Thursday, July 2, 2009

Wicked by Gregory Maquire

My recap of June will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm doing a lot better tonight - but still fighting off the effects of a migraine - so tonight I'm just going to post a review :) (I pre-write them).

Buy it Now!


I came away from reading "Wicked" by Gregory Maquire with mixed feelings. I've always loved the story of the Wizard of Oz, and from that perspective it was a TON of fun to read some new "back story" to what was happening when Dorothy came to Oz! I really enjoyed the character development and how he explored the character of the Wicked Witch of the West.

I was a little disappointed by some of the things that Maquire chose to include. I think some of the sexual scenes he threw in were unnecessary and that his book would be appropriate for a much wider audience if he hadn't included them. Some of them did fit, but some of it just seemed like extra fluff to help the book sell.

One thing I found fascinating about this book was all the psychological elements he put into the story. There is a lot of discussion about the nature of good and evil, and what leads a person to either. The characters are complicated and interesting. The journey he takes the Witch on, as she becomes the "monster" we know her as, is full of interesting turns and twists!

Over all, I did like the book, but I wouldn't recommend it to a young reader. I'm wondering what the next book, "Son of a Witch" holds, and I would love to see the musical some day! I've heard some of the music and loved it.

3 comments:

Kathleen J. said...

I read this awhile ago and read so much I don't remember a lot of details. I did enjoy the definitely grown up version of the story of Oz. I will have to watch for the other book you mentioned.

AWJ said...

I'm glad you finally read the book! But I never found her to be a monster-- full of faults, definitely, and not wholly likable, but not a monster.

Live, Love, Laugh, Write! said...

I didn't really find her a monster in this book - I more thought of her as a monster when I was a little kid watching the movie...