Wicked

Wicked
Author: Gregory Maguire
Series: The Wicked Years (#1)
Publisher: Regan Books
How Received: bought

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...more 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.

Gregory Maguire has a very unique writing style; I can't precisely describe it, but it's quite fun to read. I love how The Wizard of Oz is retold; I can relate to Elphaba wonderfully in what she believes and sometimes how she thinks. Everybody knows a person like Glinda or Boq, has had somebody depend on them like Nessa, or wished for a romance like with Fiyero. And, for the record, the imagery remains fantastic and bright throughout the whole novel.

Anybody who knows me can tell you of my obsession with the Broadway musical version. Broadway musical versus book, the plot line had to change so much for the musical adaption that they're two separate entities, and I love both. You can see reviews for the songs from Wicked the musical and various other Broadway productions here.

Overall Rating: 10/10
Wicked or Wicked Lovely?: They both have wicked in the title. :) And I'm going to go with Wicked. I can't explain why; it just calls to me more than Wicked Lovely.

Happy reading!

~Nicole