Wicked : Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, The

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Summary: The most misunderstood source of "wicked"ness
Review: It's finally a book where not only the goody-good side is revealed. Read about a misunderstood witch who grows up like the rest of us, but just happens not to react to things like we do. Gregory Maguire has captured a whole new meaning of wickedness and put a whole new perspective to "an interesting read". Wicked opens the door to shed light on the life of Dorothy's greatest foe, The Wicked Witch of the West!

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Summary: Wickedly Wonderful
Review: Don't get stuck on the story from the movie. Get the real story of the Wicked Witch of the West in this book. You'll cry and laugh along with the green heroine of the book. Made me see the whole story in a new light. So enjoyable. If you even slightly love fantasy, this book is for you!

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Summary: The Real Wicked Witch of the West
Review: I love this book. Gregory McGuire has, in Wicked, managed to make the Wicked Witch of the West more frightening than she ever was on my television screen. Far from the evil torturer seen in the classic film, she becomes the tortured, living with crushed ideals of adolescence, in the shadows of crimes she committed and mistakes she made. McGuire makes the Wicked Witch of the West human, scary and frightening and complicated as us all.

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Summary: Wicked-ly good
Review: This fantastic tale of the "whole" story of the trip to Oz has been a wonderful armchair voyage. I hated to see it end and wished to help Elphie - couldn't stand that simpleton from Kansas! Even though the ending was obvious from the start- who doesn't know how it tragically ends?- I kept thinking that this time, just this once, it would end differently. What a remarkable tale woven around the complex questions of good and evil and not good vs. evil. Are we born evil or good, or does society pidgeonhole us in certain roles? Excellent questions to ponder while reading a fantastic effort.I am a fan!

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Summary: A good airplane read.
Review: I found "Wicked" an enjoyable book to read: an interesting spin on an old story while making a point that is not all that deep (but nonetheless worthwhile). "Wicked" provides an attractive alternative to watching "The Wizard of Oz" while listening to "Dark Side of the Moon."

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Summary: Wish this Wicked Story Was Better
Review: What a great book this could have really been. It was slow in many parts and included a sex part toward the start that did not really need to be there. Didn't like the ending. Much more could have been explored with this book. Not sure if I'll read the Step-sisters. Would not encourage anyone under 15 to read because of the sexual tones and that age could even be raised.

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Summary: Not as fabulous as all that...
Review: I'm sorry, maybe it's just me, but I didn't even finish this book, and that's unusual for me. I made my self read about one quarter of the way through it and then got so bored I stopped. I've been reading fantasy for years, and this just didn't do it for me. Give me a good deLint novel any day. Sorry Maguire, try again.

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Summary: Buy this Book
Review: No matter what mood you're in, this is the perfect book for you. Spending a summer lazing on the beach? This is a great surface read full of magic, sex, and scandal. In the mood for something a little deeper? You can read this book 15 times and still not discover all the hidden philosophical, theological, and political nuances to it. This is a book you will not be able to put down and will want to share with everyone you know!

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Summary: Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!
Review: Everything is perception. There is no pure evil or pure good. It is all how you look at things and who's side you hear. These are the lessons that this story and never had these words hit home for me the way they did in this tale. At first, when reading the description of baby Elphaba, I didn't know where this story was going. By the time she went to school, everything started falling into place. I really enjoyed this book and was blown away by the ending. Can't wait to read more from this author!

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Summary: Much more than a whimsical, novel look at a classic tale.
Review: Maguire's remarkable story would receive several stars from me simply for its beautiful prose and deep, thoroughly satisfying characters. But this book rises to a rare level of sucess by using these characters to examine fundamental human questions -- most notably the genisis and composition of good and evil and the power of forgiveness. I am not a fan of fantasy novels, and was reluctant to pick this book up, but it blew away my expectations and is assuredly much more than a whimsical, novel look at a classic tale.