Wicked

the life and times of the wicked witch of the West : a novel

Paperback, 406 pages

English language

Published Feb. 24, 1996 by ReganBooks.

ISBN:
978-0-06-098710-7
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OCLC Number:
35851444

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4 stars (117 reviews)

A fable for adults on the subject of destiny and free will by a writer of children's books. It tells the story of Elphaba before she became the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz. The novel traces her career as a nun, nurse, pro-democracy activist and animal rights defender

14 editions

Wicked

3 stars

Venant de voir la musical j'avais absolument envie de découvrir le roman qui lui a donné naissance (et qui prenait la poussière sur mon étagère depuis quelques années ahem).

Je savais que Wicked était beaucoup plus sombre que Le Magicien d'Oz et que la musical restait elle aussi "grand public". J'avoue que je ne m'attendais pas à autant de noirceur. Le règne du magicien est une représentation parfaite d'un régime fasciste où le racisme se fait de plus en plus présent, accepté peu à peu par tout le monde sans broncher (pour ne pas trop "déranger"). Le livre démontre aussi les ravages de l'époque car même dans les contrées où le fascisme ne règne pas il montre son influence sur les mentalités et la façon dont il contamine et fait germer ses préjugés de manière insidieuse.

Elphaba est beaucoup plus torturée et incertaine, prise dans de grandes considérations ontologiques sur …

Review of 'Wicked' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

When I heard "THE END", I uttered a string of profanity because how unbelievable the book is. I still don't understand why Elfaba turned evil, I'm not sure why she was fixated on her sister's shoes, and that doesn't shake a stick at a number of other unexplained events and people in the book.

Whoever "heralded" this book "as an instant classic of fantasy literature" (according to the blurb on Goodreads) should pull their head out from their ass, because this is, without reservation, a terrible book. I'm not sure the author had a plan or a hope, so much as some ideas of imagery to throw into a book and kind of package together.

There are plenty of reviews on here that hit on everything wrong with this book. Go check them out. I'm done thinking about this one.

Review of 'Wicked' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

We all know the story of The Wizard of Oz; if we haven’t read the 1900’s classic written by L. Frank Baum we probably saw the 1930’s film starring Judy Garland. What if was to tell you that the Wizard is not as sympathetic as he wants you to believe? In fact, the Wizard could be considered a classic example of a nutcase dictator. It is all about perspective; some may see the Wizard as great and powerful but in the eyes of Elphaba he is just an old fool.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire tells the untold story from the perspective of Elphaba (known to some as the Wicked Witch of the West) and is the basis of the award winning Musical. It is important to first state that unlike L. Frank Baum’s series of books, this is not directed at children. This is social and political commentary, full …

Review of 'Wicked' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

It's the enthralling novel that inspired a broadway musical. It's a wickedly fun read, and will change the way you think about Oz for evermore. Ever more. One of those. It turns out that Elphaba, who became The Wicked Witch of the West, was actually a very sympathetic, sad woman who was very much misunderstood. This is a surprisingly philosophical tale, which I most recommend to adults--ADULTS--who miss the Harry Potter series. I stressed that previous word because Maguire has written a decidedly R-rated tale, and at 406 pages, it's a bit of a time investment, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed that time.

Review of 'Wicked' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I have never read The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum, only seen the movie with Judy Garland, so I don't know the original story. Well, actually, I recall my elementary school library had the novel and I might have checked it out, but it was rather boring, so I don't think I finished it. In any case, I don't know if there are exact scenes that replicate themselves in both novels, just from different points of view.

I found it a little slow to start, and a little slow to read. I skipped ahead a few times, just to see where it was going because at times it seemed to go nowhere. I realize the point of the story is to just see the Witches life, but it was slow to me.

After the affair with Fiyero, I began to get a better sense of the character of …

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Subjects

  • Oz (Imaginary place) -- Fiction
  • Fantasy fiction