Helpful Score: 4
I was a little reluctant to read this because it's a Wizard-of-Oz
related book, and I was afraid that I'd really object to what had been
done to L. Frank Baum's characters. But it didn't bother me, probably
because this book really is so entirely different. It's also really
more of a take-off from the movie, not the books, although there are a
few book-references in there as well.
Basically, it takes the character of the Wicked Witch of the West, and
treats her as if she were a real person, a woman named Elphaba, who
just happens to be green - and allergic to water.
The book is mostly a character study, and an exploration of what might
cause a person to be perceived as "wicked." Far from being an innocent
fantasyland, the Oz portrayed here is rife with political conniving,
exploitation, and a plethora of social issues. As she grows up, her
situation shapes Elphaba, but she's also an intelligent, self-aware
person... whose fate, we know, will eventually intersect with Dorothy
Gale.
I enjoyed the book - but I neither thought it was as wonderful as some
reviewers claim - or as much of a "downer" as others have said it was.
related book, and I was afraid that I'd really object to what had been
done to L. Frank Baum's characters. But it didn't bother me, probably
because this book really is so entirely different. It's also really
more of a take-off from the movie, not the books, although there are a
few book-references in there as well.
Basically, it takes the character of the Wicked Witch of the West, and
treats her as if she were a real person, a woman named Elphaba, who
just happens to be green - and allergic to water.
The book is mostly a character study, and an exploration of what might
cause a person to be perceived as "wicked." Far from being an innocent
fantasyland, the Oz portrayed here is rife with political conniving,
exploitation, and a plethora of social issues. As she grows up, her
situation shapes Elphaba, but she's also an intelligent, self-aware
person... whose fate, we know, will eventually intersect with Dorothy
Gale.
I enjoyed the book - but I neither thought it was as wonderful as some
reviewers claim - or as much of a "downer" as others have said it was.
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