Rating: 
Summary: Elphaba! ~ Glinda the good witch who?
Review: Everyone has seen the movie the Wizard of Oz, well this book will change your perspective of the movie. I gave it three stars because, although it was a good book, I'm not quite sure that I am pleased with this new found out look I have. Now every time I watch the Wizard of Oz from this point on, I will be thinking "Ahhh why doesn't everyone hate her? It's not her fault." This book could also be something to open your eyes (in some strange way). Elphaba was made fun of for her whole life for being green, then he lover man dies, and things for this chick just never turn out well. I'm sure if I had her life I would be rude to everyone too. So after reading this book, you are just cruel if you still hate Elphaba! (If your ready to change perspectives, then read this book!)
Rating: 
Summary: Liked the concept of the book
Review: I liked the concept of the book, and I did find a lot of the ideas to be interesting. But frankly, I got lost in all the religious jargon. I could have lived without half of it. There was more description and detail in the 4 (were there only 4?) religions than the rest of the story. There were so many things that could have been expanded on but he spent soooo much time on the religions. I was so glad to finally be finished with the book. I just wanted it over. I can't even say now if I enjoyed it or not. It was ok, but it could have been a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: an ok read, pretty slow book
Review: i did not really like this book very much because it was a very big departure from the world many are accustomed to with regards to the wizard of oz. the witch elphalba is portrayed as a near demonic child, green and with sharp pointy fangs. she is a tragic figure right from the start because her mother is embarrassed of her and her father believes her to be a punishment. when she goes off to school we meet galinda, the good witch of the north. her name is later just shortened to glinda. this part in the book is the most interesting because her character gets a chance to really be developed. her next evolution is on of a radical political activist. after that she assumes the name of wicked witch. the book really borders on ridiculousness for me because the author has tried to make a parallel world of oz to one hear on earth. i did not like all of the political undertones and the turning elphaba into a would be political assassin. i did like how the character of elphalba came to be, he gave her enough tragedy to turn into a tragic figure that you really are afraid to see die. everything in the book seems to coincidental or by aciident. this was not the best book i have read and i do not think that i will ever again. the book as a very languid pace and only has snipets of interesting points. i dont believe this an author i will pursue. if you are really on oz fan, go ahead and pick it up, but be prepared for a very different oz than you are used to.
Rating: 
Summary: Broadway bound novel!
Review: I picked up this novel after buying the soundtrack to the new broadway show. I enjoy reading books based on books and this one kept my interest to the final page. I liked the idea of the pre-Wizard of Oz story and how the "Wicked" witch and "Good" witch were once sorority sisters. I think the author has found a niche in his writing and I plan on reading others of his books. I think it's definitely worth a try, Oz fan or not.
Rating: 
Summary: A book I will always cherish
Review: this book was very well written. It has changed a lot on my point of view for some things. Comical,romantic,dramatic, sad,philsophical, and a mystery to some. It has all the wonders and more to a great book. Kudos to Mr. Greogry Maguire. I recommend this book to anybody who wants to know the true meaning of evil.
Rating:
Summary: The beautiful show photo's inside DON'T MATCH THE STORY!!
Review: Hey. Wicked is one of the best religious and politically themed novels I have ever read. I loved every word. My complaints regarding the new publication are simple. It features photo's from Wicked the Musical, which has a plot almost completely unrelated to the novel. While characters in the show have the same names as those belonging to Maguire, and certain aspects of the plot "ring a bell" when compared to the book, the musical really tells it's own story. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the new publication DOES NOT match the story contained between that stylish green, black and white cover.
For one thing, photos of characters from the show do not match up with descriptions of characters in the book. I can only imagine how confounded a first time reader would be to see the pictures of Nessarose and Fiyero (she has arms in the show, he's not brown and tatoo-bespeckled). The vivid costume discriptions from Maguire (of academic shawls, lengthy pleated gowns, etc.,) can only boggle the minds of readers when compared to the costumes photographed here. Don't get me wrong, the show is lovely and very visually exciting, but does not match up with the story. I also thing it's very sad to loose the gorgeous original cover design, particularly becuase it matched the somber mood of the witches tale in it's final chapters. The show poster appears to tell the tale of two witches, while the novel is plainly Elphaba's story. Also, for reasons of cohesiveness, the new edition doesn not work. This is becuase the illustrations from the original edition are still contained within, causing the artistic style of the new cover to clash with that of the inside illustrations.
I will forever cherish my original copy of Wicked, and encourage readers to FIND THE ORIGINAL COVER DESIGN. It just makes better sense. I don't think I would like having my imagination swayed by the images from the show while I'm reading a novel. I say let us discover our own concepts of the characters based upon Maguires wizardly crafted words, THEN we'll seek out images of other incarnations!!
Rating:
Summary: loved loved loved it
Review: This book was hard to set down because I kept wanting to read it. I was initially on the defense of the original Wizard of Oz story but this book was written so well. After I finished the book I couldn't get the characters or the story out of my head for weeks. If you're craving something imaginative but more mature than most things out there, read this!
Rating:
Summary: A book to make me long for a rating system for literature
Review: I just finished "Wicked". Buried deep within the prose is a pretty good story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and how she got the title. A caricature becomes a character, one for whom I felt empathy by the end.Be forewarned. If you're expecting "Wicked" to be a retelling of the events of "The Wizard of Oz", it's not. Dorothy's house doesn't land on Nessarose until the book is 80% over. This is Elphaba's story from birth to death. I am irritated that Mr. Maguire confuses "adult" with "profane". It seems a given today that authors "prove" they're writing for adults by throwing in gratuitous profanity (at least one "F"-word and multiple others). And, I'd like to know how descriptions of defecation and urination add to the story? Natural acts? Certainly, but a decent editor would have excised these incidents and it wouldn't have harmed Elphaba's story. This is the type of book for which libraries were made. Borrow it, don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: A story within a story
Review: Very adept at creating a story within a story. We get to really see what the "Wicked Witch" is like, and why she was the way she was. This character was someone that anyone could imagine as a friend or at least acquaitance. We follow the "Wicked Witch" of the West's life from birth to death. From her strange beginnings, to her not so strange life in the Emerald City, to her strange endings. She has a real passion for Animals (intelligent animals) and pursues how to make them more free. She becomes a recluse by the end however, and does not know how to right some of the wrongs that have happened throughout her life. Sometimes while following the story, you can't help but feel sorry for her- someone who just seems to have a life that doesn't want to go right. Gregory Maguire is an adept storyteller, weaving magic within a magic fairytale. At times though, I found the book to be strange- too strange- as if the author would remember that it was a fantasy and wanted to make it more fantastical. I would say that it would have been easier to keep reading if he had continued the strangeness throughout the book, or cut the strangeness out altogether to make her life seem more "real."
Rating:
Summary: Very Imaginative
Review: Yes, that wicked witch... In this satirical fictional biography, Maguire traces the history of the wicked witch from her birth in Oz to her death at the hands of the "innocent" child, Dorothy. It's Maguire theory that the witch (named Elphalba) wasn't really the wicked person that The Wizard Of Oz portrayed her to be. Instead, Maguire proposes the idea that she was a victim of circumstance and political espionage. Though slow at times, this is one of the most imaginative books that I've read in a very long time. It is often very humorous (Elphalba was once the college roomate and good friend of Glinda the Good Witch!). Throughout the satire, Maguire also contemplates on nature of evil. This is adult fantasy at it's finest (definitely not a child's fairy tale). After reading this, I don't think I'll ever look at The Wizard Of Oz the same way again.
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