Wicked

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Hardcover, 406 pages

English language

Published 2005 by HarperCollins.

ISBN:
978-0-7394-6897-5
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OCLC Number:
32746783

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(4 reviews)

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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This was an enjoyable read and a pretty cool perspective on a story I remember from childhood. (I kept thinking of the Oz miniseries that recently showed on SciFi, though!) I wanted to stop before the end, because, of course, I was sympathetic to the main character, and we all know how she ends up... But I couldn't actually put it down until the last page.

It's always worthwhile to explore the meaning of good and evil, as well as our human tendency to believe the first side of the story we hear. In that light, and because it is well-written, I would recommend this book to others.

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Subjects

  • Witches -- Fiction
  • Oz (Imaginary place) -- Fiction