Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wicked Years) (Paperback)

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Review
"It's a staggering feat of wordcraft, made no less so by the fact that its boundaries were set decades ago by somebody else. Maguire's larger triumph here is twofold: First, in Elphaba, he has created (re-created? renovated?) one of the great heroines in fantasy literature: a fiery, passionate, unforgettable and ultimately tragic figure. Second, "Wicked is the best fantasy novel of ideas I've read since Mervyn Peake's "Gormenghast or Frank Herbert's "Dune. Would that all books with this much innate consumer appeal were also this good. And vice versa.""--Los Angeles Times""An outstanding work of imagination.""--USA Today.".". [a] magical telling of the land of Oz before and up to the arrival of Dorothy and company.... A captivating, funny, and perceptive look at destiny, personal responsibility, and the not-always-clashing beliefs of faith and magic. Save a place on the shelf between "Alice and "The Hobbit --that spot is well deserved.""--Kirkus Reviews""A magnificent work, a genuine tour de force."--Lloyd Alexander, author of the "Chronicles of Prydain "Maguire combines puckish humor and bracing pessimism in this fantastical meditation on good and evil, God and free will, which should...captivate devotees of fantasy.""Publishers Weekly"Listen up, Munchkins. Stop your singing, stop the dancing. The Wicked Witch is no longer dead. But not to worry. Gregory Maguire's shrewdly imagined and beautifully written first novel, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, " not only revives her but re-envisions and redeems her for our times.""Newsday"Children - children of all ages, as Maguire reminds us in this splendid novel - need witches. Gregory Maguire has taken this figureof childhood fantasy and given her a sensual and powerful nature that will stir adult hearts with fear and longing all over again. It's a brilliant trick - and a remarkable treat.""The Times-Picayune"It is to [Maguire's] everlasting credit that he has succeeded so admirably that his book stands as an independent and inspired whole; it is also very close to being an instant classic.... Maguire has hit a home run his first time at bat. That "Wicked is a first novel is remarkable because it is so fully realized, so rich and involving. It is the most seamless interweaving of fantasy and reality since John Crowley's peerless "Little, Big, written in poetic language as graceful as a Ray Boldger tap-dance.""The Commercial Appeal"It is for good readers who like satire, and love exceedingly imaginative and clever fantasy.""School Library Journal

Product Description
When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil? Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

