12.28.2005
Wicked: The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire, 406 pages, paperback
Overall Grade: B-
While it was very interesting to read a story set in Oz (since I have been an Oz nut as long as I can remember), Gregory's story is not for the child at heart. Instead it follows the convoluted life of the Wicked Witch of the West, or Elphaba as he names her. Her messed-up family, her torturous years at college, her life that follows after. It's interesting to see how he works in all the parts of Oz into a believable world with real politics and revolutions and racial tensions. He does make a big gaffe in staying that Glinda is from the north, when she is most certainly NOT. And real Oz fan will tell you she's the "Witch of the South." *thumbs nose at those who've only seen the movie* After her time at college, everything else seems to be a slow denoument to her death. I guess it was worth reading though.
Overall Grade: B-
While it was very interesting to read a story set in Oz (since I have been an Oz nut as long as I can remember), Gregory's story is not for the child at heart. Instead it follows the convoluted life of the Wicked Witch of the West, or Elphaba as he names her. Her messed-up family, her torturous years at college, her life that follows after. It's interesting to see how he works in all the parts of Oz into a believable world with real politics and revolutions and racial tensions. He does make a big gaffe in staying that Glinda is from the north, when she is most certainly NOT. And real Oz fan will tell you she's the "Witch of the South." *thumbs nose at those who've only seen the movie* After her time at college, everything else seems to be a slow denoument to her death. I guess it was worth reading though.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, media: book, series: Wicked
