"Wicked" by Gregory Maguire

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
If a book takes more than a week for me to read it must be very long. I ignore the normal maintenance of my interpersonal relationships (the mobile goes to silent, I am less attentive to my fiancee, my e-mails are terse) and become engrossed by the story. (It is 2:10 am and I have decided to stay up all night and read as much as I can of Jose Saramago's "Blindness" before my eyes refuse to stay open any longer, and I am merely taking a break because the book is so heartbreaking and frightening I do not want to read any more.)



Thanks to my fiancee's dogged determination to get me to read the bubblegum religious-fiction "Da Vinci Code" I am back to my old habit of not being without a book (I went to Discount Tire today to get a new left front tire and had a book in tow). I had been substituting the Internet for my books, which worked out better for time management because the content is not set in stone. It is easier for me to close a browser than it is to close a book. But the beast is unleashed again. Damnit.



I just finished Wicked by Gregory Maguire and I've got to say that it wonderful.



The book is the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West from the classic Wizard of Oz story. It is a fantastic story where Maguire is not bound by a need to tie it in to the hokey MGM film we have all seen so many times. It seems to fall flat at times when it must make explanations for some of the film's simplistic character developments.



I think Maguire might do well writing original fantasy that doesn't depend on links to popular culture. It's a nice idea that is wonderfully executed, but there is something unfulfilling about it.



I do recommend reading it, however. Might not be appropriate for younger readers, but anyone old enough to be reading this now should be able to handle it just fine.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    shawnjshawnj Posts: 6,656member
    Yeah, Blindness is a good story. I had trouble initially with the lack of punctuation, but that faded after the first few pages. Still, it took me 6 months of 15 minute reads to finish it.
  • Reply 2 of 2
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I started at about 11:30pm (right after I was done with Wicked) and I've got about 60 pages left.



    I don't see how you can put a book down that many times. 6 months... jeez.
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