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

JJJ

My View:   I should start by saying that I enjoyed this much less than the musical (Broadway dork alert). It is a book which demands a careful reader and a lot of patience during the boring parts of the novel. It has been compared to fantasies like Alice in Wonderland and J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpieces. In writing style, I think the Tolkien reference is deserved. However, the book can't hold a candle to the Harry Potter novels, because Wicked doesn't have the substance, adventure, ongoing plot, or likable characters which the Potter books are so known for. Wicked has a lurching, stop-and-start plot with no end point easily visible. I think it's an okay book, and worth a second read, but never will be a favorite. The story seems to wander aimlessly. I think that the real thing Wicked lacks is love. Not one featured character in the story purely and incorruptly loves anyone else in a romantic or even friendly way. Not only that, but the actually loving Dorothy and her innocent Toto are shown as annoying suck-ups and Liir is portrayed as a mindless boy moved by the slightest emotional inclinations instead of being really kind with a big heart. The musical shows a sisterly love between Glinda and Elphaba as well as romance between Elphaba and Fiyero and features many other healthy relationships. However love is shown as corrupt, pointless, misleading, and untrue in the book, never allowing the characters to experience real love. The deadened effect is maddening.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked:_The_Life_and_Times_of_the_Wicked_Witch_of_the_West

Link: http://www.gregorymaguire.com/books/wicked.html

General Information:

Method of Reading:	Personally owned paperback novel, 406 pages
Dates of Reading:	November 3, 2009- December 13, 2009
Author:	Gregory Maguire
Publication Year	1995
Recommended To:	*CONTENT ADVISORY I'd rate this PG-14+. Male and female readers would both like it I think, but you have to love fantasy to stick with this book.
Quotes:	"the infant glistened a scandalous shade of pale emerald" (19). "'Liir, really, you pick the most awkward times to develop character,' said the Witch wearily" (399).
Movie?	There's one in the making, I believe… and, of course, there's a wonderful MUSICAL version, which has sold about a zillion tickets and is extremely popular (it stayed in Chicago for about a decade).

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Maguire, Gregory. Wicked. New York: HarperCollins World, 2002. Print.