Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I had read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and expected this book to be as good -- frankly, I was disappointed. The book reads more like a screenplay -- it's very visual, but doesn't really go into the characters the way you would expect. If you "see" a story when you read, this works, but for me it was a disappointment!
Rating: 
Summary: Over the rainbow...
Review: This is a great book. At first, it might give some people pause to read a book based on such a well-known character, but Mister Maguire has fleshed out The Wicked Witch of the West to absolutely no end. You meet her family, the many people she finds on her adventures, and most importantly, you see her exploits in the political world of Oz, which is very tight, and endlessly detailed. Why 4 stars, then, you ask? My only complaint was that it was difficult to continue on after a certain book or chapter was done. Maguire writes the book almost like 4 or 5 novellas about different times in the same person's life. But if you're into that sort of thing (and even if you're not), you will enjoy this book a great deal.
Rating:
Summary: Not your mom and dad's Oz
Review: If you want to escape into a typical fairy tale where good and evil are presented in a two-dimensional fashion, this is not the book for you. If you would like to partake in an interesting journey where society, morality, sexuality and politics are made complex by the real question of "What is good and what is evil?", then plop into the comfiest chair and prepare to be spellbound.
"Wicked" is a social commentary made real because Maguire uses fictitious characters from a story so well known by the human world. In believing that we know the characters when we sit down to read this book, Maguire plays on our loyalties and preconceptions about the good and bad elements in the world of Oz. We quickly learn that all is not as it seems and that all evil was not always so and actually may not be; whereas all good was not born pure and perhaps, is selfishly driven.
This book does for Oz what "Wide Sargasso Sea" did for Jane Eyre's mad woman in the attic.
I give the book four stars only because the book ends before it should with some questions unanswered. However, it is well worth the tease.
Rating: 
Summary: a wicked read in every way....
Review: The very concept of the life and times of Elphaba, who would become known as THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST, practically calls to us from the bookshelf -- we love to hate her. And, concequently, we are drawn to "Wicked" as though it might be a grocery-checkout tabloid -- a chance to leer just a moment longer at that boney Margaret Hamilton face. But it isn't the MGM witch who stares back at us from the pages -- it is a REAL Elphaba. A child, a woman, a misfit, an inventor, a creative spirit, a moral thinker, a wounded heart.... ultimately a piece in a much larger puzzle.From the spare line drawings which have the force of nightmare images, to the political and social criticism of OZ (and us), to the hidden truths that no single character (but only the reader) seems to have in full grasp, to the final creeping and queazy suspicions about the Great and Powerful OZ himself, WICKED is a glass of cold milk in the face of simplistic narrative and over-simplified cinema. There's more going on here than the foolish child Dorothy ever dreamed.... Every word is luscious and satisfying.
Rating: 
Summary: Dissapointed and a bit disgusted
Review: Okay, I bought the book because of the cover and the title, I know you're not supposed to do that, but come on, it looked interesting. WICKED could have been good, it has a great subject, but Maguire confuses the reader by introducing wild amounts of new characters and settings that it becomes alienating. Not the OZ we all know and love. He not only seemed determined to change Oz but destroy it forever. I would like to think that the word ... is not a part of the Oz vocabulary. With all the sexual tones it may seem the Maguire is trying to prove a point about Oz and it's citizens, he is not sucessful. Please, if you are looking for worthwile addition to the world of Oz, DON'T READ THIS BOOK!
Rating: 
Summary: A Quick Read
Review: I found this book entertaining, but wanting in plot and character development. I needed it to be longer.
Rating:
Summary: Wicked is Wonderful
Review: If you ever wondered about the "before" of characters in any terrific story, this is a book for you. This is an intricately detailed tale, biography or explanation of the Wicked Witch of the West. Her family life, education, friends, lover and political inclinations are all presented in a well woven story format. You find yourself looking for (and finding) explanations about some of the details portrayed in the Wizard of Oz. It is great reading for people with an imagination.
Rating:
Summary: Now we know why she was wicked
Review: I loved this book. What an imaginative mind Maguire must have to create this story. I kept forgetting that "The Wizard of OZ" was fiction when I read this; I thought I was reading a true biography. A taste of biography, science fiction and thriller all rolled into one.
I recently tried to read another book by Maguire (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister) based on the Cinderella story, but didn't find it anywhere near as compelling as Wicked. I definitely recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Wicked
Review: Wicked, The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West is an interesting take on a novel idea. It's the story of a little green girl who grew up to be the famous, Wicked Witch of the West from L Frank Baum's tale we've come to know as The Wizard of Oz. Yes, Wicked is almost like a biography of her life from birth till death. Author Gregory Maguire has taken the nemesis of Dorothy Gale from Kansas in the "Wicked Witch" and showed us a possibility of how this main character came to be. This story literally starts with the odd birth of Elphaba (the witch's real name) under the mysterious Clock of the Time Dragon and ends with her death at the demise of Dorothy Gale's hands. The story of Wicked, is about seeing a whole other perspective. As the reader, you can not but help but be intrigued in matching up what you know is already the historical background for this novel's idea - characters, events and names from the original movie. If you ever thought the Wizard of Oz was all about singing, dancing, ruby slippers and a bit of house damage after a storm, Wicked will certainly make you think again. The land of Oz is anything but innocent, it is a highly political land ruled by a fantasy version of a Royal Monarchy - The Ozmas, an all female ruling class. Racisim and segregation are apparent throughout the book and not just with the predjuice Elphaba experiences throughout her life as someone obviously different from others. We learn that the famous Yellow Brick Road was in fact created on a whim by the Ozma The Beloved who taxed farmers heavily for the inconvenience of a road they did not want or need. The Wizard of Oz, is in fact a Kansas man who has mysteriously landed in Oz on a quest of his own. As his quest takes time, he ends up doing what any discover of a land does by invasion, and makes a political pass for the throne of Oz. Thus becoming the Wizard, a cruel ruler who cares for little more than himself. We find out the true nature of Glinda The Good Witch and Elphaba's younger sister the Wicked Witch of the East gets more than a mention. Not to forget of course, about how those magical ruby slippers came to be and their signifigance. The novel Wicked definitely stands out as a modern day fairy tale. Taking the way we know things in 'our world' and adding the element of fantasy with talking animals, odd looking characters and mixing it up with historical roles of invaders, military dictatorship and politics. Along with Characters who have families and friends that the reader might find in any community. This cleverly written novel allows the reader to escape and identify this type of world at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: DELETE
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