Elphie

A Wicked Childhood

De: Gregory Maguire

Narrado por: Edoardo Ballerini

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.

©2024 Gregory Maguire (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Fantastic, as always

The story MacGuire weaves is always enjoyable, filled with imagery easily brought to life by one’s imagination.

The narrator helped through his performance.

I thoroughly loved it. We’ll hope future for performances of the story are not lessened as some of his stories have been.

Back story was important.

Nothing at all to dislike. It's the wicked witch of the west. All Hail Elphaba!♥️

a good addition to the wicked series

It starts off a little confusing but all comes together in the end. Talks about Elphie as a young child and goes more into her family life.

A surprise fifth installment is added, exactly 30 years after the publishing of WICKED!

I literally could not wait to read ELPHIE. I was so excited that I began reading it immediately. The book is a very interesting, belated prologue to WICKED. The book gives tells a story of alphaba's parents and how they came to be wed, an answers without a doubt some questions I had previously had regarding all of Elphaba's earlier years. stories of her upbringing from birth,until the age of 16 is she begins her first day at Shiz University, and how she came to end up there in the first place

Amazing

Best audiobook ever. I listened to it for hours and really enjoyed it. I look forward to rereading the whole series now!!

Underwhelming

I really wanted to like this. Maguire writing has always been interesting but a but hard to follow at times. If you can get through the first half of the book, which is unnecessary and slow, the second half becomes more interesting. I do like how he ties in recognizable elements such as the first time she holds a broom and how she sees wings onto things. Overall though I don't feel like we learned too much more about Elphaba than we already knew.

Wickedly Wonderful

It's nice to learn more about who Elphaba is and what makes her feel and act as she does. Another brilliant book by Gregory McGuire

Just Okay

This book is a bit of a rehash of what we already know of Elphaba's life with a little bit of new info sprinkled in. it was a bit disappointing. It is a short book, made shorter by the narrators speedy delivery. I slowed the audio down to 95% so I could follow what he was saying. I do love Maguire's vocabulary and that did not disappoint. Slowing down the playback helped to make the book somewhat enjoyable.

For someone who loves the books, this is perfect

Everybody is very caught up in wicked the musical, which is great as the thing of its own. But the books are also still a thing of their own, and this is another lovely part of it that fits into the rest of the story, and the world, and the characters. I loved it quite a lot.

Elpheba life

I absolutely loved Elphie! This prequel-style story dives into the early life of the girl who would one day become Elphaba, the so-called Wicked Witch of the West. But here, she’s just Elphie—a curious, misunderstood, and quietly powerful figure navigating a world that fears difference.

The writing is both heartfelt and imaginative, capturing the emotional weight of growing up in a society that labels you before you even understand yourself. From family struggles to her first brushes with magic and injustice, Elphie’s journey feels deeply human and relatable.

What I appreciated most was how the story reframed the myth. Elphie isn’t wicked—she’s layered, vulnerable, brave, and brilliant. This book is a wonderful companion for fans of Wicked or The Wizard of Oz, and even if you’re new to Elphaba’s world, this makes a powerful entry point.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys character-driven fantasy with a strong emotional core.