Book Review

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

About a month or so ago I started reading Wicked since I will be taking Jessica to see the musical stage version this May for her birthday. I had been forewarned by numerous individuals that I may despise the book but would definitely enjoy the musical. Apparently they are night and day different. Question was would this be a good thing?

It took me far longer than expected to get through this book. There were segments that I burned right through, excellent storytelling, then there were segments that caused me to consider walking away from this one. I always finish books I begin though.

Wicked is not a bad book at all. Its a retelling of the life of the Wicked Witch of the West that paints her as a misunderstood heroine with daddy issues, and retools the Wizard as an overbearing dictator. So when I started I had plenty of questions, whats with the water, why is she green, what's so special about the ruby red slippers and really only the latter is ever answered, or at least approached.

Maguire is a well crafted writer who understands pacing and how to develop your characters. Elphalba, the Wicked Witch, who you must separate from the beloved Wizard of Oz to truly appreciate, is one of the most fleshed out characters I have ever come across. From childhood to untimely death her layers are fully explored. The only issue I came across was that some of her layers are quite that interesting.

The book is broken into a series of smaller books, at least thats how I look at it. In these different sections we are following the same characters, the same world, and the same story, it just picks up at different points in Elphalba's life. As a character she is always interesting, but like us all what develops us into who we are is not always that showy. Which is realistic and probably why Maguires story for me at least bogged down here and there. Don't get me wrong, she does lead a fantastical life that is completely unrealistic, but where I find her time in Shiz, love life, and the beginnings of Kiamo - Ko interesting enough, her childhood and wonderings just didn't do it for me.

Now I have decided recently to change my rating system. I will no longer grade books or movies or whatever I review on a system out of 5. I will just simply give it a recommendation from me or not. I don't want to give some a lower grade and lower your expectations, but for Elphalba I would recommend that anyone with any interest in her story should definitely pick it up at your local library and give it a whirl.

On a side not I will also point out that this is not a children's book and there are a lot of adult themes and situations in it that I didn't necessarily expect. Maguire writes for a mature audience, keep that in mind.

Recommended