wilkes

Here is a short synopsis and description of the book:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=q98gsYwBFD&isbn=0060745908&itm=1

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

FROM THE PUBLISHER
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.
SYNOPSIS
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, Wicked just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature.
FROM THE CRITICS
Newsday
Listen up, Munchkins. Stop your singing, stop the dancing. The Wicked Witch is no longer dead. But not to worry. Gregory Maguire's shrewdly imagined and beautifully written first novel, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," not only revives her but re-envisions and redeems her for our times.
Lloyd Alexander
A magnificent work, a genuine tour de force.
Los Angeles Times
It's a staggering feat of wordcraft, made no less so by the fact that its boundaries were set decades ago by somebody else. Maguire's larger triumph here is twofold: First, in Elphaba, he has created (re-created? renovated?) one of the great heroines in fantasy literature: a fiery, passionate, unforgettable and ultimately tragic figure. Second, Wicked is the best fantasy novel of ideas I've read since Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast or Frank Herbert's Dune. Would that all books with this much innate consumer appeal were also this good. And vice versa.
USA Today
An outstanding work of imagination.
USA Today
An outstanding work of imagination.

Read all 12 "From The Critics" >
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Starting with the Wizard of Oz material, Gregory Maguire has added greater depth and different facets, creating something altogether different and unique. A magnificent work, a genuine tour de force.
— (Lloyd Alexander, author of The Chronicles of Prydain)
— HarperCollins
This book is a glorious frolic, a feast of language, a study of good and evil, and a massive history of the fabulous land of Oz.
— (Jane Langton, author of The Diamond in the Window)
Here is a story that is at once a page-turner and a powerful stimulus to thought.
— (John Rowe Townsend, author of The Islanders)
Gregory Maguire's donnes in Wicked are from Baum's land of Oz; but everything here has been recut to sparkle fresh and new, with illuminations shining in unexpected directions. Funny and serious, pulsing with imaginative energy, encompassing political thriller and moral reflection, this is truly a fabulous novel.
— (Jill Paton Walsh, author of Knowledge of Angels)
I fell quickly and totally under the spell of this remarkable, wry, and fully realized story. Maguire's adult fable examines some of literature's major themes: moral ambiguity, the nature of evil, the bittersweet dividends of power, the high costs of love. Elphaba — the Wicked Witch of the West — is as scary as ever, but this time in a different way: She's undeniably human, She's us.
— (Wally Lamb, author of She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Number of Reviews: 214 Average Rating:
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Showing 1-5 Next

A reviewer, avid book reader, December 23, 2005,
AMAZING!!!
Most amazing book I've read so far! I am now addicted to all of Gregory Maguire's books! He really makes you care for Elphaba (the wicked witch.)
Also recommended: Son of a Witch, Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister, Lost, Mirror Mirror
Fallon (FallonBurress@msn.com), a lover of traveling 2 other worlds, December 22, 2005,
Wicked shows how she wasn't wicked.
When Dorothy landed a house in Oz on a witch, she met the sister, the Wicked Witch of the West. But as this book will tell, Elphaba (her real name) is not truly wicked at all. Only misunderstood in her ways of trying to undo the wrongs being done in the great land of Oz. This book will truly make the reader re-evaluate who’s good and who’s bad. This book has now been made into a Broadway play.
Also recommended: Mirror Mirror, Speak, The Bell Jar, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Eliana, a fantasy lover, December 15, 2005,
Excellent Book, Highly Recommended
I first heard of the book right after I saw the play, so naturally I went out and bought it that day, reading it completely the first night. Well, five readings later, I am still enjoying the fantastic setting and excellent storyline and idea. The book is separated into small sections by area and timeline, making this book easy to read and enjoy. However, it is not exactly the same as the play, so don't hold those expectations.
Also recommended: Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Dragon Prince, Star Scroll, Sassinak, Dragonsblood
Mike S., a Wizard of Oz fan, December 14, 2005,
A fable journey into madness
What a great idea, the story of Oz from the wicked witch's perspective. This isn't a rewrite of the Frank L. Baum classic, but a biography of the villain. Through it we start to think of the witch as human, affected by life's events, tragedies and drama. And there are political overtones to the journey as the fight against tyranny and injustice takes center stage against the backdrop of indifference and self interest of the populace. But as unique as this perspective was, I felt like I was sliding down a slippery slope as the protagonist moves further and further towards madness, the characters become harder and shriller, until I was reading to finish the work not to learn of the outcome. The book can be divided into three portions. The first, through Elphaba's school years was generally interesting and fun, the second, through her activist days and travel, surprising but generally boring, and the last, involving her castle residence, mounting frustrations, and her fateful meeting with Dorothy, was seemingly without end. I finished with relief that the book was over, and while I have lingering thoughts raised by the work, my general overall memory was of a journey sliding from mountain peak into the mud. It isn't a journey I plan to retake.
A reviewer, the Kumbric Witch, December 2, 2005,
The Witch In All Her Glory
I was introduced to this book by my best friend. He insisted I read it, since I mentioned planning on going to see the musical. Taking his advice I borrowed the book. It was quite a fantastic book. Enjoyable, but at the same time darker than I expected. It's definitely meant for young adults and older. I think that to compare it to the original Wizard of Oz, or the movie is wrong. They are entirely different stories! And to say that the musical was better than the book is simply a joke. The musical was pretty much some random woman coming by, shortening the actual book and sugar coating it. I hated how it HAD to end happily. But the music was phenomenal. But yes, definitely read it. Very good book.

