You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
VERY different to the show/movie, it’s almost unbelievable that the book was the inspiration. It really reminded me of White Teeth by Zadie Smith??????
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Nessa: “you’re condemning yourself to a life of sadness”
Elphaba: “well, that I’m already familiar with, so at least there’s nothing to jump out and surprise me”
Elphaba: “That's the real power of art, I think. Not to chide but to provoke challenge."
Galinda: “I take all the credit in the world for my own foolishness. Good gracious, dear, all of life is a spell. You know that. But you do have some choice."
“And maybe the cost of belonging is worth it.”
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
okay. this one was tough to review. i was a Wicked kid; i first saw the musical at 11 after being obsessed with the soundtrack and haven’t really looked back. i still love the story, the characters, the themes. so deciding to read the book for the first time was exciting! and the book lived up to my expectations…for about the first third. through the scenes at Shiz, i was a fan. i thought the additional character development and viewpoints we got were good. i loved the writing and appreciated the additional nuance Maguire gave to the issue of the Animals, the notions of good vs. evil, and the involvement of religion. but after that section ended, things started to fall apart. the huge jump in time felt disorienting, the scenes in the Vinkus were too long, and i felt like multiple characters were introduced that didn’t need to be as involved as they were. by the time the famous ending arrived, i wasn’t close to hooked anymore. in the final third of the book, Maguire seemed to lose his ability to show not tell, and Elphaba’s inner thoughts we heard were obvious and simplistic. i was also left with so many questions i had really hoped the book would answer - did the Wizard canonically come from an America that is supposed to mirror our own? what’s up with the Grimmerie? does the Wizard have any actual powers?
all in all, i’m glad i read it. and i want to give credit where it’s due: Maguire created an incredible world that is truly very well-crafted. this book could have been a home run but sadly fell decidedly short. i still adore the story and the questions Oz poses, but this sadly wasn’t a favorite in the end.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just wasn’t feeling it might try again later
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a weird book! I like a lot of it, the entire Shiz portion, the affair between Elphaba and Fiyero, the social and political commentary… But the ending left me so puzled. Throughout the whole book, there’s this lingering question about the existence, or lack thereof, of a soul. Only for it to end by implying that there isn’t. So Elphaba’s journey just ends. She doesn’t get forgiveness, redemption or even purpose. She just dies, and that’s it. We never know what happens to Liir, we never see what happens to Oz after the Wizard is overthrown, or even what Glinda ends up doing. The animal orgy was also very unnecessary and out of nowhere. Neither Glinda or Elphaba were present at this part, so why did we have to see that? I know it sounds like I didn’t like the book, I did! In fact, it’s more interesting and nuanced than the movie/musical. I really liked how Nessarose’s story was about religious fanaticism and how even her father, who was responsible for instilling such ideas into her, ended up seeing how detrimental it really was to his children. I also liked how Glinda and Elphaba’s relationship developed. It felt even deeper and more natural than it does in the movie. The hat scene really stuck with me, as did their goodbye kiss. I’m sad at how the adaptation diminishes the characters in order to manufacture a love triangle. Fiyero is much more interesting in the book, and Glinda never cared for him at all. The only possible triangle there is the one with Elphaba in the center, not Fiyero.
All in all, I liked the book, I liked Gregory Maguire’s writing style and honestly consider reading more of his Oz retellings, but I admit that the ending lacked the catharsis I was hoping for, and that makes it a 4-star for me.
All in all, I liked the book, I liked Gregory Maguire’s writing style and honestly consider reading more of his Oz retellings, but I admit that the ending lacked the catharsis I was hoping for, and that makes it a 4-star for me.