Wicked [Movie tie-in]: The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture―Now Streaming Paperback – October 1, 2024

I originally read this 25 or 30 years ago and forgot a lot of it. I, like many, loved the musical adaptation movie Wicked. I always cry during Defying Gravity. It, to me, is about being who you are and not letting anyone hold you back, "nobody in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was, is ever gonna bring me down." I love Elphaba. So then I decided to go back and read the book and it is beautiful. I loved it. I think it is truly a literary masterpiece and I'm so glad that I read it again.

I have a rocky history with this book. Tried to read it as a teen, found it boring, and quit. Then more recently, I saw the musical and loved it! Then I felt like a poser for preferring the lighter and softer version, contrary to my normal tastes, so decided to give the book another try. To my surprise, this time around it was a completely enthralling, intense emotional experience in a way books rarely are for me anymore (and good thing too--I finished more than a week ago and am still recovering).As the subtitle makes clear, this book tells the backstory of the stock villain from The Wizard of Oz--but (I suspect this has a lot to do with its low rating), it's not much like the original children's tale, nor like its own musical adaptation. Oz here is a dark, ugly and all-too-familiar place, rather than a magical fantasyland; people suffer, fail at their endeavors, and die; it's almost nihilistic, although lightened by some humor and absurdities. Readers should also be prepared for a somewhat unorthodox structure: the book covers almost 40 years, which means some significant time-skips, and we see a large chunk of the story through the eyes of characters who aren't actually important (although they think they are, naturally enough, which may make it jarring for some when they disappear).I'd talk about the plot, which I did find compelling, but this is a character-driven book and not especially fast-paced, so I'll cut right to the chase: Elphaba is awesome. Seriously, she is a fantastic protagonist. She's smart, prickly, idealistic, sarcastic, passionate, solitary, complicated, very human and also deeply messed up (okay, those last two are redundant). She is not nice, and maybe even becomes wicked, but she's one of the few people in this book who can see past the end of her nose, and does she ever pay for it. She makes her own decisions, based on her own sense of right and wrong, without depending on anyone for help or advice. So basically, I love Elphaba, which made for some painful reading, but says a lot about Maguire's characterization.Oh, yeah, almost all of the other characters are good too, even if they can't see past the end of their noses most of the time. People are more complicated than they may initially appear, and have complicated relationships, and are anything but black-and-white.The worldbuilding is also enjoyable; it feels early-20th-century (appropriately enough), which is quite different from your typical fantasy world, and Maguire does a good job of developing the society, especially early in the book. There's a lot of politics, and religion, and social issues, which in itself makes the world feel more real and tangible. In the end, though, Oz is meant to be a reflection of our world, and I found the satire quite well-done and not too heavy-handed. For instance, at first it seemed weird that this is such a brutal world, and yet people either don't notice or don't care.... but wait a minute, that's the point. They're privileged white folks and they don't have to worry about it.Thematically, much has been made about how this book will "challenge your preconceptions about good and evil"--and it did make me think, although not exactly in the way I expected. After all, if you're old enough to read Wicked, your idea of "evil" is probably not a children's-book villain in a black pointy hat (a white pointy hat would be another story, but that's not a preconception Maguire wants to challenge, and for good reason). And that there are multiple sides to any story shouldn't be challenging either. For me, this book's treatment of good and evil is best summed up by a dinner party scene, where the diners are confronted with a guest who admits to having just murdered an old woman in her bed. They proceed to have a spirited theoretical discussion about the meaning of "evil," and utterly fail to make a moral judgment about the situation at hand, let alone act on it by, say, calling the police. That's the sort of bizarre and, yes, challenging and disturbing material you'll find in this book.As far as the writing style goes, I've seen it called both great and terrible; I personally found it good in a mostly unremarkable way, but recommend that you sample a couple of chapters before you buy. This will also let you see how you feel about the sometimes grotesque imagery, which seems to be what people are generally referring to when they object to the sex in this book--there are very few actual sex scenes.So, why am I not giving 5 stars? The dialogue, while mostly good, didn't always quite ring true. There are some elements I find unconvincing and/or lame: the infamous "I don't know if I had a baby"; minor characters claiming late in the book to have manipulated significant parts of the plot; Fiyero's blandness (personality-wise, he totally fails to live up to his role in the plot, which I think is the point, but still). On the positive side, some elements I found lame in the musical (girls fighting over boys, blah) are absent here.I could keep talking about this book, but you've probably had enough. So here's the condensed version.Avoid this book if:- You're looking for something light, uplifting, or appropriate for kids.- You want lots of action or a fast-paced plot.- You don't want to see real-world politics, religion or social issues reflected in your fantasy novels.You might like this book if:- You're looking for character-driven, adult fantasy.- You appreciated the darker bits of the musical.- You like fantasy that can make you think about real-world issues in a different light.Clearly, it's not for everybody. I'm just glad I finally read it despite all the criticism--even if it did make me cry.

