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an0987 's review for:
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire
funny
reflective
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
I haven't seen the Wicked movie or the musical, so reading this book was my first introduction to the story. I found it well-written with a tongue-in-cheek style humour. The world building was wonderful with vivid descriptions and a colourful cast of characters. Overall, I found it easy to read and Maguire did a fantastic job of creating morally ambiguous complex characters that overwhelmingly felt real and sympathetic. That being said, I think this book is best suited for teenagers and young adults since some of the themes here (e.g. coming of age, good vs evil, young love) were handled in a way that I think would be more illuminating to a younger audience. In terms of storytelling, it felt a bit lopsided at times with the story arcs and inner machinations of certain characters, such as Glinda, not really being fleshed out.
My 4 out of 5 star rating is for this as a YA novel. For older adults, I'd put this at around 3.5 out of 5. I think you'll enjoy this if you enjoy coming of age stories based around magic, though be prepared for a hefty dose of darkness and realism.
My 4 out of 5 star rating is for this as a YA novel. For older adults, I'd put this at around 3.5 out of 5. I think you'll enjoy this if you enjoy coming of age stories based around magic, though be prepared for a hefty dose of darkness and realism.