Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1) in The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Jan 25, 2008 Claire Greene added it

I hated this book. Maybe it was because I was expecting so much with all the hype, maybe because I thought the original idea was so great, whatever. End result, I freaking hated this book. This is a book that makes you want to sit down and re-write it yourself because it is such a shame that such a great idea was so mishandled. I loved the idea of delving into the witches and their past and seeing them from a different view point. I loved the idea of the politics of the different realms of OZ. T I hated this book. Maybe it was because I was expecting so much with all the hype, maybe because I thought the original idea was so great, whatever. End result, I freaking hated this book. This is a book that makes you want to sit down and re-write it yourself because it is such a shame that such a great idea was so mishandled. I loved the idea of delving into the witches and their past and seeing them from a different view point. I loved the idea of the politics of the different realms of OZ. There was so much source material to interpret in so many ways. But no - the biggest thing I hated was the timeline. It would start with the witches childhood and get really in depth into it - chapters of the family and their day to day lives and the family dynamic. And then it was like the author realized that if they continued on this way, the book would have to be a series and every book in it a tome. So the next thing you know, abruptly, he jumps forward in time. And the explanation of what happened in that gap is only briefly described - if that! It is so jarring. I also felt that the characters were fleshed out during those brief times, but after the jump, And then it would seem almost like they were different characters. Or a variation of the character you had come to know. If there were life altering events during the gap that changed the character's personality, you can't just skip it! Don't spend that much time making the reader get to know the character and then change them without showing how and why! I hated the way the author would spend enormous amounts of time describing certain places or characters or situations in a way that gave the reader the idea that it would be significant and play into the main story. Nope. Which makes you feel so unsatisfied. Imagine an entire chapter (and a long wordy one at that) devoted to a certain character or group of people and then then just drop out of the story completely. Where did they go? What happened to them? Why spend so much time on them to just go no where with it??

Also, after awhile, it really seemed like the author had a definite AGENDA and he spent so much time forcing the characters and the plot to fit that agenda, that it disrupted the flow and felt forced. I often felt like the characters wouldn't have acted that way - given his own description of them! I don't like being preached to. If you want to really write a political book with obvious leanings, then do so. But don't package it like this. And this book could have been a great vehicle for a basic statement on many different things - animal rights, our ideas of "others", our treatment of people different from ourselves, a broad idea of what is good and evil as opposed to what people often label good and evil - but didn't have to be so skewed to the author's personal beliefs. (Animal Farm, 1984, and many others come to mind - I really believe that this story COULD have had the potential to be a classic, had it not been so mishandled.) So many of these concepts were brought up and then abandoned. Or they were brought up and dealt with in a talky soliloquy, and without any real opposing view or anything. It was like the author was determined to present every possible political view he had and, one way or the other, force it into the story. But as he got writing and trying to actually write a STORY as opposed to an editorial opinion piece, he lost track of what he was saying or the point he was trying to make.

So many themes and ideas were a complete mess. Not explained fully, explained too fully, so vague and complicated they were impossible to understand, or more often than not, forgotten altogether. I would have appreciated ANY resolution - even skewed to the author's opinions - rather than what he often offered, which is nothing. It also felt so smug and superior - it seemed like he referenced things for the sake of feeling smart or proving he was informed- like a college student mentioning Nietzsche in conversation, not because he really wants to discuss the ideas or whatever, but because it sounds smart and proves he's beyond such things as keggers.

I just didn't like anything about this book. I stuck with it to the end, hoping that maybe things would change, or maybe things would come together in a way I didn't expect - but nope. I can only assume that it was so popular because of the interesting concept of the book or the fear to admit that they didn't get it or the broadway play - which I have heard is great and might better explain of the popularity of the book. (People loved the musical and bought the book thinking they would like that too.) Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. ...more

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Dec 30, 2007 Carrie rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *whew* I finished! That took some effort.

This book is a long hard read for very few good moments.

There is one smallish chapter that makes the book an almost worth reading. Section 5 chapter 7, pages 365-372, for a moment, made me thankful to have made my way through the other 364 pages. Elphaba searches out a "friend" (read: jerk) from Shiz and he turns out to be an okay guy. They have a discussion about the true nature of evil and I really, really enjoyed it. I look forward to a wonderful disc ...more

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Sep 24, 2008 Joanie rated it it was ok

After 3 failed attempts, I finally finished this. I didn't love it-I'm glad it's done.

I think a lot of my issue with this book come from misguided expectations. The back blurb makes it sound like the book is the Wizard of Oz from the witch's point of view but really the stuff with Dorothy doesn't come in until the very last chapter. While the rest of the story wasn't bad and the author does succeed in making the Wicked Witch of the West a sympathetic character I just feel like there was way too ...more

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Apr 19, 2008 Celeste rated it really liked it

Wicked is an interesting book. I have known many people who have read it. I have never heard anyone with a middle of the road opinion. You either love it, or you hate it. Wicked stirs emotions.

I really liked this book. I thought it was cleverly written and an interesting look at the other side.

If it is true everything has two sides than read Wicked and get a totally different take on the Wicked Witch of the West.

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Jun 21, 2008 Bita rated it it was ok · review of another edition

not at all like the show. very sexual. very dark. i remember not liking it at the time. kind of twisted. interesting to read though and see a whole new perspective to the story.

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