the dozen other metaphysical ideas he scatters about in novel.And as far as it being a comic novel: early on there were some chuckles, but by the end the quips tossed by some characters were drowned out by Maguire's clumsy heavy hand at ... well ... moralizing. "The libertine is always the worst moralist," or something like that, the saying goes.   hide

What Master Do We Serve? Wicked is a thematically rich book, which I always applaud, but I can't help feeling that it's slightest bit over eager in what it's trying to achieve-- and it's no surprise that given the success of the musical, there is a mountain of hatred from fans of the stage adaptation who came to the novel afterward. What I didn't like about the...more

What Master Do We Serve? Wicked is a thematically rich book, which I always applaud, but I can't help feeling that it's slightest bit over eager in what it's trying to achieve-- and it's no surprise that given the success of the musical, there is a mountain of hatred from fans of the stage adaptation who came to the novel afterward. What I didn't like about the novel, I think more than anything, was Maguire's lack of position on the themes he puts forth-- at least I didn't perceive that he had any definitive position other than "it's all in the eye of the beholder." Also troublesome is the Maguire's lack of interest in finishing his plot lines-- Once a reader has become caught up in the events of a given section, Maguire takes it away without any intent on returning it. The plight of the second, third and forth sections of the novel is never truly resolved except in broad unsatisfying way, save for the second section's main conflict which is never resolved at all. In all, I think I prefer to look at this book as Elphaba's long Shakespearian kind of fall; railing against the flow history, desperate in individual struggle, and brought down by her conspiracy theories and paranoia. In this way the book succeeds, it's just a pity that the plots Maguire opens couldn't have completely been tied off neatly at the end-- if they had, I don't suppose the book would be under so much criticism. Even now I'm not totally sure how I feel about the novel, but it was a mostly enjoyable read, with some pitchy parts when it strays far from the Oz the general public knows, or when it shifts direction so significantly. Though hazy, it's themes are at the least thought provoking.   hide

I bought this book for my long flight to Australia and was disappointed when I cracked it open on the plane, only to find it had a rather slow beginning. Feeling committed to the book as I had nothing else to read and 14 hours of flight time ahead of me, I plugged on, but it was slow. It picked up in parts, then would slow down again with LONG descriptions of the setting and politics in Oz. ...more

I bought this book for my long flight to Australia and was disappointed when I cracked it open on the plane, only to find it had a rather slow beginning. Feeling committed to the book as I had nothing else to read and 14 hours of flight time ahead of me, I plugged on, but it was slow. It picked up in parts, then would slow down again with LONG descriptions of the setting and politics in Oz. The ending was rather anti-climatic as well. With 100 pages to go, I usually expect a book to be a real page turner, but again, I found it slow. I love prequels and have heard rave reviews about the musical, so I was intrigued by the story, but felt let down in the delivery. Perhaps it was a little too 'fantasy' for my taste. Gregory Maguire's other books also have very intriguing story lines, but I will not be trying them out because of my struggles with Wicked. I will, however, still be interested in seeing the musical.   hide

I was very disappointed. I had heard how great this book was, but after reading it I didn't see the appeal it seemed to have over the public. Now, the idea behind it was great. I want to know the backstory. But it seemed as if Maguire has no real passion in his characters. They all fade into obscurity and you are left with a sour, depressing taste in the mouth. He's almost like the...more

I was very disappointed. I had heard how great this book was, but after reading it I didn't see the appeal it seemed to have over the public. Now, the idea behind it was great. I want to know the backstory. But it seemed as if Maguire has no real passion in his characters. They all fade into obscurity and you are left with a sour, depressing taste in the mouth. He's almost like the depressed version of Nicholas Sparks. And let's be honest - the only appeal of Sparks is his lack of depression. The only theme I pick up is "life sucks and isn't fair to anyone." He doesn't follow through on his characters either. I think Maguire has a talent for wanting to find the back story and can surely write something less bland. You just don't see it in this book sadly. No wonder the stage version was completely different - they actually wanted to sell tickets!   hide

"interesting" is as good a word as any. maguire can write: he's got a great way with the language; imagery is solid; characters are well-developed; conflict is genuine. very little here -- technically -- to criticize. two challenges, though: he's based "wicked" on neither the original "wizard of oz" book nor the movie; it's a weird amalgam of the two plus his own twists. this isn't bad, per...more

"interesting" is as good a word as any. maguire can write: he's got a great way with the language; imagery is solid; characters are well-developed; conflict is genuine. very little here -- technically -- to criticize. two challenges, though: he's based "wicked" on neither the original "wizard of oz" book nor the movie; it's a weird amalgam of the two plus his own twists. this isn't bad, per se, but it's a solid departure that is ultimately self-serving. and that's the other point: maguire "explores" the nature of evil (and, by extension, good) by turning the traditional tale on its head, but the problem is that, even in his re-imagined oz, there's no true moral compass. so maguire applies contemporarily relativistic standards to the traditional story's characters, and it's no wonder that he wonders whether we can actually know good from evil.   hide

I purchased Wicked hoping to finish the novel before I attend the musical version (which is in about 3 days!). I am usually not a fan of fantasy novels, so I did not expect to get too involved in the plot...I was more excited about the musical. However, after I started to read the book, I couldn't put it down. Maguire did an excellent job at retelling the classic story through another...more

I purchased Wicked hoping to finish the novel before I attend the musical version (which is in about 3 days!). I am usually not a fan of fantasy novels, so I did not expect to get too involved in the plot...I was more excited about the musical. However, after I started to read the book, I couldn't put it down. Maguire did an excellent job at retelling the classic story through another perspective which forced his readers to question the true meanings of both good and evil. Although I knew the outcome of the "witch," I found myself rooting for her and hoping that somehow the author would change or soften her infamous fate. Although I was heartbroken by the somewhat expected ending, I was entertained and impressed by the unexpected and clever storyline created by Maguire. I am now even more excited to see the musical, and I even feel compelled to read the sequal, "Son of a Witch." Consequently, I highly reccomend this book, but be prepared for some adult material and crude humor. Unlike the original Oz series, this novel was definately not intended for children.   hide