Paperback, 409 pages
English language
Published April 16, 2000 by ReganBooks.
A fable for adults on the subject of destiny and free will by a writer of children's books. It tells the story of Elphaba before she became the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz. The novel traces her career as a nun, nurse, pro-democracy activist and animal rights defender
A fable for adults on the subject of destiny and free will by a writer of children's books. It tells the story of Elphaba before she became the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz. The novel traces her career as a nun, nurse, pro-democracy activist and animal rights defender
I really enjoyed this novel. It’s so different from the movie, but that’s part of what made it so interesting. The darkness of Oz and the Wizard permeated the story, and I liked getting to know the Wicked Witch of the West as a sympathetic quasi-freedom fighter.
The writing can get almost cloying at times, but that didn’t really dampen my enjoyment of the book.
Venant de voir la musical j'avais absolument envie de découvrir le roman qui lui a donné naissance (et qui prenait la poussière sur mon étagère depuis quelques années ahem).
Je savais que Wicked était beaucoup plus sombre que Le Magicien d'Oz et que la musical restait elle aussi "grand public". J'avoue que je ne m'attendais pas à autant de noirceur. Le règne du magicien est une représentation parfaite d'un régime fasciste où le racisme se fait de plus en plus présent, accepté peu à peu par tout le monde sans broncher (pour ne pas trop "déranger"). Le livre démontre aussi les ravages de l'époque car même dans les contrées où le fascisme ne règne pas il montre son influence sur les mentalités et la façon dont il contamine et fait germer ses préjugés de manière insidieuse.
Elphaba est beaucoup plus torturée et incertaine, prise dans de grandes considérations …
Venant de voir la musical j'avais absolument envie de découvrir le roman qui lui a donné naissance (et qui prenait la poussière sur mon étagère depuis quelques années ahem).
Je savais que Wicked était beaucoup plus sombre que Le Magicien d'Oz et que la musical restait elle aussi "grand public". J'avoue que je ne m'attendais pas à autant de noirceur. Le règne du magicien est une représentation parfaite d'un régime fasciste où le racisme se fait de plus en plus présent, accepté peu à peu par tout le monde sans broncher (pour ne pas trop "déranger"). Le livre démontre aussi les ravages de l'époque car même dans les contrées où le fascisme ne règne pas il montre son influence sur les mentalités et la façon dont il contamine et fait germer ses préjugés de manière insidieuse.
Elphaba est beaucoup plus torturée et incertaine, prise dans de grandes considérations ontologiques sur la nature du bien et du mal. Au final la magie est peu présente, utilisée par petites touches et beaucoup des éléments expliqués dans la musical ne trouvent pas d'explications dans le récit, livrés tels quels, ce qui a tendance à laisser un peu sur sa faim.
Je pense que c'est cela qui me fait hésiter entre 3 et 4 étoiles. Bien que l'histoire soit très intéressante et nous fait découvrir une très sombre facette du pays d'Oz, elle s'avère extrêmement complexe et dense, s'égarant parfois dans de longs passages délirants assez difficiles à appréhender.
J'ai apprécié que les personnages ne soient pas manichéens, plein de questionnements, de doutes, de pensées et d'agissements contradictoires. Malheureusement l'ensemble laisse vraiment l'impression d'une énorme pelote d'intrigues extrêmement dure à démêler et à suivre.
Il reste plusieurs livres dans la série, je pense prendre le temps de digérer celui ci avant de décider si je continue ou pas!
"Quand l’époque est un creuset, quand l’air vibre de violence, les victimes sont ceux qui restent le plus eux-mêmes."
Uneven.
Yuck. Boring with unlikable characters that do mean things. Don't bother reading, go see the musical instead.
Yuck. Boring with unlikable characters that do mean things. Don't bother reading, go see the musical instead.
I found this to be somewhat of a deep read, and the characters were not at all what I had expected. Maguire does a good job of bluring the lines between good and evil--that is, readers of the original Oz book always assumed the wicked witch of the west was evil, but maybe she was just misguided and misunderstood. The ending confused me, because the witch did not die under the exact circumstances that she did in L. Frank Baum's book, and there were a few other inconsistencies, such as the omission of the golden cap which commanded the winged monkeys. Perhaps Maguire did this on purpose, to show us how a story can be told very differently by all those involved. All in all, I liked this book and think i'd probably get more out of it when I read it a second time.
I found this to be somewhat of a deep read, and the characters were not at all what I had expected. Maguire does a good job of bluring the lines between good and evil--that is, readers of the original Oz book always assumed the wicked witch of the west was evil, but maybe she was just misguided and misunderstood. The ending confused me, because the witch did not die under the exact circumstances that she did in L. Frank Baum's book, and there were a few other inconsistencies, such as the omission of the golden cap which commanded the winged monkeys. Perhaps Maguire did this on purpose, to show us how a story can be told very differently by all those involved. All in all, I liked this book and think i'd probably get more out of it when I read it a second time.
It's the enthralling novel that inspired a broadway musical. It's a wickedly fun read, and will change the way you think about Oz for evermore. Ever more. One of those. It turns out that Elphaba, who became The Wicked Witch of the West, was actually a very sympathetic, sad woman who was very much misunderstood. This is a surprisingly philosophical tale, which I most recommend to adults--ADULTS--who miss the Harry Potter series. I stressed that previous word because Maguire has written a decidedly R-rated tale, and at 406 pages, it's a bit of a time investment, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed that time.
It's the enthralling novel that inspired a broadway musical. It's a wickedly fun read, and will change the way you think about Oz for evermore. Ever more. One of those. It turns out that Elphaba, who became The Wicked Witch of the West, was actually a very sympathetic, sad woman who was very much misunderstood. This is a surprisingly philosophical tale, which I most recommend to adults--ADULTS--who miss the Harry Potter series. I stressed that previous word because Maguire has written a decidedly R-rated tale, and at 406 pages, it's a bit of a time investment, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed that time.
I wish I could give this book negative stars so that the reviews were not so high. I have absolutely no idea how anyone could like this book, did they actually read it or are they rating the Broadway Show? Reading this book was like a prison sentence, a slow torture that would not end soon enough. The idea seemed so interesting that I sadly paid for this book. I am positive Wicked is the worst book I have ever read.
I wish I could give this book negative stars so that the reviews were not so high. I have absolutely no idea how anyone could like this book, did they actually read it or are they rating the Broadway Show? Reading this book was like a prison sentence, a slow torture that would not end soon enough. The idea seemed so interesting that I sadly paid for this book. I am positive Wicked is the worst book I have ever read.
