Editorial Reviews:
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.
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Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1637
 The other side of the story. November 16, 2009
F. Stepnowski (New Jersey)
I'll admit that the smirking face of the attractive green woman on the cover is what first caught my eye. When I started reading and discovered that WICKED was the "Wizard of Oz" story turned upside down (or was it placed the way it always should have been?) I became more intrigued; however, once I purchased, and got deeper into the novel, I was inspired enough to use a line from the musical as the epigram to my own book. The alternative look at the universe as provided by Elphaba (the aforementioned greenish hottie) is a morality play done right, and the reader is left questioning the true nature of evil long after the righteous entertainment of the novel comes to its cliffhanging conclusion. Oh yes, there will be more - but this is one of Maguire's finest moments, and one that should be savored, with wicked intentions.
 Brilliant concept fails in execution November 16, 2009
Derek Truesdale (San Jose, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The idea of telling the story from the witch's point of view is genius. The first half of the novel kept my interest and made me even more curious about how the second half of the novel could possibly create a sensible explanation of the events in The Wizard of Oz. Instead, the second half gets muddled down in a listless plot that fails to provide a satisfactory relationship to either the 1939 movie or Baum's original novel.
I'm glad that I read a synopsis of the musical after reading the novel. I think the plot from the musical is a far more interesting answer to the question of who the Wicked Witch of the West was.
Unhappily Ever After November 15, 2009
Jamie
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Not surprisingly I was inspired to read this book after seeing the Broadway musical: Wicked. The musical, one of the few I have had the privilege to see, was dazzling and I immediacy set about obtaining Gregory Maguire's novel. Though my interest was in Elphaba's story, it was Maguire's writing that truly held me enthrall. He writes with a high worded beauty of description and intuition that is largely extinct in popular writers.
Despite Maguire's exquisite writing and the intrigue of the plot I was somewhat disappointed to find how much the story of the play and the novel differed. While I am usually a fan of novels of any sort of adaption I found that I missed the happy ending presented by the play. I kept hoping that Fiyero would return to Elphaba. I truly enjoyed this book but for those who love Wicked the musical and happy endings I would not recommend this book.
 Wicked November 14, 2009
Caleb Thom (Boise, ID)
Wicked is an intense book that creates a mental space for the reader to take a closer look at his or her own world. It calls forth your own understanding of equality and what makes a person a person.
If you are expecting to fall into the magically happy world that the musical of Wicked creates, then don't buy this book. However, if you want your views of the world, propriety, social acceptance, and love changed, then buy Wicked and click on expedited shipping. In the beginning of the book I found myself hating each and every character simply for their outward actions. However, as I read deeper and deeper, and became consumed by the intensely topsy turvey world created by Gregory Maguire I started to fall in love with the characters both for their faults and for their passions.
This book demands thought. Even on the most basic level it is impossible to read Wicked without having to think a little bit, the vocabulary that Maguire uses entices you to read deeper and to examine what is truly being sad in every chapter.
I highly recommend this book for anyone. Though be warned, it is graphic and is set in a very high vocabulary that anyone under a typical high school level would struggle to understand. This however, simply adds more to the beauty of the book.
Wicked review October 22, 2009
Ms. Nuhfer
Have you ever wondered if there is true evil in the world? Elphaba hasn't. She knows there is evil in the world. Elphaba, also known as The Wicked Witch of the West, is the main character of Wicked. This book is about The Wicked Witch of the West from the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. This book shows her side of the story of The Wizard of Oz. It is definitely different from The Wizard of Oz. Wicked is the story of Elphaba's entire life. It tells of the moment she was born and everything that has happened in her life up until her infamous death. The main theme of the book is evil. The book tells of the opinions of evil from the author. Another theme is souls. Elphaba doesn't think she has a soul. She is an atheist. She doesn't believe in the Unnamed God or in an After Life or an Other Land. But when her sister, Nessarose or The Wicked Witch of the East dies, Elphaba tries to hunt down Dorothy to get her sisters shoes. Glinda the Good Witch enchanted them. Elphaba doesn't quite know if the shoes really are magic but she hunts Dorothy down in a manner that doesn't' seem friendly. When she really just wants to ask for the shoes so they don't end up in the hands of the Wizard. This book is romantic, funny, suspenseful, dramatic, and enticing. This book is more for an older age group but teenagers would also be able to read it. It is more for the mature person. It is neither a `girl book' nor a `guy book'. I recommend this book if you're looking for a more challenging read.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1637
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