Welcome Smoker! The more the merrier. I went ahead and started Wicked because it will take me a long time to read it unless I get sucked into it and can't put it down.

Anyway so far it is about the Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz and it tells why she is so mean and what made her life like that. It is supposed to have lots of humor and irony and a little sex. You can look a synopsis of it on Amazon.com. Come to think of it I will go and see if I can find one and post it here. I should have done that in the first place. Duh!! It is coming across to me right now as a little science fiction/lord of the ringsish. I am usually not into that, but I am going to give it a chance. If all of us start reading it and are like: "whoa, this book is awful!" then I guess we can just switch books if we can't get through it. It is supposed to be great though, and it is a play on Broadway now. I think we will like it.

Great to have you join us. Hope you enjoy the book.

I will join as I love to read too. I just finished a book that I thought was very well written, a sort of spy type action book called 'At the Stroke of Madness' by Alex Kava. Some business sent me two free books. This book does have a few F words but not a whole lot.

I like about all types of books except political books and although I read romance books when that's all I have, I prefer science fiction. What is this Wicked book about?

Wow I get my butt stuck in the bed sick and this thing is up and running! I am so excited too, this sounds like such fun! I totally agree with what Sherrie said about the " rules" There should be none, so to speak.

I think we are all adult enough to realize there WILL be differences of opnions . Just like we ALL have the right to voice them.


As for you lurkers..Get the book and read it too. Even if you dont comment maybe you can see it differently than you would have to begin with. I will order mine sometime, either thru Ebay, Amazon, or Half. Thank you again Sherrie for taking the time to find all of that infor for us.

I think the forum is a WONDERFUL idea, it gives us so many possibilities to work with.

Happy Holidays ~ Allie

Count me in! I normally do a lot of lurking around here, but I love to read. I think Wicked sounds like a great book to start with. I'm going to go ahead and order it, and I'll be able to start it after the holidays. It will be great to have a forum just for this, too. Merry Christmas everyone!

Alright, I'll add it over the weekend (hopefully I'll have a few free minutes between family dinners). This should give everyone interested time to realize that it's there, too.

BTW, Sherrie, I just finished The Historian last week. It was a good read, and followed a similar style to Dan Brown, but I didn't think it was great. The plot seemed to lag in the middle, making me wish it was about 200 pages shorter.

I am out and about tomorrow and hopefully will be able to pick up a copy! Maybe once we can get our own forum (yipee!) we can start a thread on book suggestions. There are so many books that I want to read... I have already read The Notebook plus most of N. Sparks books, as he is a regional author. You already have yours? I am jealous! No fair, head start! LOL

Fuzzy, I would love to see the play too. I read about that last night after I looked up the book. I got my copy at Barnes and Noble last night when I saw it. I think it was $15.00 plus 20% off. I should have ordered it from half.com, but couldn't wait to get it. I also bought the other book I mentioned. I had the Historian on a shelf at home.

