Spine Crackers discussion

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 become 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.

An astonishingly rich re-creation of the land of Oz, this book retells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn't so wicked after all. Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Gregory Maguire just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature

I just finished reading "Wicked" for the second time, and I'm so glad that I bothered with a re-read instead of trying to engage based on my flawed remembrances from when the book was released. For whatever reason, I didn't like it the first time I read it. Having re-read it, I think that past-me was a bit of an idiot. I loved the questioning of good versus evil, right and wrong, and Elphaba's constant attempts to understand her own motivations and reasoning against those of others.

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I'm still a little unsure of the ending - it almost seemed like Maguire wanted to quickly wrap up the story in line with the similar point in the original novel, and as a result was willing to sort of just go with it. I will be interested in hearing what others think of the ending, and also with the character of Liir. She denies being his mother, rejects his affection, distances herself from his emotional and physical development, yet always sees in him a connection to Fiyero and is unwilling to let him go from her for that reason. But what did his character represent, other than that challenge to Elphaba?

It had been a long while since I read this as well, so i'm also rereading! And i'm enjoying it more this time too!

I think I might have been too young the first time I read this book to really enjoy it. I already loved the Wizard of Oz and the musical that is based off of this book when I read through the first time, and I think I was just excited to read the parts of the story that lined up with what I already knew. I wasn't giving the book the space it needed to be it's own story,



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Elizabeth wrote: "She denies being his mother, rejects his affection, distances herself from his emotional and physical development, yet always sees in him a connection to Fiyero and is unwilling to let him go from her for that reason. But what did his character represent, other than that challenge to Elphaba? "

I think Elphaba kept him around because on some level she wanted him to be there. She rejected him because she rejects most things that require closeness, but maybe she hoped in the future she wouldn't? Maybe she kept him around because she hoped she would feel affection for him in time?

Plus, having Liir opens up room for the sequel book. :p

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Caitlin wrote: "She rejected him because she rejects most things that require closeness, but maybe she hoped in the future she wouldn't? "

I think that's very interesting - throughout the her whole story, Elphaba is shaping events, but almost unconsciously. It's almost like she's consistently denying that she is influencing them, has influence over others, or is active in her own life. It's sort of like she's assuming she's taking a passive role in her own life, but in reality she is very powerful, very driven, and draws others into her orbit. So Liir could represent that disinterest and that active force in one being...

It's so worth reading the entire series. Wicked was my favorite, while Son of a Witch and Lion Among Men were okay, and Out of OZ was a good wrap up for the series. I love it.