Wicked Musical Tie-in Edition : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Wicked Musical Tie-in Edition : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Book Review: A Wicked Witch or a Dermatological Problem: you decide.
Summary: 5 Stars
Ever since the publication of "The Wonderful Wizard of OZ" and its subsequent immortlization as a movie, the Wicked Witch of the West has been maligned, feared and hated. Gregory Maguire's fascinating biography of this fictitious character gives depth and understanding to the real reason of her "wickedness." Maguire puts a whole new twist on the story of the Witch--if you were born with green skin and hated and reviled by your parents, what would be your outcome in life? This book takes Ephelba from birth clear to her sad demise at the hands of a cold-blooded murderess. Along the way, we learn about the politics of Oz as well as the psychological profiles of many of its greatest citizens. Maguire treats his book with great skill, never going for the easy laugh or gag, but presents a fascinating new twist on a tale that many have heard since infancy. No longer a fairy tale, but a history--this book is a must for all lovers of Oz, fantasy and the blending of fantasy and life.Book Review: The dark side of Oz
Summary: 4 Stars
Charming meets alarming. This revisionist look at the Wizard of Oz shows us the tale from the university-educated, broom-riding Witch's point-of-view. Reminds one a bit of Mary Stewart's Merlin series in that it humanizes a mythical, larger-than-life character. Flying monkeys still abound, along with some unsettling descriptions of their origins; and just how much did Dorothy know about the effect of water on the Witch before she emptied that bucket?Book Review: This is a wonderful, but adult, book.
Summary: 5 Stars
There are places so familiar that to be orginal requires a tremendous act of strength and creativity on the part of the author. Certainly few fictional locations are as well-known to us as is OZ, both Baum's and Hollywood's. Gregory Maguire's feat is that much more amazing for it's ability to transform us to a new and exciting world with (vaguely) familiar characters and locales. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterizations, especially Glinda as an effete, spoiled, intellectual lightweight. The illustrations are few but beautifully rendered in a woodcut-like style. I did not care for the typeface nor its size (too small), but the book was well worth the effort.Book Review: I feel cheated
Summary: 2 Stars
I don't know why people are raving about this book. There were too many loose ends, too many character contradictions to make Elphaba believable, and a depressingly shoddy ending. We all know how that Wicked Witch of the West dies, we all know she's supposed to be evil. This book was supposed to explain why she appeared that way. I admit that I was quite intrigued, so I devoured this book in a weekend.
Silly me, I expected the book to live up to the glowing praises quoted on the cover. (I should have remebered the movie trailer rule: the better the trailer, the worse the movie.) The book started out promising but ended with a whimper. I read the final chapter not out of enjoyment but just to finish. Why did Maguire bother to re-write the Wizard of Oz if he have nothing new to add? I feel suckered into buying an unfinished book.
The idea of the story was fascinating and the desciption was irresistable. But we were promised something that was never delivered.
WHAT WERE THE EDITORS THINKING?!
I would send those editors back to basic training. They should never have considered this book finished. It's a great draft but there are entirely too many unanswered questions, dangling plot threads, gratuitous characters (lesbian, gay man dying of AIDS, noble savage, etc.) that do not further any plot, not to mention unexplained personality changes in the main character (including Christ-like capabilities). There are events and issues alluded to which should be integral to the plot, but which are never brought to light. And while the book description promised this great discussion in the philosophy of good and evil, this NEVER happens! We muddle through some half-baked bits here and there, but there is no argument, no reasoning, nothing to show that the author really knows what point he's trying to make.
Unless you like feeling gypped, don't expect this book to give you an "alternative" view to the Wizard of Oz or even an interesting debate in "what is evil?" because you'll just end up feeling like you've wasted your time. I also thought the text was set too small with too thin a typeface--difficult to read on public transportation or late at night, and I don't have vision problems. The only reason I am giving this book a 4 is because Maguire's writing style is beautiful and despite the story's failure to gel into anything truly amazing, it is quite entertaining in parts--just remember to skip the last chapter and imagine your own.
Book Review: Wicked:The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West
Summary: 4 Stars
For a first book by Gregory Maguire on the classic tale of the Wizard of Oz, but form the Wicked Witch's viewpoint, Elphaba, in his story, is a delightful read for any fan of Baum's story.
The reader is acquainted first with Elphaba's parents and some of the strange things that are taking place in Oz. Then a greenskinned girl child is born and rouses fear to those who helped her come into this world. At a very young age, this child discovers that water can burn her so she dons layer upon layer of clothing and wears a man's pair of army boots to protect her feet. She goes to school in the Emerald city, at Shiz University. Her mind is sharp, but from the painful way that people turn away from her, Elphaba does not do anything to gain unwanted attention. At Shiz her already sharp mind takes in more than her head mistress wants the students to know that is happening in Oz. Though Elphaba isn't pretty, she does make some friends, among them Glenda, Boq and Fiyero. She also helps Dr. Dillard in his labartory until his untimely passing. Elphaba emerges as a champion for Justice. She decides to carry out Dr. Dillard's unfinished work in private so she leaves her yonger sister, Nessarose, at Shiz with Glenda. Naturally, Glenda, probably resented this responsibility placed on her by Elphaba. The reader now sees a young adult Elphaba on her own, self-reliant and a loner as she tries to prove to herself, and hopefully to the Wizard, that Dr. Dillard was correct in his theories about learning and teaching animals to be educated like Animals. The story is also filled with political propaganda, the age old riddle of what is truely good and evil, the questions of soul and conscience. Knowing wrong from right. As I read this tale, I did not see Elphaba as evil. I did see Glenda as evil in her selfishness and her freely giving Dorothy the Ruby slippers to Dorothy when her house hit Nessarose on the head. I also saw Dorothy, though not with green skin, as a young version of Elphaba. Nor did I think Dorothy knew that water could harm Elphaba. In overall goodness, I found Lir to be pure and Manek to be quite evil indeed. I am sure that if the grace of forgiveness was bestowed upon Elphaba, she could have forgiven Dorothy easily enough. The last chapter, in its ending, left unfinished business for the secondary characters. Overall, I did enjoy this read through the land of Oz! I am sure this novel, too, will be deemed a "classic", too!
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