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Title: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire ISBN: 0-06-098710-3 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 06 November, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.19 (528 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Somewhere Over the Rainbow. . . .
Comment: I had alreay read Maguire's CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER when I read WICKED (very contrary to my otherwise anal, everything-must-go-in-order personality), and I was greatly looking forward to it. Maguire again takes a relatively familiar storyline and turns it on its ear--and the readers along with it! We oftentimes think we know who and what is evil and sometimes even why. Maguire tampers with the "why" moreso than the who/what, really challenging the idea of the stereotypes and preconceived notions we all have. The "Wicked Witch of the West" from THE WIZARD OF OZ seems hardly the same girl, Elphaba, that we encounter in Maguire's book. In fact, she is the same, but our preconceived notions have clouded Maguire's "reality." I found the whole geographic aspects fascinating. How can she be the WW of the West, when she is really from the East? How can Glinda be the Good Witch of the North, when she is really from the East, too? Why does the Witch want those foolish shoes anyway? Why has Glinda given them to Dorothy? Where is Dorothy? Maguire doesn't even bring her into the story until it is very nearly over. Dorothy is more of an afterthought than the pivotal role she plays in the movie, and Maguire doesn't paint her kindly. . . . Maguire has invented a whole new world with his Oz, complete with detailed map, political strife and corruption, family histories, and fantastic elements. I can't wait to see THE WIZARD OF OZ now and watch it from Maguire's alternative perspective. It must be even better than Pink Floyd's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON experiment!
The only times he lost me at all were when he stayed in that fantasy realm too long. I struggled momentarily with the lack of human beings and "reality" (whatever that is), unlike UGLY STEPSISTER, which has real people and real places throughout. That is hardly his fault, but that's why I gave UGLY STEPSISTER five stars and WICKED only four. Maguire is Tolkein meets C. S. Lewis meets L'Engle meets Jakob Grimm meets Ray Bradbury. . . . I don't know if he can continue this torrid pace of writing specatacularly creative, inventive, challenging, unique, and heady books, but I can't wait to find out!! (New one's out!!)
Rating: 1
Summary: The Yellow Brick Road to Depression
Comment: 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: 4
Summary: A whole new insight of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Comment: The book was incredible! We chose this book for our next meeting of our book discussion group, and by far it is one of the best books. I will never look at the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz in the same light. The Wicked Witch of the West was not born wicked, but merely driven mad by life's trials and tribulations. The brutal death of her beloved lover sends her in hiding from society in a "nunnery". But the final blow to Elphie's persona was the death of her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. The death of her sister sent her in a fury aimed at the evil Wizard. It was the Wizard that sent Dorothy to kill Elphie, before she could be sent home to Kansas. In fact the ending of the book is suprisingly different from Baum's original story. I recommend reading this book. It will bring back childhood memories of reading the Baum's story for the first time. Maguire did a wonderful job of tying the original names of places, major characters and many subtle refernces found in L. Frank Baum's stories written almost a century ago. Yet Maguire kept the material fresh so that you are hanging on page after page.
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Title: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister : A Novel by Gregory Maguire ISBN: 0060987529 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title:Wicked (2003 Original Broadway Cast) ASIN: B0000TB01Y Publisher: Decca Pub. Date: 16 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $13.49 |
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Title: Mirror Mirror: A Novel by Gregory Maguire ISBN: 006039384X Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 14 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Lost: A Novel by Gregory Maguire ISBN: 0060988649 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 17 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title:Avenue Q (Original Cast Recording) ASIN: B0000BZK1R Publisher: Rca Pub. Date: 07 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $13.49 |
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