A review by bookbelle5_17
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

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.
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