Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: As a child, I read and re-read all the books in the Oz series. I watched "The Wizard of Oz" and "Return to Oz" over and over, until I knew all of the lines by heart. So, when I heard about this book, I had to read it. It was one of those books where you start reading it on Friday night and don't stop until you've finished it Saturday afternoon, because you have to keep reading, but when you're done, you wish that it would go on, because it's so good.One of my favorite things about the book was that Gregory Maguire had really done his research. As I was reading, little facts would come up about Oz and I would find myself thinking, "Oh I remember that!" I loved how he took facts from the Oz series and worked them into his book, making all the pieces fit together. For example, ever since Elphaba first met Boq, I knew he sounded familiar. When we meet him later, after he's met Dorothy, I knew why I knew him. I loved how Maguire turned Oz into a real place. In all of the books, Oz was a fantasy land, where animals (or Animals) could talk and where dreams came true. In "Wicked", we see Oz as a realisic place, full of political struggle. We learn that Animals are not always allowed to talk and that many times, dreams do not come true. I remember that when I read the Oz books, I was focused on the strange world, the new and different characters. However, in "Wicked", I saw that Oz was not that strange, and I found myself focused on the characters as people, not as mythological creatures. This story seemes less like a fairy tale and more like a short history of a nation, the story of a misunderstood heroine, and a portrait of the many different sides and factors of one event. This book is wonderful: it gives one a better insight to the magical land of Oz and the makings of "evil." I would reccomend it to anyone, especially an old Oz fan. As many other people pointed out, the ending was a bit dissapointing. I'd spent much of the book wondering how Maguire would explain the death of the witch, and I didn't like the fact that he changed the story. But, all in all, it was a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely amazing
Review: I loved this book and I'm looking forward to reading other adult fairytales by Gregory Maguire. Watching The Wizard of OZ and reading the OZ series I never thought I'd find myself routing for the wicked witch, but I deffinately fell in love with Elphaba. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: What a wonderful story
Review: What a fully imagined story this was. I ordered the book expecting it to be tied more closely to the "movie" we all know. Instead, it turned out to be so well thought out and complex that when Dorothy finally makes her appearance it's just a part of the book rather than the cornerstone. I was not prepared for the tremendous thought put in to the characters, but came away pleasantly surprised. The language is the only reason I witheld a star. Admittedly, I've always been a math/science person, but at times I felt I should be reading this novel with dictionary in hand. I, personally, would have gotten more enjoyment out of the story had it been a little easier to read. As Mark Twain once said: " An average English word is four letters and a half. By hard, honest labor I've dug all the large words out of my vocabulary and shaved it down till the average is three and a half . . . . I never write "metropolis" for seven cents, because I can get the same price for "city." I never write "policeman," because I can get the same money for "cop.""
Rating:
Summary: You will never look at the green one the same way.
Review: A great revision of The Wizard of Oz that opens one's eyes to the good inside what is sometimes first seen as evil. The book's genius is in taking a much hated character, that most everyone associates with their childhood, and turning her into a hero and therefore changing the reader's reality. Very clever and very post modern. I found the author's second book, Confession's of an Ugly Stepsister even better, showing an amazing knowledge of 17th century life in Holland.
Rating:
Summary: Great book! Couldn't put it down
Review: I loved this book for so many reasons. Not only does it give a great spin on the already unforgetable characters it also introduces some great new ones. I really loved this book because the 'ugly girl' was the one I cheered for, which i also loved in confessions of an ugly stepsister. Although the end was rushed and left me with a few questions, i always recommend this book to my friends and i recommend it as a good buy.
Rating:
Summary: There is no black and white.
