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Summary: The theme: Demons can be Angels in disguise.
Review: Reading Wicked has left me hungry. The Witch hits too close to home and even though Oz is a fairy land every issue that it faces is a reflection of our own reality. (Fairy lands have their problems too.) Maguire touches on rights issues and natural law. The factions in Oz represent those from our own societies and reminds us that their are sheep, iconoclasts, tyrants, bigots, and all the other proverbial archetypes within every culture. As the back cover of the book points out, the ever present food for thought in Wicked is, "What is the true nature of Evil?" Like anything else evil can be subjective and this little abstract word can be used for personal gain and as a justification for persecution. In Wicked the under currents remind us of this. Hilter's propaganda of Nazi Germany made way for the Holocaust, the American propaganda toward American Indians nearly wiped out their culture as well as their bloodlines, and the Inquistion tortured to death thousands. From one telling of the story of Oz "Elphie" is evil because she is a threat to the status quo. She is the potential impetus of progress and enlightment in a land of suppression and a tyrannical regime headed by the wizard. The ending is haunting and left me hanging with many questions. Maguire, if you read this will you please tell what was the meaning of Elphie's existence and did just she miss it totally or was that it?
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Summary: a brilliant exercise in wordsmithing
Review: ok. loved it. just loved it. you'd never think that you'd find yourself sympathetic to the wicked witch. wait, sympathetic isn't quite right. you actually find yourself rooting for her.what's so ironic, is that you know how it's all going to end. yet somehow you find yourself trying to figure out ways that the ending will change and something else will happen. such an odd feeling. and delightful. read this book. even if it didn't tie into a beloved classic, it would be considered an excellent piece of story telling.
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Summary: Could NOT put it down!
Review: This is a great book. Very descriptive melding of the original "Wizard of Oz" story with a casting of the characters behind the fun in this classic fantasy tale. This is an in depth look at these characters life story before and after Oz. Makes them real, human and deep. The author beautifully melds the fantasy with the metaphor in a story that is meant to make you think deeply about animals and people in a different way. Even the wicked witch is not as evil as you would think. This is a fantasy book that is meant for adults, or teens, but not for your child under 12. It was great, entertaining and disturbing in a good way.
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Summary: READ IT NOW
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. You really feel for the Wicked Witch!
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Summary: Wicked
Review: I found this book by accident and I am glad of it. The plot is wonderfully interwoven with the classic tale of Oz. We find out the motivations behind the Wicked Witch, her sister, Glinda, and the Wizard himself. I found myself grudgingly rooting for Witch. It is written very well, although in my opinion there were a few chapters that droned on a bit, but it did not in any way take away from the overall story. I highly reccommend it.
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Summary: A fascinating trip through revisionist history
Review: Even in fairy tales, it is the victorious who write the history books, so this is a wonderful 'revolutionary's' view of the Wizard of Oz stories. You must have an open mind when you pick up this book, but if you can hold open the door to your thinking, the story will soon grab hold of your imagination and take you to places and viewpoints you never dreamed possible from the Baum books or the MGM movie. Maguire's writing makes Oz and the characters come alive in a way that is so different and yet so 'right' ... Since first stumbling across this book in 1997, I have recommended this book to so many friends that I had to buy another copy! Just find a big comfy chair, grab a large cup of tea, and let yourself move on down the yellow brick road -- you may think you've been to Oz, but believe me -- you're not in Kansas anymore!
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Summary: Charmed, I'm sure.
Review: Obviously, someone put a magic charm on this book. I started out not sure whether I would like it. Before long, I was hooked! For anyone who has been forced to read out loud all of the Oz books to his or her children, this is a wonderful antidote to the somewhat syrupy sweet Dorothy created by F.Baum. Not that I don't enjoy the original Oz books, but this adult twist on the original is wonderful.
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Summary: brilliant!
Review: absolutely brilliant - i've always been a fan of the wicked witch of the west, but this book cemented it! highly recommended
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Summary: The title says it all
Review: This book is much more than a great fantasy novel... or even a novelty book. Here, we come to meet Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the flesh. And we laugh with her, and we cry with her, grieve and plot. In here, Maguire has created a fourth dimension to Oz. We see that the Wizard caould have been a fascist usurper, and Glinda, a not so innocent or good witch. Black as coal humor and acid remarks abounds, making this a marvelous read that makes us know, understand and feel for the monster and as all of those "Silence of the Lambs" devotees know, that is no easy feat at all.
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Summary: Amazing Wicked
Review: This book is fabulous. If you love fantasy, then this book is definitely for you.
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