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Cover of Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wicked

  • 461 pages · about 8 hours
  • First published 1995
  • 54 editions

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1 About this book

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.

Good for readers who want: a classic, epic fantasy, witches, and a long read.

  • Fantasy
  • Classics
  • Fairy tales, folk tales
  • Fantasy, epic
  • Fantasy, contemporary
  • Love
  • Witches
  • Oz (Imaginary place)

2 About Gregory Maguire

Born 1954

Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many of Maguire's adult novels are inspired by classic children's stories. Maguire published his first novel, The Lightning Time, in 1978. Wicked, published in 1995, was his first novel for adults.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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