Review: My only criticism of the book is that the plot was a little drawn out, and frankly, I got a little bored during the Vinkus chapter. I liked the concepts behind the story - that there are multiple sides to every story, that people's motivations are deep and their actions are never shallow - although they may appear so. No one is purely good or evil, but we all strive for "goodness" (of course, definitions of goodness are subjective). [This is the same idea that attracts me to Thomas Hardy's work, particularly "Tess of the D'Urbervilles.] We are all a combination of good and the absence of good, and it's important to have compassion for everyone, and understand where people are coming from before making judgments. Even Glinda, the "good" witch was not made out to be a two-dimensional caricature of an upper class, spoiled brat. Every character in "Wicked" is multidimensional and Maguire spins the tale in such a way that the reader has compassion and understanding for each one. I was particularly moved by two episodes in the book. The first is when Elphaba, the "wicked" witch, and Liir, her son, tell each other what they wish for. I was surprised (as was Elphaba herself) that she wished for a soul. The second is when Elphaba develops empathy for Dorothy because she can relate to her and finds common ground between them. Dorothy had come for Elphaba's forgiveness, just as Elphaba had intended to do with Sarmina. I was a little confused about the political parallels in "Wicked" and in the original. I'd be interested in corresponding about this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Wicked Witch Tale
Review: This book was an excelent read. It had lots of interesting characters, that kept you wanting more from them. Elphaba was perfectly portrayed, She was the terrible miser that we have all grown to love, at the same time, you saw the softer side of too. If you have ever wondered while watching the Wizard of Oz, what really went on with the witch, what her past life was like, this is the book for you. If you never thought that there would be detailed items that you could have never of thought would move or talk, animals that could hold valuable careers and walk among us, then you are in for a real treat.
Rating:
Summary: Totally enjoyable
Review: Having spent most of my childhood in love with the Wizard of Oz, it is so interesting as an adult to have found "Wicked." As a child you see everything as a fairytale where ultimately good wins over bad. But as an adult we know life is not that simple, that the things we think are one way, when offered an explaination, are no longer so black and white. I love the way Maguire takes the evil character in the tale and asks the question, "Was she just on the wrong side in a political tug of war?" "Were her concerns not that of the dictator in power and therefore painted as wrong?" "Was her protection of Animals and the land really the wrong side?" I loved the witch and even though she seems bad, she had great passion of her beliefs, which few people have anymore. It is nice to see things from the outsider point of view. She seemed to me to be to liberal - too GREEN peace - for her time. I too, think that the ending was confusing and quick and not as satisfying as it could have been. But we can't change history, even if it is fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Wasted Opportunity
Review: I picked up this book because the idea of telling this story from the Witch's point of view was brilliant. It intrigued me. I am a little disappointed though. The first half of the book was great...interesting, captivating, everything. But the letdown comes with the conclusion. Maguire decided to re-write the ending of this story. I think that's a huge mistake. He's basically saying "this is the way it happened." Well, I'm sorry, but that's not the way it happened. With all the things that happen to Elphaba, she could have easily turned completely evil. I wish he'd have taken that approach. Turned Elphaba into a complete monster just like she was in the original. We as readers, would still sympathize with her as we would understand all the hell she went through. To me, this would have been a more appropriate ending. Unfortunately, I have left this book slightly disappointed. It is still a good read though, and I recommend it to any OZ fan.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-Provoking Fantasy
Review: I loved reading this book, but I also felt disappointed. I enjoy any book that looks at a well-known story from another perspective - especially from the "bad" side. Things are rarely black and white, and besides, pure good and pure evil are not very interesting. Maguire creates a richly and wholly developed Oz, but for my taste he leans a little too much toward fascism, terrorism, and cruelty. The real disappointment was the last part of the book, when everything that Maguire built up falls apart. So much is left unsaid, unexplored, and unexplained. The story is told from the Witch's perspective, but Dorothy is treated as such a minor character that it seems almost absurd that she kills not just one, but two witches. Dorothy's simple-mindedness is incongruous with her desperate need for forgiveness, and does not compare at all with Elphaba's desire for redemption. Maguire vacillates for over 300 pages concerning the motivations and morality of the Wizard, but in the final part he decides to paint him as a rather sadistic monster, without any explanation.
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