Thursday, March 23, 2006
book report: Wicked
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire
What a fun book! I read the Oz books over and over as a kid, so reading a "grown-up" take on Oz was fascinating. I'm glad this book wasn't around when I was a kid, though - the level of the writing was not too complex for me to have understood while still in grade school, but the subject matter would've been awfully disturbing to me, I think.
The Wicked Witch of the West begins life as a small green baby named Elphaba with pointy teeth and an inborn fear of water. Her parents are a slutty noblewoman and a zealous traveling minister. Elphaba is, unsurprisingly, not all that popular with the local kids, so she becomes a sort of loner/nerd. She goes away to school in the big city, where Glinda (the future Good Witch) becomes her roommate. They aren't friendly at first, but over the course of their time together in school, they become quite close. Elphaba's little sister, Nessarose, also comes to school a couple years later, but she has to be supervised by their childhood Nanny because Nessie lacks arms. Their father dotes over Nessarose and gives her the ruby slippers as a gift.
So what would I have found so disturbing as a kid? Well, for starters, there's a not-insignificant amount of sexual contact between various characters. It's not explicit or anything, but jeez, I don't remember any sex in Oz from childhood! There is also an ongoing debate in the society of Oz regarding the rights of Animals (the ones who can talk, e.g., the Cowardly Lion). The Wizard is portrayed as a dictator who came to power by a coup d'etat.
I really liked the backstory of how Elphaba became a Wicked Witch instead of just a green girl. She's a much more sympathetic character in this book that she was in the Oz books or the movie. Pretty fascinating on a psychological level.
Best of all, my friend E* told me on the phone yesterday that there is a now a sequel, about Elphaba's son!
by Gregory Maguire
What a fun book! I read the Oz books over and over as a kid, so reading a "grown-up" take on Oz was fascinating. I'm glad this book wasn't around when I was a kid, though - the level of the writing was not too complex for me to have understood while still in grade school, but the subject matter would've been awfully disturbing to me, I think.
The Wicked Witch of the West begins life as a small green baby named Elphaba with pointy teeth and an inborn fear of water. Her parents are a slutty noblewoman and a zealous traveling minister. Elphaba is, unsurprisingly, not all that popular with the local kids, so she becomes a sort of loner/nerd. She goes away to school in the big city, where Glinda (the future Good Witch) becomes her roommate. They aren't friendly at first, but over the course of their time together in school, they become quite close. Elphaba's little sister, Nessarose, also comes to school a couple years later, but she has to be supervised by their childhood Nanny because Nessie lacks arms. Their father dotes over Nessarose and gives her the ruby slippers as a gift.
So what would I have found so disturbing as a kid? Well, for starters, there's a not-insignificant amount of sexual contact between various characters. It's not explicit or anything, but jeez, I don't remember any sex in Oz from childhood! There is also an ongoing debate in the society of Oz regarding the rights of Animals (the ones who can talk, e.g., the Cowardly Lion). The Wizard is portrayed as a dictator who came to power by a coup d'etat.
I really liked the backstory of how Elphaba became a Wicked Witch instead of just a green girl. She's a much more sympathetic character in this book that she was in the Oz books or the movie. Pretty fascinating on a psychological level.
Best of all, my friend E* told me on the phone yesterday that there is a now a sequel, about Elphaba's son!
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ooo, ooo, ooo. I loved this book. And I don't say that very often. It was a quick, easy read that actually made me think. I crammed it in during nursing school and now my daughter's reading it. I'll get the sequel next. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful book. I could say it is an interesting book. I would be glad to have a copy of it.
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