Wicked

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

The New York Times bestseller that inspired the Tony-winning hit musical and major motion picture

OVER 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD

Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin—no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and not long after entering Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz's most promising young citizens.

But Elphaba's Oz is no utopia. The Wizard's secret police are everywhere.

Animals—those creatures with voices, souls, and minds—are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals—even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance.

Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas.

"An astonishing achievement."—Philip Pullman

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

good, but...

enjoyably told, though quite overlong and uneventful. very little character development. the whole story seems to meander around a reactive protagonist who never really earns her title.

Not the musical, and not the wizard.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Not sure I would like a movie version, but the musical I would like to see, as everyone who I have spoken to about the broadway version say that performance is much brighter.

Any additional comments?

Just finished this modern take on a classic tale...not sure I was too thrilled with it. From what I hear of the broadway show...this is not what I expected.

Starts Well, Grows Tiresome

Starts out well, but around the halfway point completely loses the thread and grows rapidly tiresome. Most of the characters are wasted, themes are rushed, and connections to the source material which seemed so clever at first start getting sloppy or even needlessly painted over.

The broadway version, which seems to have utilized a bar napkin’s worth of this text, does a much more effective job at telling a coherent narrative, and ultimately has a more satisfying payoff.

Narration is good, though there are some questionable and grating choices. [AUDIBLE]

It’s OK

I watched the musical and was excited to read the book that inspired it all (as I usually do). This book has mostly a great story, with very odd and weird inserts that make it inappropriate for my kids to listen to, and don’t add much to the story in my opinion. For the most part it is enjoyable but being that it is so long, I could do without the weird and get to the story line that I’m expecting.

One of my favorite stories.. not so much narration

I read Wicked the first time in high school back in 2005. I got the audiobook to relive the story while on a solo road trip. Still one of my favorite stories, but I didn’t care for the narrator