Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

gregory maguire douglas smith

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

Genres fantasyfictionadultbook clubretellingsaudiobookwitchesclassicsmagicscience fiction fantasy

409 pages, Paperback

First published September 29,1995

Series

The Wicked Years

Literary awards

tähtifantasia award,

Places

oz,

This edition

Format: 409 pages, Paperback
Published: March 2, 2004 by William Morrow Paperbacks
ISBN: 9780060745905
ASIN: 0060745908
Language: English

Characters More characters

Elphaba Thropp

Elphaba is born in Munchkinland and raised in the Quadlands. She was born with a green skin. She has long black hair. The story starts with her being born to her entering the school in Shiz where she is seventeen. It follows here through her whole life. E...
Liir

...
Glinda Upland

...
Galinda Upland

...
Madam Morrible

...
Nessarose Thropp

Nessarose is the younger sister of Elphaba. She was born beautifully with a pale skin. Unfortunately Nessarose doesnt have arms. Which makes it uneasy for her to walk. She has Nanny taking care of her untill Glinda gives her the spell on her shiny s...

About the author

gregory maguire

Gregory Maguire is an American author, whose novels are revisionist retellings of children's stories (such as L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz into Wicked). He received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979-1985. In 1987 he co-founded Children's Literature New England (a non-profit educational charity).

Maguire has served as artist-in-residence at the Blue Mountain Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Hambidge Center. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts.