*Review* Wicked by Gregory Maguire

 

Genre: Fantasy

Published: October 13, 2009

Pages: 406

The New York Times bestseller and basis for the Tony-winning hit musical, soon to be a major motion picture starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

With millions of copies in print around the world, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is established not only as a commentary on our time but as a novel to revisit for years to come. Wicked relishes the inspired inventions of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while playing sleight of hand with our collective memories of the 1939 MGM film starring Margaret Hamilton (and Judy Garland). In this fast-paced, fantastically real, and supremely entertaining novel, Maguire has populated the largely unknown world of Oz with the power of his own imagination. 

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 by the time she enters 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. 

Recognized as an iconoclastic tour de force on its initial publication, the novel has inspired the blockbuster musical of the same name—one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history. Popular, indeed. But while the novel’s distant cousins hail from the traditions of magical realism, mythopoeic fantasy, and sprawling nineteenth-century sagas of moral urgency, Maguire’s Wicked is as unique as its green-skinned witch. 

This was the January pick for my primary book club. I did watch the new movie in the middle of reading it, so I will try to keep the two separate for this review, but may fail in that regard. In any case, this is my honest review. 

This was a reread for me, and while I typically don't review rereads, I am making an exception here. I'm going to start by saying that I typically like Maguire's writing style in general and I appreciate that this book is written in 3rd person since so many of the characters are not very likable. I don't generally enjoy being in the head of unlikeable characters. 

Unlike The Wizard of Oz, this is not a children's book. That doesn't mean children of a certain age can't read it (I'd let my 13 year old read it without a second thought), but they aren't the target audience. For one thing, the story is very political with a big focus on the rights of marginalized people when they are under attack. It felt pretty timely with the current political climate in the U.S. The story is just fairly dark in general. 

I did enjoy seeing what led to Elphaba being labeled as wicked by the ruling party, and I think this book really illustrates how the victor writes the story, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's accurate. I wish we'd gotten to see more of Elphie's early life though. 

Overall I give Wicked 4.0536 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Gregory Maguire is the bestselling author Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. With its three sequels, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz, the quartet is known as the Wicked Years. It was followed up by a trilogy called Another Day (The Brides of Maracoor, The Oracle of Maracoor, and The Witch of Maracoor), which continues the saga begun in Wicked. These books have have earned him rave reviews and a dedicated following.

The Broadway musical based on Wicked is now the fourth longest running play in Broadway history. The play has inspired a two-film project being released in 2024 and 2025, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Maguire has written ten other adult novels and twenty children's novels. He received his doctorate in English Literature from Tufts University, and has taught at Simmons College and other Boston area colleges.

He has also served as an artist-in-residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Having lived in Dublin and London, Maguire now makes his home in New England and in France with his husband, the painter Andy Newman, and several of their adopted children.