Wicked cover art

Wicked

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

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Wicked

By: Gregory Maguire
Narrated by: John McDonough
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About this listen

 Heralded as an instant classic of fantasy literature, Maguire has written a wonderfully imaginative retelling of The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's point of view. More than just a fairy tale for adults, Wicked is a meditation on the nature of good and evil.

Elphaba is born with green skin, a precocious mind, and a talent for magic. An outcast throughout her childhood in Munchkinland, she finally begins to feel as though she fits in when she enters the University in the Emerald City. While she hones her skills, she discovers that Oz isn't the Utopia it seems. She sets out to protect its unwanted creatures, becoming known as the Wicked Witch along the way.

Narrator John McDonough draws you in to Maguire's magical world of witches and talking animals, making it possible to believe in a land somewhere over the rainbow.

©1995 Gregory Maguire (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic Magic Users Witchcraft Funny Scary Paranormal

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Critic reviews

"A staggering feat of wordcraft." ( Los Angeles Times)
"McDonough's excellent portrayals of Elphaba's outspoken, gravel-voiced nanny, Glinda's snobbish friends, and the wide-eyed, soft-spoken Dorothy make this excursion to Oz worthwhile." ( Publishers Weekly)
All stars
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Extremely well read. Nice to listen to. A great story. tough to start, but in the middle now and can't put it down and look forward to it every night!

ooooooh!

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I couldn’t stop listening fans of the musical will love this book can’t wait to start the next in the series

Loved it

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Surprisingly darker, different to what the musical shows and makes me want to explore the rest of the series, at least the sequel.

Not as expected - which is a good thing!

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The narration is great if a little slow but the book itself is very mediocre. There is no need to compare it with the musical as the musical is just a really loose adaptation of the book, a fanfiction even. The world is purely built as a vessel for the authors political commentary. It has dark themes and gets really creepy at times. Even though the protagonist is a female character, the author can't seem to be able to write women (nor their relationships) as three dimensional, interesting and complex beings. Fiyero was better written and had more character development than Elphaba.... It's an ok book, nothing groundbreaking. Do not recommend anyone under 14 to read it.

Perfect narration, mid book

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Really couldn't get into this. Didn't particularly like any of the characters, although Elphy did grow on me a bit. I forced myself to listen to it all, but I probably shouldn't have bothered. I've never seen the musical, so had no expectations based on that.

tedious and depressing

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