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 to overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. But Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters the university in Shiz, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz' most promising young citizens.

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 it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Even 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.

In Wicked, Gregory Maguire has taken the largely unknown world of Oz and populated it with the power of his own imagination. Fast-paced, fantastically real and supremely entertaining, this is a novel of vision and re-vision. Oz never will be the same again.

Customer Reviews Average rating - 3.5

Rating - 1 Date: 2009-01-04
Content: Having just finished Wicked, I find consolation in the 1-star reviews. The author, with all his noble intentions, fails - like the poor Elphaba -in all of them. So much promise, and such an annoying and depressing result.
Summary: this book needed years more of work

Rating - 3 Date: 2008-12-31
Content: If I could, I would probably give this book 3 and 1/2 stars, because I did like it. Maguire takes so much time and detail to create the land, and what we're seeing the characters doing. The structure and symbolism of the story is great too, and I'm sure if I read it over I could pick out even more layers in the plot.

However, I had disagreements with a few things. First, was that the characters seemed a little flat--I didn't get a glimpse into their minds very often, and it was as if I was only being told what they were thinking instead of being shown so it could be more believable. I especially would have liked to get inside Elphaba's own thoughts more, rather than being told what she was planning.
There was also a lot of year skippping, which wasn't so bad, but the use of that may have taken away from the story. And I can handle just about 'x-rated' scenes when they are relevant, but frankly, the bizarre one here seemed out of place and I only found myself disgusted by it. But that's just me.

Overall I would say this story is entertaining and thought provoking, and worth reading aside from those complaints. I knew the book would be very different from the musical beforehand, so be aware of that also.
Summary: wicked: the life and times...

Rating - 1 Date: 2008-12-30
Content: After seeing the amazing stage production of the same name, we bought this book and were excited to read more about it. We were shocked by the opening chapters to be reading such filth! Why were such dirty details necessary--the musical didn't need them in order to be successful! We kept reading for a bit to see if it cleaned up to get on with the story, but unfortunately it did not. It was sad to have to put it away, unfinished.
Summary: Overly Dirty

Rating - 4 Date: 2008-12-29
Content: This was my first book that I purchased on my kindle. This was for sure a great first choice. I can't wait to read "Son of a Witch", the sequel to "Wicked".
Summary: very good read

Rating - 1 Date: 2008-12-28
Content: Never have I have struggled so much trying to finish a book. Finally I gave up, because frankly, I just didn't care anymore.

The author spends way too much time describing every nook and crany of the scene to the point of being boring, and then leaves little to say about the actual characters. The story also jumps around so much it's hard to follow. As soon as it gets somewhat interesting, the story jumps to a new time and place, with all new characters with no history.

I really wanted to like the book, and gave it multiple chances, but it was just not for me.
Summary: Just plain boring.