Rating: 
Summary: Read the Book and SKIP THE SHOW
Review: An earlier reviewer thought the book was slow, and only worth reading as a preview of the Broadway show. That reviewer even wrote "The show takes the very best parts of the book and runs with it. But reading Wicked was painful. No doubt about that. "Well actually, there's lots of doubt about that! I'm a musical theatre geek, and despite excellent sets, costumes and talent -- the Broadway show was dreadful. Really dreadful. I know the Tony nominating committee disagrees, but the show was absolute drivel! The adapters took a wonderful, complex novel (read it, read it!) and mousified it. They changed major plot points . . . like the ending. Do yourself a favor. Read this excellently written book. Be sure to buy a copy with the OLD pink and beige cover and not the new cover that glorifies the green and white poster from the multimillion dollar monstrosity. I hope Gregory Maguire got paid lots of money for the Broadway sell out, and uses it to write more good books.
Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant novel
Review: This novel was an absolute delight throughout. Its writing was witty, poignant, insightful and hilarious at times. A novel for the ages. Maguire uses the backdrop of The Wizard of OZ to masterfully create a new world that satirizes our own and kept me enthralled throughout. It is a story of good and evil, religion and politics and a lesson in looking at the other point of view. The protagonist, Elphaba, is a rich and complex character whom you grow to relate to despite any differences that everyone will have compared to her - I think that is a key point of this novel. I am utterly appalled at the criticisms seen here. Did they read the same book? Please completely forget about comparisons to the musical or the movie - they are entirely different things. For those of you disappointed that the book didn't contain the characters you wanted, you need to remember that the author wrote it the way he did for his reasons. This book is not about the Wizard of Oz. If you choose to read this only because you like the other versions, forget about reading it. If you love literature and the art of making the language sing and punch, you will love this book. You'll laugh out loud as well. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: For anyone who as enjoyed the Wizard of Oz & hated Wicked
Review: I don't know how many people have read Wicked with simply having either read "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" or have simply seen the Judy Garland movie, but coming from someone who has read most of the OZ books (yes, there are over 40 of them, L. Frank Baum's work as well as those by several others) this fits well as an OZ story. The original books were meant for children, and I loved them as a child. I have been re-reading them, and simply love Macguire's perspective on OZ. People have criticized his take on the lands we loved as children. Point of note: the author was not writing a book for children (Someone needs to tell Borders to take this off of their children's featured shelves.) In order to show how Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch of the West that we all know and loathe, he had to show where she came from. This includes the status of her family, including her mother's infidelity, the political status in OZ at the time (definitely interesting when viewed over the difference between and Animal and an animal (you'll have to read the book to get a clarification on this one)), Elphaba's broken friendships and broken heart. This is well crafted (and for the person who says that the "urine" part of the story could have been left out, remember, many of our own legends and myths are based around the bodily fluids and sexual organs of the Gods. (Read Norse mythology and the creation of Slepnir, Native American myths about Coyote, and Egyptian myths as well.) The story has underlying themes about the nature of evil, the concepts of friendship and friendships broken, sibling rivalry, love, lust, religion, and the price to be paid for sin. It covers poltics, religion, semantics, and enriches the world we grew up with as children. The only thing I can see that perhaps could even be a downside to the novel is that I read it too quickly. Another hundred pages or so would have been greatly enjoyed. All in all, this is an excellent OZ book for adults. Not something I would reccommend for young children, but a work that will certainly become a literary masterpice.
