Name: Wicked
Rating: 3.441888619854721 (413 reviews)
ISBN: 9780060987107

Gregory Maguire

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Wicked

M. Sosotris

This is such a nuanced, gorgeous, upsetting story. I really enjoyed this one, and am excited to continue the series. This is very much a different beast from the musical and the original book and movie. This is a dark, probing look at women, cultural and religious attitudes towards evil, and totalitarianism. Throughout it all, it has a sense of humour that blends the absurd and the dark and keeps the absurdities and darkness of daily life in a flawed world from ever feeling too bleak and hopeless. So good!

I’m glad I read Wicked just because of seeing and knowing the story of the Broadway musical, Wicked, but that said it’s not my favorite due to it being so different from the musical, which I remember hearing about. Also it’s a very hard read. 

Skyler Lytthouse

Riveting all the way through and then it's like Maguire just got tired of writing the story and resentfully crafted the last pages. And then he wrote a sequel?? Brother you didn't even give this one a fair ending, why write an entirely new book. And I don't just mean the ending is sad, of course it's sad; I mean it doesn't make enough sense (what ending ever makes Total sense) and just ruins the rest of the truly compelling story. Usually when I read a book that doesn't stick the landing, I end up in the 3-4 star range, but this was just so atrocious it ruined the entire book for me. I tried to read the book several times in high school and always got bored and put it down, and I'm glad I finally finished it, but what a fucking letdown after more than a decade of owning this book.

Also an early example of the reimagining of fairy tales and other children's media as "what if it was Dark and Edgy?" but because it's an early example, it's one of the better ones. Until it sucks ass at the end and ruins the entire thing.

Jonnie

Riveting all the way through and then it's like Maguire just got tired of writing the story and resentfully crafted the last pages. And then he wrote a sequel?? Brother you didn't even give this one a fair ending, why write an entirely new book. And I don't just mean the ending is sad, of course it's sad; I mean it doesn't make enough sense (what ending ever makes Total sense) and just ruins the rest of the truly compelling story. Usually when I read a book that doesn't stick the landing, I end up in the 3-4 star range, but this was just so atrocious it ruined the entire book for me. I tried to read the book several times in high school and always got bored and put it down, and I'm glad I finally finished it, but what a fucking letdown after more than a decade of owning this book.

Also an early example of the reimagining of fairy tales and other children's media as "what if it was Dark and Edgy?" but because it's an early example, it's one of the better ones. Until it sucks ass at the end and ruins the entire thing.

I love wicked but NOT this wicked. It was such a hard book to get through. I knew it was different from the musical/movie but I wish it was just a little bit similar. Tbh excited to be done with this one.

Lauren Dale

Such an enjoyable read! Now need to watch the film!!! 

ophelia ross 

Sarah Sammis

Another waste of time. Either read the actual Oz books or A Barnstormer in Oz.

Ruby Emmeline Fisher

Babies first class conscious novel. Musical lwk outsold this but both still fire 

Audrey Lord

very hard read. and once you get to the end it makes sense about what happens. jealousy and wanting to be loved

Ivy X

** spoiler alert **
           This book is not at all like the musical. I didn't hate it as much as some other people did but I didn't love it either. The story is very compelling in the beginning and I really enjoyed it. I found humor in it such as how Melena was sleeping around and how the author described it as "dragon-snaking." Like...wth? 
Also a lot of controversial issues were presented in this story that could almost be relatable to real life. It involved prejudice and manipulation and all sorts of things to hide the truth and it was very interesting. I actually really liked Dr. Dillamond and the fact that he wanted to preserve the rights for Animals of Oz was a huge factor in the beginning and it gives a glimpse of what Elphaba was passionate about and what she wasn't. The characters felt very human. I liked how Elphaba was not this wicked witch we remember her as in The Wizard of Oz and Galinda (later on Glinda) isn't the nice little sorceress only capable of good. Elphaba was passionate about a lot of things but growing up green definitely has its scars as she sees how much Nessarose is pampered compared to herself. She loves her sister but you can see the envy as well. Nessarose was just a little brat which is understandable considering she was raised as a princess almost. Boq didn't seem that obsessed with Galinda as the book went on and Galinda is a good person. But she's the kind of girl that is secretly smart but hides it away and just worries about small petty things because she feels that it is her role in society. But other than that, Galinda isn't the sweetest thing either. She is very judgmental and all that. I hated Madame Morrible in the beginning for many reasons. I was so sad when I found out that Fiyero wasn't the prince charming as portrayed in the musical but rather an affair-having man. I also was very confused with the book at times and slowly that confusion turned to boredom as I reached the middle of the book. Did Elphaba have a child? How did she have a child? Is something wrong with her private parts below her waist considering she was never allowed to be touched there when she had sex with Fiyero? And a lot of other things. It's interesting but also confusing and sometimes boring. It also felt kind of perverted at times. For example: Melena was sleeping around even after having Elphaba, there was this philosophy club thing in the book that only was explained for that short section but it seemed like a sex club, and etc. 
I don't know how to feel about this book but I did enjoy reading it in the beginning. But the interest it definitely faded as confusion took over by the middle.

die Hexen von Oz ; die wahre Geschichte der bösen Hexe des Westens : [Roman]

Sonja H

Ich hab wirklich versucht, in dieses Buch reinzukommen, aber selbst als ich mich über die Hälfte hinausgekämpft habe, konnte ich der Geschichte nichts abgewinnen. So zäh, so passiv, so langweilig.

Melanie Richards

The author takes on too much (attempts to make parallels to historical events) and fails in every regard. At each point in Elphaba's life, the author builds and builds action and just lets the tension go without resolution, jumping instead ten years into the future. A major disappointment. Could have been a great book if Maguire had finished any of the stories he began telling.

Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

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