Wicked by Gregory Maguire

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

An astonishingly rich re-creation of the land of Oz, this book retells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn't so wicked after all. Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Gregory Maguire just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature. @goodreads

MY REVIEW:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1302505304

I thought this book was good and sad. I thought I had listened to it on tape years ago, but I didn't remember it at all.

I felt really sorry for Elphaba (the wicked witch of the west) because from the day she was born (green) she was not liked by her parents or too many people in the world. She was tolerated and a few choice people liked her. It's just like normal society where people are prejudiced against anything different. I'm guessing that would turn a lot of people wicked. But in my mind she wasn't really wicked. I thought she was awesome for fighting for the animals, as I am a wildlife activist. She always tried to be nice and be friends with people and they just shot her down.

I don't understand why her parents loved her younger sister so much. She was born with deformities but she was treated like a queen. It seemed odd to me, but maybe I missed something. Her sister did become the wicked witch of the east.

The book was strange in a lot of ways and I found myself thinking "what is going on" throughout a lot of the book. Even so, I very much loved reading about Elphaba's birth and life growing up.

I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. I just hope I don't get too lost in those! 

4 Stars