Rating: 
Summary: The Yellow Brick Road to Depression
Review: Knowing nothing about "Wicked," I read it several thinks ago, thinking it would be interesting, charming, imaginative, etc. The cover caught my attention; I guess I had forgotten what a downer it is! Then, a few years ago, I read there was going to be a musical version of this mess. I don't know why we don't have a musical version of "Silas Marner," George Eliot's classic chloroform in print, to quote Mark Twain, which was inflicted on high school students for years. There's no telling how many kids were turned against literature because of "Silas," which I hated as a teen and despised as an adult. Yes, I reread it, thinking maybe I had misjudged it when I was 15. It was worse the second time around. So, I'm rereading "Wicked," thinking maybe it would be better, given another chance. (Also, one of my colleagues said she saw the musical recently and loved it. From what I've read, the musical is great. I'm wondering to what extent it follows the novel, or is it simply "loosely based"?) Guess
what? It's worse than I remember. I dozed off at least twice today reading it. Maybe I'm missing some hidden allegorical meaning, but I don't think so. Maybe some people are saying it's deep, etc., because they think it's supposed to be--"The Emperor's New Clothes." Will I finish rereading it? Indeed I will because I have a personal policy: I don't like to begin a book and not finish it.
However, I've been feeling a little low lately. Could "Wicked" have something to do with this? This novel truly lives up (or down) to its name.
Rating:
Summary: i can't beleive these other reviews!
Review: forget the stinking play and review the gosh darn book! the play and the book are two seperate items and rarely ever does a live production and text line up! tell us about the book and how great it was, don't complain to us about how much you thought the play was better! and if you don't like mcguire's opinions and works don't share them!
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Information
Review: I realize that the author is trying to get the point across that Elphie's mother was not faithful, but way too much information about her love life. And I must say that I find that I liked Elphie more in the play. See, I thought she was a good girl who was hurt because she did good, then she turned evil. Then the author goes into description about her seing Fiyero every night for "classified business" The book REALLY DID NOT NEED THE SEXUAL CONTENT. I realize that things like that happen, but he really went into too much detail, I'm not even finished with the book yet!!!
MOST DEFINATELY see the play and listen to the music. Don't read the book it is NOT WORTH IT. The play is SOOOO much better!!! I wish I had never bought it.
Rating: 
Summary: poor
Review: i direct this to those who saw the musical and am planning to buy this book because of how great they thought the musical was. well i recommend you save your money to watch the musical again and not waste it on this book. i, like some, bought this book after falling in love with the play and found myself gravely disappointed. this book lacks good editing and has many unneccessary plots [urinating, sex, rape, etc.] let's just say, the producers and writers of the musical cleaned this book up. they took out the tasteless plots and added enjoyable events. don't dim your experience with the show by wasting your money on this book. the musical did what what this book couldn't: make this story great.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: ok, well i have to admit that i've never read the book. but im going to buy it! my friend read it and said it was amazing. i actually saw the broadway, and i was blown away. it's incredible and i think everyone should see it! (i suggest reading the book after...musicals are always more fun when you dont know the plot OR the songs)
Rating: 
Summary: Tough to read, but worth it
Review: I'd have to agree with some of the other reviewers: this book needed a better editor. There's some really great stuff in here, lot's of interesting new ways to look at Dorothy and the rest of her gang. But getting to the gems (emeralds?) is hard going, and I found myself dropping the book and picking up something else more than once while I tried to read this one. Read the book if you're an Oz fan, or if somebody loans you a copy.
Rating:
Summary: Failed Potential
Review: What an exciting concept! The backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West. It takes a really inept writer, however, to squander such gold on a tirelessly unappealing novel. Instead of fleshing out the narrative of one of literature's all-time greatest villains, Macguire bogs down his plot with inconsequential details. Sixty pages into the Elphaba story, Macguire apparently grows weary of his main character and inserts uninteresting, lackluster characters and plotlines. Had he focused on his main character instead and trimmed the useless fat (including plastic characters like Boq), he could have created a fantasy novel for all time. What he has produced instead is a book with more power to induce sleep than Oz's poppy fields. Sadly, this idea fell into the hands of a writer lacking the imaginative vitality to pull it off. But who really cares? He's published AND his book is now the inspiration of a new Broadway play. Bad writing apparently does pay off in the end.
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