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A review by wyrdwit
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What fun to get a glimpse into the formative years of the person most of us know as the Wicked Witch of the West.
We are all, in part, a product of our environment—Elphaba Thropp is no different. Elphie experiences prejudice for being born with green skin, beginning within her own family. She is on the receiving end of her parents’ lack of emotional maturity and inability to meet her needs. She learns to accept solitude and neglect as her younger siblings require more attention because it grants her some freedom from her family’s criticism. She bears the scars of generational trauma. But occasionally, she encounters—maybe not kind, but kinder—souls who help alter the trajectory of her life as a traveling minister’s daughter into one that will continue to open and satiate her curious mind, sending her on her path to Shiz University where we first met her in “Wicked.”
My biggest piece of criticism is the length of the book—I think this could’ve been just as good as a novella since there are so many other books in the series that paint a great picture of Elphaba and the world of Oz, but I think learning about what planted the seeds in her mind in the years leading up to Shiz gives additional dimension to her character.
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I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
We are all, in part, a product of our environment—Elphaba Thropp is no different. Elphie experiences prejudice for being born with green skin, beginning within her own family. She is on the receiving end of her parents’ lack of emotional maturity and inability to meet her needs. She learns to accept solitude and neglect as her younger siblings require more attention because it grants her some freedom from her family’s criticism. She bears the scars of generational trauma. But occasionally, she encounters—maybe not kind, but kinder—souls who help alter the trajectory of her life as a traveling minister’s daughter into one that will continue to open and satiate her curious mind, sending her on her path to Shiz University where we first met her in “Wicked.”
My biggest piece of criticism is the length of the book—I think this could’ve been just as good as a novella since there are so many other books in the series that paint a great picture of Elphaba and the world of Oz, but I think learning about what planted the seeds in her mind in the years leading up to Shiz gives additional dimension to her character.
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I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.