168 Reviews 5 star:  (82) 4 star:  (37) 3 star:  (17) 2 star:  (14) 1 star:  (18)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (168 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   35 of 37 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Darker Side of the Rainbow, 16 Dec 2002 By  A Customer - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    In Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire has written a novel that deals with the life of Elphaba, an emerald-green skinned young woman who was born into the family of a preacher and his wife in Munchkinland. Elphaba's family are not Munchkinlanders, however, and Elphaba grows up knowing more than she ever wanted to know about persecution and alienation. As a result, she becomes somewhat introverted, rebellious and yes, a little wicked. When we all root for Dorothy as she triumphs over the Wicked Witch of the West in Frank Baum's Oz tales, we seem to forget that we are only hearing Dorothy's side of the story. There is more to Elphaba than wickedness and Maguire proves it as he chronicles Elphaba's odyssey through the land of Oz. What makes Wicked such a special book is the fact that Maguire has written a story that challenges our preconceived notions of what, exactly, is good and what, exactly, is evil, with the character of Elphaba at the heart of the matter. Although Dorothy does make an appearance near the end of the book, it really isn't necessary to know anything about her or the Baum stories to understand and appreciate Wicked. In Wicked, we follow the life of Elphaba as we learn what shaped her personality, what it really means to be a witch and how things are not always as we think them to be or even as we want them to be. The characters in Wicked are fully-fleshed out and believable. Besides Elphaba, there is her university roommate, Glinda; Boq, the lovelorn Munchkin; Fiyero, a tribal prince from the primitive West of Oz; and Nessarose, Elphaba's beautiful and witchy sister. The fantasy elements in Wicked are actually quite light; this is no book for children and it even runs the risk of becoming overburdened by the weighty issues it seeks to tackle. Maguire could have let this book slip into nothing more than a sappy view of the technologies and magic that pervade the land of Oz. Instead, he wisely chose to focus on the people, instead and he has created characters that are vibrant, strong and full of life. Maguire's Oz is no Utopia and Elphaba is more than just a green-skinned witch. She is a woman who has become wise through the mechanations of guilt and sorrow and one who is, surprisingly, actually happy to meet the young girl from Kansas who eventually shows up at her door. Wicked is more than satire; it is an imaginative, fast-paced, fantastically real and supremely entertaining novel of vision and revision. Once you read it, Oz will never be the same again. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   13 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars There's no place like Oz!, 17 Jul 2006 By  Clear Smith (UK) - See all my reviews This review is from: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Hardcover) I absolutely loved this book. I picked it up at the airport on the way home from America and sat reading it the entire flight. It was really that good. The concept of the book was fascinating and to give an age old character like the Wicked Witch a past and a history was genius! Maguire's Elphaba is wonderful, her development as a girl to a woman intriguing and believable. Maguire manages to make you her hopes and loves and disappoinments all your own and you will find yourself sympathising with the 'witch'. I found the world of Oz beautifully described and the geographical differences between the different regions fascinating. I particularly liked the way Maguire weaves magic and love and the themes of good and evil into the story in a very convincing manner. Definitely worth a read! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   15 of 17 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Poor Misunderstood Witch Child!, 16 May 2003 By  Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    This remarkably clever tale never fails to amuse as it smacks of modern life troubles mixed in the Frank Baum fantasy world of Oz. Who would have thought that the Wicked Witch of the West was born disabled and disfigured to lousy parents, causing her to inevitably become evil? What's a child to do if born green, ugly and overly sensitive to water? Let's not forget the alcoholic and self-loathing parents of this child. This fantasy follows the life of Elphaba as she grows and learns about discrimination and hatred only to have her sister witch killed in a freak accident (enter Dorothy and her house). Frank Baum's Oz books are just the starting point for MacGuire's twisted tale with modern overtones. It includes all the original Baum characters and gives them another dimension; one that Baum could only have had nightmares about! It's a masterpiece! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 168 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment Having heard excellent things about the musical, I was looking forward to reading this book, but it has failed miserably to live up to expectations, and is actually proving a... Read more Published 3 days ago by J. Hills 1.0 out of 5 stars Very dull... I bought this book hoping it would be just as brilliant and magical as the wizard of oz but unfortunatley it did not live up to its expectations. Read more Published 8 days ago by Amelia A. Fairhurst 3.0 out of 5 stars OK Maguire has an excellent base story here. It is gripping, compelling and thought provoking. You will come to understand the other side of the coin and sympathise with someone who... Read more Published 1 month ago by Jon 4.0 out of 5 stars Preferred the novel to the musical. It seems from most other reviews, fans of the show will berate the book simply because it is not the musical. True enough, the novel and the stage show are very different. Read more Published 2 months ago by SilentReverie4 1.0 out of 5 stars It never arrived............ I ordered 2 books, Wicked years 1 & Wicked years 2. I ordered them both on the same day at the same time. Read more Published 3 months ago by Ms. J. R. Northrop 5.0 out of 5 stars Not for kids! The story WICKED is dark. In its telling, it cleverly unfolds the concept "terrorist or freedom fighter?". Read more Published 5 months ago by Cuivienna 2.0 out of 5 stars Wordy But Dull Wow, what a plod. I'm not ashamed to say I rushed out to buy this and its sequel, Son of a Witch, after seeing the musical. Read more Published 6 months ago by AK 1957-05 3.0 out of 5 stars not bad at all I liked this book as it delt with the politics of fairyland, the nitty gritty everyone sometimes thinks of but is never explained, i didnt find the story fantastic, but not bad,... Read more Published 9 months ago by A. D. Taylor 5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked In Every Way. As a child i enjoyed the Oz books and the films. I was looking forward to reading this book, thinking it would be a lighthearted family type thing. Read more Published 10 months ago by L. Remnant 1.0 out of 5 stars Pretentious nonsense...and boring to boot! I have so many criticisms of this book: Firstly, none of the characters have any charm or interest value. Read more Published 12 months ago by Steven Chambers Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 168 customer reviews...

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