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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Well written but didn’t change my life or anything. Interesting to see the difference between the book and the musical!
challenging
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
I'm ambivalent about this. When I first read it many years ago, I didn't like it at all. I expected it to be frothy and campy like the MGM movie, or whimsical like the Baum books, and it is very much none of those things. This time, trying again having forgotten the details but expecting darkness and not whimsy, I was actually really engaged in the first few sections. But the later chapters were disappointing. I think Maguire comes up with really interesting ideas for his novels but the execution is mostly dour and humorless and despite writing a novel set in the archetypal magic land he doesn't even really do magic very well. Elphaba is an interesting character in some ways - her spikiness and inability or unwillingness to fit in at first make her engaging - but then in the latter half of the book she's just so passive. Also, so much of the action of this novel takes place off screen (as it were). The section where Elphaba is essentially a terrorist is told from the point of view of a character who doesn't know what's going on, and then the rest of the action is mostly her hiding out in a castle while all the exciting stuff is just alluded to. I will try the other books in the series, because Maguire is inventive, but I wish I liked this more.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Felt really unnecessarily freaky at some points. I was hoping for a little more fan service with references to the movie but not a big deal. Sometimes I didn’t really understand the point of some of the characters, especially Shell, and I was a little frustrated that the tin man and scarecrow didn’t even come into Kiamo Ko. Also, the axe is supposed to chop off his arm, and it makes him metal instead? don’t get it. The ending was maybe the most frustrating part, obviously intentionally, but it just seemed like such a disappointing end for Elphaba… moral of the story: don’t crash out. All of that being said, I really enjoyed the read. Elphaba is a really cool character and giving her life beyond her original pure wickedness is a treat. Loved all of the politics behind everything too. Everything that happens is for a reason, and giving those reasons so much context and seeing all of the motivations of the different parties was a treat. Bad people work behind the scenes, mounting campaigns for absolute power, snuffing out the voices of those who may stand in the way, spinning narratives against the just, even - or especially- in a sweet, joyful, technicolor world like Oz. As relevant today as the day it was written, maybe more so. Excited for the second movie.
Gratamente sorprendida con esta historia. Es un libro que para haber sido escrito en 1995 es rematadamente actual, habla de política, feminismo, racismo, moral e incluso género y todo dentro de una historia de fantasía que nos revela a la malvada bruja del Oeste como a la fabulosa Elphaba.
Dragging was 50% into it and could not focus on the book. I love the concept of it but it was too much of nothing.