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite modern authors. It is a re imagining of the classic tale of Dorthy Gale and the Wizard of Oz- only it focuses on the Wicked Witch and Glenda. A tale of good and evil- but which is which? Themes of Redemption and forgiveness and learning to be your own person.Don't watch the movie and then read this book. Read this book first. Read it carefully and thoughtfully.It is not for a quick read. It is not for a young reader, an unsophisticated reader or one without some life experience ( in my very humble estimation). Not suitable for most children, but some Teens might enjoy .

I saw the musical "Wicked" in May 2006, and decided to give "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire a try. *Warning: Spoilers are to follow*It's difficult to convey my feelings on this book. On one hand, I think the idea of a 'true story' of the life of Elphaba "The Third Eminent" Thropp is intriguing and brilliant, since it provides proof that sometimes there are rational explanations for seemingly irrational circumstances and behaviors. (Why was Elphaba green? Why was Elphaba eventually labeled Public Enemy #1? What was so special about Nessarose's shoes that The Witch wanted them so much?) Of course I knew how the story would end, but at least there was no misunderstanding how and why everything happened the way it did.On the other hand, there were times when I closed the book for a few days and forced myself to continue because there were so many questions and not enough answers, or the answers were delayed by unimportant happenings. How did Glinda *really* become the 'Good Witch of The North'? (She stayed at Shiz and became a sorceress, but what actually led to her elevated position?) What really happened to Fiyero? (Here's a hint for those who saw the musical: Chances are, he wasn't *The Scarecrow*...he's presumed dead but in fact, we never find out for sure!) If Elphaba truly had an aversion to water (Examples: When she cried, her tears 'burned like fire'; she had no running water in her loft because she 'didn't use it'), then how was she able to drink water-based beverages like tea, ale, and at one point lemon-barley water? (Could she just not touch it?) While some questions were in fact answered adequately, more questions arose and were left to ponder over, and that was frustrating at times. The biggest question, of course, was Liir's background: First, it was strongly hinted at that he's Elphaba's son with Fiyero (she even acknowledges that possibility at one point in the story); later on, we're led to believe that since he looks nothing like Elphaba or Fiyero, he's really some orphan that the maunts stuck Elphaba with to get them both out of their lives forever. At the end of the story, there's yet another 'flip-flop' as we're told that after Elphaba's death, Liir went 'to look for his half-sister Nor' (as in not 'his possible half-sister' but his 'half sister', as if it was the answer we're looking for...but again with no valid explanation). It's a very simple question: Was he or was he not Elphaba's son? If he is, shouldn't his character hold more importance since he is her living legacy? If he's not, what exactly is the importance of his character? We never find out! (I'm in the process of reading the sequel, so I hope this mystery is finally cleared up)Overall, I suppose the book is worth a read for those who like their fantasies dark, but I feel that I must add this advice: If you have seen the light-and-airy Broadway musical that was (VERY, VERY) loosely based upon this story, you may be disappointed and even bored with the serious tone and bleakness throughout this book; if you haven't, then you may find this book fascinating and enlightening, and find the musical to be silly trash. Another bit of advice: This is NOT a children's book. Despite the all-too-familiar illustration of the two witches on the cover, there is much mature content that should not be read by people under the age of 16 (My 8-year-old niece recognized the cover and wanted to read it, and I had to explain that it was a 'grown-up book'). I say this not because of the sexual content (Although there's no shortage of that) but because of some of the more realistic undertones hinted at throughout the book. (politics, questioning good and evil, etc.) If you decide to read this, take a bit of precaution, and prepare to hear The [Shocking] Other Side of The Story.