Book Review: Wicked (The Wicked Years #1) by Gregory Maguire

People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.

It wasn't until 2008 that I found out about GoodReads... And only later in 2012 that I finally agreed to start an account...

I just don't prefer following new trends... and Goodreads was the "new trend" for book readers back in the day... I did get over myself... eventually lol

Anywho, back to the topic! A couple of friends, on an online forum, shared a long list of book recommendations, and were urging me to start with Wicked by Gregory Maguire! I was quite hesitant about reading it tbh for the following (valid) reasons:

1. I don't really have faith in the choices the people usually have for books

2. The book is relating to The Wizard of Oz and I've never been a fan...

3. I've never had any prior experience with "retellings"... so I couldn't quite grasp the concept of it

But oh boy was I wrong about this one!

Wicked truly was one of the best books that I read in 2008! Not only was I introduced to the mesmerising writings of Gregory Maguire, a whole new world of possibilities opened its doors and welcomed me right to its core: Retellings!

Remember this: Nothing is written in the stars. Not these stars, nor any others. No one controls your destiny.

The tale of Elphaba (Elfie) is beautifully rediscovered by Gregory Maguire, making the wrongs right, exploring her personality and the events that lead to the point where she crossed paths with Dorothy (and the rest conjoins with the infamous story of The Wizard of Oz).

Where I'm from, we believe in all sorts of things that aren't true... we call it history

Elfie's life never gets any easier at any point in time! She loses her beloved, gives birth to Liir after a long-lasting coma and remembers nothing of the events of the birth (I mean... come on.. if you want to skip the icky details of the birthing, you could've come up with a better excuse lol), goes after those who made her life the worst and although she was not the one who murdered Madame Morrible, she wants the people to falsely believe that she did... the Wizard escapes and the idiot Dorothy... ends Elfie's life with a splash of water... I was keeping my fingers crossed for a better ending for Elfie...

One never learns how the witch became wicked, or whether that was the right choice for her~is it ever the right choice? Does the devil ever struggle to be good again, or if so is he not a devil?

People always did like to talk, didn't they? That's why I call myself a witch now: the Wicked Witch of the West, if you want the full glory of it. As long as people are going to call you a lunatic anyway, why not get the benefit of it? It liberates you from convention

Maguire ends the books with a (?) possibility for the return of Elphaba... So many years have passed already... How much longer are we going to keep waiting?

And there the wicked old Witch stayed for a good long time

And did she ever come out?

Not yet.

I cannot compare Maguire's writing with any other authors... I haven't come across anyone who has done so brilliantly with a retelling. Maguire truly is a magnificent author, he sure spun the story of the Wicked Witch of the West around and brought to light her truly appealing personality and wit which unfortunately remained unseen by the people throughout the story.

Cross a man and you struggle, one of you wins, you adjust and go on - or you lie there dead. Cross a woman and the universe is changed, once again, for cold anger requires an eternal vigilance in all matters of slight and offense.

Personally, I believe that the majority of the "evil" characters are the most misunderstood and that there is a valid history behind their choices in (their imaginary) life. Maguire proves his talent in validating Elphaba's questionable actions. He has shown us the other side of the "Almighty" Wizard, the wickedness of those who appear to "good", the terrible choices those in positions of authority made only to feed their thirst selfish desires for more wealth and status.

He lingered at the door, and said, 'The Lion wants courage, the Tin Man a heart, and the Scarecrow brains. Dorothy wants to go home. What do you want?'...

She couldn't say forgiveness, not to Liir. She started to say 'a soldier,' to make fun of his mooning affections over the guys in uniform. But realizing even as she said it that he would be hurt, she caught herself halfway, and in the end what came out of her mouth surprised them both.

She said, 'A soul-'

He blinked at her.

Short Analysis:

• Book cover: ( 4.5 stars)

  • A gorgeous blend of Elphie's colours (green and black), and Galinda's, the misleading splash of white. You'd want to read behind the common understanding of those colours. Black and white. Good and bad. Good and evil. Love it!

• Writing style: (4.5 stars)

  • Maguire really nailed retellings! From page 1, I couldn't put the book down! He's targeted every angle and managed to recreate a character a lot of the Wizard of Oz (WoO) fans long-hated. It takes quite a skill to rebirth a character whom people have always believed to be evil and wicked (the irony lol). He's introduced many new characters throughout Elphie's life and brought up many of those we've already known from the original WoO. I salute Maguire for his brilliance in conceiving such a story! I love how Maguire invested in explaining most characters' backstories, which in turn, adds more depth to them. I was able to engage with (most) characters and empathise with them.

• Story structure: (3.75 stars)

  • I love how Maguire split the story into 5 sections, based on different parts of Elphaba's life. Mades it easier for the reader to follow the story, as it gets quite detailed and complex. The flow of events was quite harmonious, generally speaking. However, there was a point where it got boring and predictable. Other bits were... confusing with no further explanation as to how that would relate to the plot development or lack thereof (like Elphie's looking-glass, Elphie's mysterious reaction to water, her birthing of Liir, etc...).

• Plot: (4 stars)

  • The book was divided into 5 sections, based on Elphie's whereabouts, and each with a separate plot in Elphie's life:

1. Munchkinlanders: Birth of Elfie and Nessaroase, and Elphie's childhood

2. Gillikin: 16 years later, Elphie joins a Hogwarts-like school of magic

3. City of Emeralds: 5 years after, Elphie moves to the city with her friends, secretly joins a movement to free the Animals and get rid of the Wizard

4. In the Vinkus: Elfie moves in with Sarima, Fiyero's wife and children, after giving birth to Liir

5. The Murder and Its Afterlife: where it all comes to an end

• Ending: (4 stars)

  • I had such high hopes for a different ending... Alas, it was as tragic as ever... stupid Dorothy killed Elphie. The Wizard's sudden disappearance caused nothing but chaos all over Oz and Munchkinland was left on the verge of a civil war. While the failure to capture the Wizard caused a predicament in forming a new government
    

Final Rating: 4.05 stars /5

Wicked truly is a gem! I loved this book from the very beginning, which is an unusual phenomenon! Although the novel witnessed some the slow development of events somewhere in the middle, and a non-conclusive ending, I've recommended this book to a lot of people, and I'm sure I will continue to in the future <3

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Thank you for reading!

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