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: Fantasy with a heart, a brain and lots of courage.
Summary: 5 Stars
It is rare that any work of fiction challenges everything you thought you knew about good and evil, and in the most entertaining manner possible. Mr. Maguire has written a book easily the equal of L. Frank Baum's--or Proust, for that matter. This book should be required reading for every little girl who ever yearned for ruby slippers.Book Review: The best look at the other side of Oz
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book because I was the Wicked Witch in a high school musical, and I'd always thought she got a bad rep. reading Maguire's story I felt justified in my opinion. Elphaba is a true victim of her environment. She longs for love and freedom; she searches for her transient soul. Her relationship with her family and friends is a marvelous example of how dysfunctional a life can truly be. When she died I cried for an hour, and I realized that Elphie was what I have always been. A dreamer, and a believer in the need for forgiveness.Book Review: This is to "Oz" what "Balthazar" is to "Justine"
Summary: 5 Stars
While much attention is paid to Maguire's exploration of "evil" (what is it, and what isn't it?), the most thrilling thing about this novel for me was the way it managed to contain a familiar story and simultaneously stand it on its head.While reading "Wicked" I felt much as I did the first time I read "Balthazar" from the Alexandria Quartet, where the flowing, impressionistic images of "Justine" are turned and shifted in such a way that you realize the narrator of "Justine" had only a two-dimensional take on the real story.
Maguire does the same thing here: Oz blossoms into three- and four-dimensionality here, a place saturated with sexual frustration, racism, politics and terrorists. The prose, especially the dialog, also has a Durrellesque archness, and is just as beautiful (without being quite so difficult ;).
You'll find reviews below from people who clearly despise this book. That is what happens when those who should stick to popularist trash accidentally run up against a work of literature.
READ IT!
Book Review: brilliant, imaginative--takes you to another world
Summary: 5 Stars
i had never considered the plight of this mysterious soul, the wicked witch of the west. but she is in fact a human being with her own story. i am so engrossed in this book that i don't want to put it down, and i lose myself in the world of Oz. Maguire writes so well that I forget I'm reading!Book Review: Intriguing, vibrant characters, a fascinating book
Summary: 4 Stars
We have read most of the Oz books, and this is an excellent addition to the group. Some of the later books do hint at the "dark side" of Oz, and it is obvious that the author was familiar with these works. The movie also contributed to the picture. We loved Elphaba, but agree with some of the earlier reviewers that the ending was rushed and not quite right. We realize that the author was trying to mesh with the existing works, but it didn't quite work. Up until the very end, however, we loved it.