Elphie: A Wicked Childhood

De: Gregory Maguire

Narrado por: Cynthia Erivo

A brand-new recording narrated by Cynthia Erivo!

What happened to young Elphaba before her witchy powers took hold in Wicked? Almost 30 years after the publication of the original novel, for the first time Gregory Maguire reveals the story of prickly young Elphie, the future Wicked Witch of the West—setting the stage for the blockbuster international phenomenon that is Wicked: The Musical.

Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl.

Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be—until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.

Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood—most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviors, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.

Elphie

Elphie turns the prequel into a raw, haunting childhood story that reshapes or clarifies what you’d assumed about the origin of Elphaba Thropp. The sense of isolation, family neglect, and the harsh cruelty of Oz’s prejudice breathe through every chapter — Maguire doesn’t shy away from ugliness, but he renders it with tangled empathy, so you never forget that trauma helps shape the characters. The glimpses of kindness in fleeting friendships, compassionate animals, and small rebellions against cruelty give the darkness weight, reminding you that even a witch’s beginnings can carry sorrow and hope. It’s a dense, morally complex prequel that honors the character’s legacy with subtle and defining brilliance.

Good performance

I love that Cynthia read it, made it feel elegant & her voice is beautiful. I thought the story wasn’t as good as the Wicked series.

great book

i love the Wicked series!!! As of now I've read every book. it's definitely worth the read...

a WICKED childhood indeed

it really gives you a look into elphaba’s personal and family life, it gives a deeper understanding of how she came to be

Just the fix I needed to hold me over until Wicked: For Good hits the theaters

Although I am sad we didn’t get graced by Cynthia’s singing, I love that she took on this project and graced us with her voice! Forever our Elphie