Wicked

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

By: Gregory Maguire

Narrated by: John McDonough

Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Heralded as an instant classic of fantasy literature, Maguire has written a wonderfully imaginative retelling of The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's point of view. More than just a fairy tale for adults, Wicked is a meditation on the nature of good and evil.

Elphaba is born with green skin, a precocious mind, and a talent for magic. An outcast throughout her childhood in Munchkinland, she finally begins to feel as though she fits in when she enters the University in the Emerald City. While she hones her skills, she discovers that Oz isn't the Utopia it seems. She sets out to protect its unwanted creatures, becoming known as the Wicked Witch along the way.

Narrator John McDonough draws you in to Maguire's magical world of witches and talking animals, making it possible to believe in a land somewhere over the rainbow.

©1995 Gregory Maguire (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A staggering feat of wordcraft." (Los Angeles Times)
"McDonough's excellent portrayals of Elphaba's outspoken, gravel-voiced nanny, Glinda's snobbish friends, and the wide-eyed, soft-spoken Dorothy make this excursion to Oz worthwhile." (Publishers Weekly)

EXCELLENT!

I truly enjoyed this entire book. I was, of course, heart broken with the ending and only wish that Elphaba could have been better understood and her life not so tragic...but then there wouldn't be THIS story, right? At any rate, I highly recommend this audiobook and I can't wait until the musical becomes affordable for us working folks.

delightful

I liked this more than I thought I would. and I was certain that I would like it an awful lot.

The wider of OZ for Adults

I had seen the Musical and thought I knew what to expect, but I was wrong. The Depth, Breadth and Power of Maguire's novel is astounding! I highly recommend it!

Wicked

I'm glad I finally read this, though it was heavy on dreariness . I can't imagine it as a musical. May have to go when it is back in SF in the Spring.

Makes me want to read the original Oz books more than the rest of the series.

This narrator...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book needs a new release because the narrator is driving me insane. You can hear EVERY single mouth sound coming out of this guy's throat. All the swallowing and smacking sounds and nasal noises I'M GOING INSANE!!!!!!

How could the performance have been better?

MAKE A NEW AUDIOBOOK

Was Wicked worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

It's a good book, just came to say beware of the narrator.

Decent story, don’t care for the narrator.

The story itself takes quite a while to really get going, but overall I enjoyed it. My main issue is with the narration, it makes the slow parts feel even less engaging and also he makes a lot of mouth noises/swallowing sounds with each pause and it gets unpleasant to listen to very fast.

I love Alfi

great inside to glendas and alfies friendship. great orgin story to all of the characters

Great Story

It took me several tries before I could get into this book. I began several times then made myself listen.
Turned out I really liked it. Very descriptive.

I drew very tired of the narrator beginning in the middle. You could hear him breathing and that was hard. But I kept going then was able to ignore it. Other than that he was very clear and concise.

Stick to the musical

Book was too long and unfocused. Spends waaaay too much time on characters that don't really impact the plot. Why do we spend the first two hours of this audiobook on the Witch's parents and early (3 and under) childhood? The last 3 hours or so are wonderful, but it's such a slog to get there.

Worthy of the Time

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Love the perspective of the story. Will listen to it again as there is so much detail to it. Narrator did a great job.