Great idea Jason! I would like that too.

I would prefer a seperate forum. I think it is a great idea.

I am a female! And I am really excited about starting this book! My sister goes to NYU and my whole family went to see this play in NYC, and LOVED it. I too was in school and missed the whole trip. I hope we all like it! I am anxious for some satire and have always believed that Glenda the good witch was a little too good to be true.
I like you am willing to read just about anything, but romance is not really my thing.

I could always make another forum for this, if you want. I don't want to make TOO many forums, otherwise people will have a hard time finding the information they're looking for, but if several people are interested in this, it may be better.

Thanks fuzzy, I think the people we have so far are all very respectful. Are we all women so far? I can't keep track of who's who. LOL! I know Allie and joie are def ladies and going by your name I would say you probably are, but men like fuzzy slippers too don't they? Just kidding ya!

Sherrie-- I totally agree. I think that some threads become a playground for bullies. I hope that this won't become a place where people show that kind of behavior. I am sure though, it won't be a problem. Most of the posters responding tend to be rather mellow on here.

Here I am again. I know ya'll are getting sick of me. I just wanted to also ask if we should have guidelines when discussing a book we read. I think we should all feel absolutely free to say what we feel about the book after we read it without being attacked or ostracized if we are in the minority. If perhaps, most of us loved the book and one or two hated it, those two should be able to say what they feel without feeling judged for doing so. In other words, we shouldn't say stuff like, "How can you hate that book? Are you stupid?" or "That book was filthy you should all be ashamed for liking it!"

I think all of us who have showed interest are pretty intelligent and nice people so we shouldn't have a problem, but I just want us to be able to enjoy this without feeling strange if for some reason a book doesn't appeal to us. I love to hear other people's view points and find it very interesting when two people read a book and both can come away with very different experiences. That just shows diversity. So let's keep it respectful and honest and share without judgement. Let me know if you all think of any guidelines or rules we should follow. That is the only thing I could think of.

PS I forgot to add that any books you guys have suggested we will put in the next poll for voting such as A Million Little Pieces and The Notebook. I didn't want you to think we are disregarding your suggestions. Those are great books and one of them is on my future reading list anyway. Please let us know if you will join us in reading Wicked. I hope you will. :)

Fuzzy thanks for that link. Nothing like a little "fun" to get people interested. I think it will be a great book. Don't get me wrong though people, I have many tastes.I am not all bad girl. I am very versatile. I love all books! Mystery, true crime, autobiography, religious, love stories, classics, etc. The only type of book I don't care for is the Harlequin romance type book, but I would be willing to read those if people want to. I am sure I would enjoy it once I started reading it.

So how many do we have on board so far? I counted six that are possible doing it. Is that correct?

Thanks for all your responses. I guess Wicked it is! Let's start reading it as soon as you get your copy and we will set a time to allow all to have a chance to read it. Would a month be too long or too short? We could try to have it read by the first of Feb. Let me know if this is too long, too short, whatever. I think we should discuss it here and in chat room if we can. We can also pop in a note or two in this thread saying how we like it without giving away any secrets or ruin the end for any. That way we can maybe get others interested in joining us next time.

I want to read A Million Little Pieces too. Maybe we can do it too in the future. The Notebook was awesome too. I am willing to reread any books I have read if that is what people agree to read in a certain month. I don't mind rereading a great book. Besides I have such a terrible memory when I read a book again it is sometimes like reading it for the first time. :?

Remember to try to get your book from the library. If there are any quick readers on here maybe we can pass around copies too. Don't forget half.com either. This is the cheapest place to buy books. I will look up wicked and post it here so some can order it. If you order now you would have it before the new year. If the copy I post here is sold just do another search and the next cheapest copies will come up.

http://product.half.ebay.com/Wicked_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ20432

It looks like right now the cheapest copy is $6.66 plus the usual $2.79 shipping. This is higher than their books are usually. I can get older books for .50 cent. It is still a lot cheaper than going to barnes noble though. Good luck in finding it. Please post when you get yours and are getting started.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is the best book ever! I read it about once a year (the movie sucked by the way). I have also bought at least 4 copies of the book because I keep lending mine out and it never returns!

BUMPEE :D