Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West review:4 stars (Great Story.... But Slow Read) - I really enjoyed Wicked. The plot was very detailed and the characters were extremely well developed. Two downsides -- the book was a fairly slow read -- due to the complex language used, I really needed to slow down and closely pay attention to every word. Also, my eleven year old is a HUGE Wicked fan (we saw the performance, she is familiar with the story, etc.) & due some VERY suggestive elements in the story, I had to hide the book from her.

I would still recommend Wicked to adults & mature older teens who want to learn about the lives of the witches that governed Oz. 4 stars (Which Witch?) - Macguire's casting of the Wicked Witch as a genetically marginalized human is compelling and inspired. Elphaba speaks truth to power and pays the price. She is a complex, three-dimensional character who holds our interest and makes us care what happens to her.

However--having to hold true to the actions of the witch in L. Frank Baum's original story--Macguire injects several character responses that this reader found jarring. But these are few and may be easily over-looked or explained away. Overall, it is an excellent read.2 stars (A Yellow Brick Road To Nowhere) - Like many others, I was intrigued by the premise. Find out more about the life of the Wicked Witch of the West? Well sign me up! But unfortunately this isn't the witch from the famous movie or even the witch from the classic book. Maguire has taken the names and places of those beloved stories and twisted them to fit his own ideas. It's not what I was expecting and it's not how the book is presented.

Once I realized this I decided to try and go with it and just enjoy the ride, trouble was there is very little to enjoy in this dreary and plodding story. There is no whimsy, fantasy or sense of wonder in the book in their place we are given political conspiries, genocide, holy wars and a world that is literally falling apart.

There are many interesting and intriguing ideas in the book, but ultimately they don't go anywhere. The friendship between Glinda and Elfaba ends abruptly without illuminating much of anything in either character, Elfaba's passions are never understood and the mystery of the Wizard and his book is never explained. Upon finishing the book I felt cheated. Here I was investing in these characters and their situations and almost nothing is resolved or understood at the end. The point becomes Maguire's vague attempts to speak of the nature of evil. Sorry but there are much more entertaining ways to do that than by offering readers hlaf a story.

Ultimately Wicked is wicked to it's readers by not offering any kind of meaningful end. We are left hanging. The Yellow Brick Road leads to . . . nowhere.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West Features:
Author: Gregory Maguire
Fantasy
Fantasy - General
Fiction
Fiction / General
Reading Group Guide

Wicked- The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is the Paperback version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 10.20USD.