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Reviews tagging 'Cursing'
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
6 reviews
savage_book_review's review against another edition
I saw the musical 'Wicked' a couple of months ago and, while I did enjoy it, I wanted a little more depth of story so I did have half a mind to read the book. It was therefore a no brainer to add to my Audible library when I spotted it was included with my membership. At this point, I am incredibly glad I didn't pay for it! I will give credit to the people who wrote the musical... how they managed to extract their inspiration from this is something I will never understand!
First and foremost, my goodness is this slow going! It takes 3 hours for the book to do what the musical does in, oh, 10 minutes max and actually get Elpheba and Galinda to their first day at university. And in the 8 hours I listened to, I couldn't really tell you about any major plot points that happened - they were just heading off to the Emerald City when I gave up. It's like the author kept getting distracted and going off on unnecessary tangents; in fact, his writing reminds me of the dull professors he talks about! There was just NOTHING to keep you engaged as a reader/listener.
I also found the tone of the writing very odd. Now, I'll admit that I haven't read the original Wizard of Oz books, so my thoughts here could be a result of the gap in my knowledge. But I couldn't get my head around the semi-frequent swearing, allusions to sex and various instances of more 'adult' material, all of which feels completely at odds with some elements which feel very childish and simplistic. I was expecting more on the YA end of the spectrum, if I'm honest, so while I'm by no means a pearl-clutcher, the grown up stuff just threw me for a loop! It's like the author couldn't pick his audience, so we've got a random mashup of everything.
I also remember being slightly disconcerted by the seemingly racist, sexist and trasphobic undertones, all of which made an appearance within the first hour. There are also questionable depictions of disability (physical and mental), and I got really bored with the repeated assaults of thinly veiled religious theology. It's not a new book, I know, but it was still published within my lifetime and so with each instance it just felt less and less comfortable.
The characters were all pretty bland too. Galinda is your mean girl with her back up b*tches, Boq is the geek in love with the popular kid, Fiero has apparently been given one hell of a glow up in the musical, and Elpheba is actually quite unlikeable. There was just no character I felt a connection with or able to root for.
While the narrator was fairly easy to listen to and had plenty of animation in his voice, I just felt that it would have been better if the story had been narrated by a woman. I felt like I might have been able to connect with the main characters more if I could hear their voice, rather that (in my head at least) the Wizard speaking on their behalf. I'd also say that the sound quality was not the greatest (lots of swallowing, loud breathing etc), and his timing was really odd in places, with large pauses where there was no need, and no pauses where there should have been.
All of this ties up in the moment I decided to DNF. The gang of secondary characters have just held a wake for a minor character and decide that the most appropriate thing to do thereafter is go to a sex club. After drinking and dancing, they get taken into a 'special room', where one of their number is pulled onto the stage with a sentient Tiger and a woman on her honeymoon. The woman is tied up by her hands, our secondary character is wrapped around the Tiger koala style, they're all blindfolded and it's inferred that the evening's entertainment begins with the Tiger performing oral sex on the woman. And then, without a breath, suddenly we're with Elpheba and Galinda on their way to the Emerald City.
Yup, at that point my brain went 'we're DEFINITELY not in Kansas anymore!'
First and foremost, my goodness is this slow going! It takes 3 hours for the book to do what the musical does in, oh, 10 minutes max and actually get Elpheba and Galinda to their first day at university. And in the 8 hours I listened to, I couldn't really tell you about any major plot points that happened - they were just heading off to the Emerald City when I gave up. It's like the author kept getting distracted and going off on unnecessary tangents; in fact, his writing reminds me of the dull professors he talks about! There was just NOTHING to keep you engaged as a reader/listener.
I also found the tone of the writing very odd. Now, I'll admit that I haven't read the original Wizard of Oz books, so my thoughts here could be a result of the gap in my knowledge. But I couldn't get my head around the semi-frequent swearing, allusions to sex and various instances of more 'adult' material, all of which feels completely at odds with some elements which feel very childish and simplistic. I was expecting more on the YA end of the spectrum, if I'm honest, so while I'm by no means a pearl-clutcher, the grown up stuff just threw me for a loop! It's like the author couldn't pick his audience, so we've got a random mashup of everything.
I also remember being slightly disconcerted by the seemingly racist, sexist and trasphobic undertones, all of which made an appearance within the first hour. There are also questionable depictions of disability (physical and mental), and I got really bored with the repeated assaults of thinly veiled religious theology. It's not a new book, I know, but it was still published within my lifetime and so with each instance it just felt less and less comfortable.
The characters were all pretty bland too. Galinda is your mean girl with her back up b*tches, Boq is the geek in love with the popular kid, Fiero has apparently been given one hell of a glow up in the musical, and Elpheba is actually quite unlikeable. There was just no character I felt a connection with or able to root for.
While the narrator was fairly easy to listen to and had plenty of animation in his voice, I just felt that it would have been better if the story had been narrated by a woman. I felt like I might have been able to connect with the main characters more if I could hear their voice, rather that (in my head at least) the Wizard speaking on their behalf. I'd also say that the sound quality was not the greatest (lots of swallowing, loud breathing etc), and his timing was really odd in places, with large pauses where there was no need, and no pauses where there should have been.
All of this ties up in the moment I decided to DNF. The gang of secondary characters have just held a wake for a minor character and decide that the most appropriate thing to do thereafter is go to a sex club. After drinking and dancing, they get taken into a 'special room', where one of their number is pulled onto the stage with a sentient Tiger and a woman on her honeymoon. The woman is tied up by her hands, our secondary character is wrapped around the Tiger koala style, they're all blindfolded and it's inferred that the evening's entertainment begins with the Tiger performing oral sex on the woman. And then, without a breath, suddenly we're with Elpheba and Galinda on their way to the Emerald City.
Yup, at that point my brain went 'we're DEFINITELY not in Kansas anymore!'
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
honeybeewitched87's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Rape
booknerd_therapist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Cursing and Fatphobia
summerb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Review of Wicked
By: Gregory Maguire
First, I will say this not for everyone even if you loved the stage show adaptation. The stage show takes elements of this novel makes a less dark and more bittersweet. In case you don’t realize this the origin of the Wicked Witch of the West, who is named Elphaba, and what lead her eventually to target Dorothy…. Or did she?
Maguire’s Oz still has that whimsy and weirdness, but it also reflects real world problems such as injustices of minority groups. One of Elphaba’s biggest passions is the fight for the rights of Animals, animal-human hybrids such as the cowardly Lion and Dr. Dillamond. The irony is Elphie isn’t even interested in magic, but she is interested in science. As a character she is brutally honest to point of sounding mean and doesn’t know how to show love and affection. She loves in her own way and sees herself as someone with know. She is frustrating, but charming in her own way. She easily becomes obsessed to the point of not being unable to see past her own beliefs, but we are seeing from her perspective. It makes the reader actually consider her side and realize she’s not as wicked as she seems, or there at least there’s a reason behind her wickedness. The novel not only questions how we see her but how we define “evil”. Glinda and Elphaba’s relationship is complicated and fascinating to read about it. It is the opposites attract theory as they have respect and love for each. At the same time, they don’t always understand each other, but there’s still love between them. There is quite a bit of mature content like sex and drugs. There is a scene where characters go to what can only be described as a pleasure den. The Wizard being the villain gives a new perspective on his lack of power in the original series of books. He is an illusionist and trickster, but in this story, he uses it for political gain. This spins a darker and complicated read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing and Classism
jourdanicus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Unique, with imperfectly likeable characters. The writing style took some time for me to get into, but this book really grew on me, and I'm glad to have read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual content
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