Comments on: Wicked / Gregory Maguire

By: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister / Gregory Maguire « Kay’s Bookshelf

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister / Gregory Maguire « Kay’s Bookshelf — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:08:22 +0000

[...] Written by the same author: Wicked [...]

By: Kay

Kay — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:54:00 +0000

I did not know about the two sequels, I only knew about the Son of the Witch (thanks for telling me about the other). Thing is, while I love series, I have not yet decided whether I want to actually read the sequel(s) to Wicked, as I was shaken up by it in a way I cannot quite explain — but it saddened me, a lot. It probably had something to do with the vast difference between the happy Oz of the movie/books and the cruelty in the Oz in Wicked.

I do have on my read list another Maguire book though, The Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister (about one of Cinderella’s sisters), and I am quite looking forward to reading it too :)

By: Jackie M (Literary Escapism)

Jackie M (Literary Escapism) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:08:00 +0000

I love that quote from Elphaba regarding her status as the Wicked Witch. It's one of my favorites.

I have to agree with you, Wicked definitely shows a whole new side to the story of Dorothy and her little dog. It's been awhile since I have read this novel, but there are still scenes that stick out for me. I love it when I can recall various scenes from a book after months since I've read it.

There is actually just the beginning of this series. There are two novels that follow Wicked - Son of a Witch, which tells the story about Elphaba's son and A Lion Among Men, which involves the Cowardly Lion. Both of these novels are on my list to read this year.

By: Kay

Kay — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:51:00 +0000

Yes, it does seem like the kind of book with hidden themes :)

I would have loved it myself if it weren’t for the Animal cruelty scenes (plus some other things in Elphaba’s life) that made me really sad.

By: stacybuckeye

stacybuckeye — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:52:00 +0000

I thought this books was great. I read it in a book group and the discussion led to so many hidden themes that I completely missed on my own. I read it when it first came out, way before the musical and unlike Anon. I thought the musical did a poor job of representing the book even though it was great theatre.

Great review :)

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Thanks!

I enjoyed the book less than expected myself — which isn’t to say it is a bad book, I think it very well written, the world of Oz seemed almost tangible to me at times. Which is why some things made me so sad and why I did not enjoy it that much :)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:36:00 +0000

A good review – but for my own part – I did not enjoy this book. I think it is even worse if you saw the musical Wicked – which is FANTASTIC by the way. Once you have seen both the book becomes even more of a disappointment.

But I really enjoyed your review of it.

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:34:00 +0000

Meg: That is precisely the way I felt about it, it must be worth reading if so many people loved it. And you know, there is a chance that it will become your favorite too, so by all means I encourage you to pick it up. Even if it won't, it's a well written book nevertheless so you're bound to find it at least partially interesting :)

J. Kaye: you made me blush :D :D Thank you very much for the compliment :)

Literary Feline: Yes, I too was expecting a fluffy piece! Which I think made the shock of finding it so full of serious and acute problems all the more powerful.
Thank you for your recommendation, I do love musicals, I'll be sure to check this one up when I get the chance :)

By: Literary Feline

Literary Feline — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:23:00 +0000

What a fantastic review! Very insightful. I read this book years ago and enjoyed it. It wasn’t at all what I expected. I think I expected a fluff piece, and it was much more serious and complex than that. I too came to sympathize with Elphaba. I will never look at the Wicked Witch of the West the same again.

If you haven’t yet and if you like musicals, you should try and see Wicked. It’s an amazing show. The story is a slightly different, but it’s based on the book.

By: J. Kaye Oldner

J. Kaye Oldner — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:27:00 +0000

I am blown away how you are reading and reviewing and it’s just the first! Maybe I need to stay off the internet more…lol!