Reviews

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

ebarber91's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

a_b_hall's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

aleesha_mcnair14's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book, regardless of it's peculiarities and uneccesary use of strong explicit content, I thoroughly enjoyed. The Wizard of Oz is such an incredible story anyway that learning about the story beforehand of what created such a catalyst was really nice to read about. The best way to describe the book was like a rollercoaster ride in terms of weirdness. There would be moments of tranquility and character depth that would then quickly delve into sex or weirdly beastiality. Elphaba has by far become one of my favourite characters however. I adored the growth she went through within the book and her love with Fiyero that

btw I couldn't believe he was killed off

There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me and intrigued and I loved and was excited to keep reading throughout the book. Reading this beforehand has made me so excited for the film and I genuinely hold this book in such high regard once you block out all of the weirdness. I loved all the characters and cared for each person so dearly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia and Racial slurs

andreastopit's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

nckathyb55's review against another edition

2.0

Much more in depth than the play. Much more disturbing than the play. I read this to prepare me for the play and was not impressed. The play was awesome and I got more inspiration from the play than the book. Maybe I missed something.

ammartinez86's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

samantharae23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

serinde4books's review against another edition

5.0

If you want to read a book about murder, politics, espionage, and a journey of self awareness, Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is your book. Wicked is the story of the witch from the story of Oz. Gregory Maguire describes an Oz that has a much deeper and richer landscape and history than just watching the movie would lead one to believe. Oz is a land full of political intrigue, espionage, murder, faith and of course magic. Maguire did not write a fluffy version of the Wizard of Oz from the Witch’s point of view. Wicked is full of social and moral commentary. Maguire addresses religion, ethnic suppression/genocide, slavery, tyranny, and the idea of good vs. evil in a way that makes the reader think not only about Oz’s landscape and political environment, but about the state of the world around us as well.
For my complete review see my blog: http://adventuresofabibliophile.blogspot.com

megan_danyelle's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

hjswinford's review against another edition

5.0

2024 reread: I am older, better read, smarter, and more critical of the books I read than I was when I first read this novel. That being said, I loved this better now. I know I didn't absorb all of the cleverness and craft of Wicked the first time I read it. Having just also seen the musical on stage TODAY, I know that these two mediums are hugely different and readers should not come into this book with the expectation that it will evoke the same emotions as the musical. It won't. But if you enjoy cynicism about society and religion and roamce and parenthood plus also can appreciate how well versed in real Oz lore Maguire must have been, then this is the book for you. And for me, apparently. Raising my rating from 4 stars to 5. I couldn't love it enough before. I just needed more time.

First read 2008: Crafty, dark and...well...wicked. The background story of the two famous witches of Oz. I picked up this book because I am absolutely in love with the musical and I wanted to see what inspired Stephen Schwartz's show. What I found was nothing much like the family-friendly, happiness-filled musical, but something entirely different. Some who read the book dislike these differences, but I loved them.