Books : Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

by: Gregory Maguire  Average Rating:

Rating: - The WORST book I've ever attempted...truly WICKED.
I am an AVID reader, LOVE to read, and was so excited to finally get my hands on this book.....until I began to actually read it! Now normally I can devour a book in a couple of days...but have been struggling to plod through this novel for weeks. It is, without a doubt, the WORST book I have EVER tried to read. It is vividly descriptive - so much so that you lose the point of the sentence by the time the author finishes detailing the clothing, sights and smells. For anyone thinking this book ... Read More

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Rating: - Intricate and Engrossing
If you have already seen the musical and not read the book, then you will be in for a surprise. The book is quite a bit darker than the musical and the emphasis that the musical places on the friendship between Galinda and Elphaba is but one part of the book. Don't get me wrong- I LOVED the musical- it is gorgeous, lavish and fun. But I read the book first and fell in love with it first. I do feel that the musical was able to capture much of the essence of the book, but it was prettied up a bit. ... Read More

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Rating: - Almost coulda used more sex...
Maguire's OZ is colorful, complex, spooky and sad. Great for those who like to root for the underdog or see the prom queen slip coming off the parade float. However, I agree with some of the comments that the flow of the book sometimes stalled and then jerked back to life without warning. Second, the number of non-essential characters in this book was somewhat overwhelming. Finally, I have to respectfully disagree with the idea that this book comes off as over-sexed. If anything, I found that the ... Read More