Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is phenomenal! His unique take on the Wizard of Oz made me fall in love with the story all over again. Told from the point of view of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, the reader is transported to the magical world of Oz. Elphaba is portrayed as a kind-hearted, smart individual who is persecuted for being different and shunned for doing the right thing helping others. Maguire introduces the friendship between Elphaba and Princess Glinda and how it ultimately was portrayed as a competitive relationship to the citizens of Oz.

This story fascinated me so much; I had to see the award-winning musical. My jaw dropped. It is so fantastically well done and keeps right on pace with Maguire’s novel. I laughed; I bobbed my head; I put it back on my list of shows to see because once is just not enough.

Wicked is an excellent addition to any book list. With a fun, captivating twist on a classic tale, you are sure to walk away with an entirely new impression of a prominent character that has always been victimized as being the villain. I dare you not to reconsider this bias after reading Wicked!