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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
endless world building for little payoff in the end. part 4 and 5 are captivating but feel rushed and leaves you wanting more (luckily it’s a series i guess). very interesting to see what tropes and story lines don’t make it into the musical. also - really appreciated the religious element.
As someone who has not seen the broadway, I did not have high expectations for this book. I think I am coming from a regular reader's opinion without comparison to the broadway musical.
The Good:
I like the ideals and questions the book brings about political issues, race, etc. I love the ideas that it was trying to bring to this magical world of OZ. It does make me a bit curious about which ideas the broadway took from this book while making this family-friendly.
The Bad:
-When targeting issues, the book ranges from targetting it on the nose to being a bit surface level. It becomes repetitive to the point that I grew tired of reading the same thing over again.
-I am disappointed that they did not bring much personality to Elfaba's character. There were too many unanswered questions about her as a person. She seems to be only used as a tool to pose a question on whatever controversial subject was bringing brought up. I am aware, that may have been the goal but without knowing who she was, I found myself not really caring about her or anyone else in the story.
-The book is short but feels too long with it's repetitive issues, five-dollar words that go in loops, and many drawn-out scenes that seem to have no impact in the story or never brought up again.
Once again, I like the idea but the execution could have been better.
The Good:
I like the ideals and questions the book brings about political issues, race, etc. I love the ideas that it was trying to bring to this magical world of OZ. It does make me a bit curious about which ideas the broadway took from this book while making this family-friendly.
The Bad:
-When targeting issues, the book ranges from targetting it on the nose to being a bit surface level. It becomes repetitive to the point that I grew tired of reading the same thing over again.
-I am disappointed that they did not bring much personality to Elfaba's character. There were too many unanswered questions about her as a person. She seems to be only used as a tool to pose a question on whatever controversial subject was bringing brought up. I am aware, that may have been the goal but without knowing who she was, I found myself not really caring about her or anyone else in the story.
-The book is short but feels too long with it's repetitive issues, five-dollar words that go in loops, and many drawn-out scenes that seem to have no impact in the story or never brought up again.
Once again, I like the idea but the execution could have been better.
This book was a really interesting adaptation of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Gregory Maguire did a great job of inserting his own modern political commentary into the classic story of Oz. It's also interesting to see Oz through the eyes of the 'villain' (the so-called Wicked Witch of the West). I must admit, I read this book because I love the Broadway musical 'Wicked', but they are so completely different that they just can't be compared.
what I learned.... Don't trust everything you hear, and always keep in mind that there are two sides to every story. Elphaba, the "wicked witch" is a very deep, intense character who just wanted to do her own thing and be left alone. As a matter of fact, she was quite focused on doing what was right instead of just what was popular. This book gave me a lot to think about, in regards to people's opinions of others and what constitutes "good" and "wicked".
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
So strange, but so good
I love the blend of whimsy with darkness; the two definitely aren't mutually exclusive. The worldbuilding of Oz is incredible too, from the map included (honestly, it's been said endlessly but books which include maps are the best) to the slight differences in language and culture, slipped in without any unnecessary explanation. So much happens in this novel and yet the pacing stays digestible and divine.
Elphaba was a fascinating protagonist, with her blunt honesty and her realistic blend of selfishness and care for others. Her journey to the Wicked Witch of the West is gradual and rewarding to read, but her ultimate descent into mania felt really sudden and to me, even with the timeskip. Her fixation on the shoes is somewhat justified (because to her they represent fatherly love) but also felt a bit jarring. Also the perspective on age is kind of off, with the characters talking like lecturers by the age of 17 and calling themselves old and withered by, like, 25??
Glinda is such a perfect foil to Elphaba, both of them being named after saints, both of them so different and yet so fond of one another. Maybe I was spoiled by Glinda's promotion to dual protagonist in the movie, and if so I'm sorry to be that person, ha, but I would have loved to see her more. She seemed more of a love interest than Fiyero at times, at much as I liked him too.
Elphaba was a fascinating protagonist, with her blunt honesty and her realistic blend of selfishness and care for others. Her journey to the Wicked Witch of the West is gradual and rewarding to read, but her ultimate descent into mania felt really sudden and to me, even with the timeskip. Her fixation on the shoes is somewhat justified (because to her they represent fatherly love) but also felt a bit jarring. Also the perspective on age is kind of off, with the characters talking like lecturers by the age of 17 and calling themselves old and withered by, like, 25??
Glinda is such a perfect foil to Elphaba, both of them being named after saints, both of them so different and yet so fond of one another. Maybe I was spoiled by Glinda's promotion to dual protagonist in the movie, and if so I'm sorry to be that person, ha, but I would have loved to see her more. She seemed more of a love interest than Fiyero at times, at much as I liked him too.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This reimagining of the 1900 classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, spins an entirely new narrative to give voice to the Wicked Witch of the West. This book turns a very one dimensional character into a complex, intelligent and deeply human character. Showcasing a key message that villains are not always as they are portrayed.
Something I had to keep reminding myself and what was so impressive was the creativity of this book. The author builds a richly detailed world with class order, discrimination, politics and religion. This lays the basis of a much darker version of its broadway counterpart. Where wicked the show deals in friendship, acceptance and identity, the book is much more weighted by moral ambiguity, political activism, and religious conflict. The pacing was pretty slow in the beginning and the prose is dense but often with a retelling, it is easier to plow through.
It’s hard to compare it to the stage adaption as the musical was made to make the book more satisfying and family friendly. But what I did miss was Glinda’s storyline and her overall portrayal. In the show she goes through major emotional growth and her internal conflict and eventual maturity make her a good counterpart to Elphaba. In contrast the book Glinda is more distant and underdeveloped, despite herexplicit crush on Elphaba
I prefer the show but I do appreciate this detailed text from which it was born.
Something I had to keep reminding myself and what was so impressive was the creativity of this book. The author builds a richly detailed world with class order, discrimination, politics and religion. This lays the basis of a much darker version of its broadway counterpart. Where wicked the show deals in friendship, acceptance and identity, the book is much more weighted by moral ambiguity, political activism, and religious conflict. The pacing was pretty slow in the beginning and the prose is dense but often with a retelling, it is easier to plow through.
It’s hard to compare it to the stage adaption as the musical was made to make the book more satisfying and family friendly. But what I did miss was Glinda’s storyline and her overall portrayal. In the show she goes through major emotional growth and her internal conflict and eventual maturity make her a good counterpart to Elphaba. In contrast the book Glinda is more distant and underdeveloped, despite her
I prefer the show but I do appreciate this detailed text from which it was born.