Wicked: the bestselling book that inspired the movie
Nov 2011 · Hachette UK
4.3star
94 reviewsreport
Ebook
473
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
The global bestseller that inspired the hit musical phenomenon.
Now a major movie and record-breaking box office sensation.
💚 💗
In this classic tale of good and evil, what if we weren't told the whole story?
Long before Dorothy follows the yellow brick road and triumphs over the Wicked Witch of the West, a little girl with emerald-green skin is born in the land of Oz.
Elphaba grows up to be smart and prickly, a lonely outsider with an extraordinary talent for magic. Arriving at university, she dares to believe she might finally fit in.
But Oz isn't the haven she'd dreamed of. Some of its citizens are in grave danger, and Elphaba is determined to protect them from the Wizard's power.
And when the world declares her a wicked witch, Elphaba takes matters into her own hands...
This is the original novel by Gregory Maguire, first published in 1995. It is a reimagined prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and contains adult content.
🌟 Fall under the WICKED spell this year 🌟
'One of my absolute favourite books! A completely different take on the classic'
'Kept me on the edge of my seat from the second I picked it up'
'I have a penchant for fairytale retellings that are a bit dark and misunderstood villains and this ticked all my boxes'
'This is a real Oz, it makes you believe in it'
'A real joy to sink into a very different world'
'You see the Wicked Witch and Dorothy in a whole new light'
'Funny, sad and unputdownable'
'Honestly, it's better than The Wizard of Oz!'
'Wonderfully written, witty and thought provoking'
'A favourite of mine for many many years'
Now a major movie and record-breaking box office sensation.
💚 💗
In this classic tale of good and evil, what if we weren't told the whole story?
Long before Dorothy follows the yellow brick road and triumphs over the Wicked Witch of the West, a little girl with emerald-green skin is born in the land of Oz.
Elphaba grows up to be smart and prickly, a lonely outsider with an extraordinary talent for magic. Arriving at university, she dares to believe she might finally fit in.
But Oz isn't the haven she'd dreamed of. Some of its citizens are in grave danger, and Elphaba is determined to protect them from the Wizard's power.
And when the world declares her a wicked witch, Elphaba takes matters into her own hands...
This is the original novel by Gregory Maguire, first published in 1995. It is a reimagined prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and contains adult content.
🌟 Fall under the WICKED spell this year 🌟
'One of my absolute favourite books! A completely different take on the classic'
'Kept me on the edge of my seat from the second I picked it up'
'I have a penchant for fairytale retellings that are a bit dark and misunderstood villains and this ticked all my boxes'
'This is a real Oz, it makes you believe in it'
'A real joy to sink into a very different world'
'You see the Wicked Witch and Dorothy in a whole new light'
'Funny, sad and unputdownable'
'Honestly, it's better than The Wizard of Oz!'
'Wonderfully written, witty and thought provoking'
'A favourite of mine for many many years'
Ratings and reviews
4.3
94 reviews
Alexandra O' Hanlon
- Flag inappropriate
July 3, 2014
Nothing like the musical, but I love them both in their own right! It creates a much darker and more sinister Oz with an unusual host of characters. Elphaba is neither good nor bad, her life took some turns for the worse despite good intentions. It is definitely adult and has a beautiful strangeness to it which drew me in because Maguire can get away with it. Oz is a different world, with different customs. Yet it touches on politics and deeper matters. Some characters motivations are obscure. This book requires an open minded intelligent outlook. A must read if you are open to the true abnormalities of human nature and if you understand the idea that there never really is a true antagonist as stories would lead you to believe.
MeganG
- Flag inappropriate
November 20, 2017
It is one of the best books I have ever read. I love that it challenges convention. Excellent.
Alysia Thompson
- Flag inappropriate
January 12, 2025
Bad bad bad book I don't like the book
About the author
Gregory Maguire is a bestselling author who has earned rave reviews and a dedicated following for Wicked, the first novel in the Wicked Years quartet (which also included Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men and Out of Oz), that was made into an award-winning musical. He received his doctorate in English Literature from Tufts University, and has taught at Simmons College and other Boston area colleges. He has also served as an artist-in-residence at the Blue Mountain Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Hambridge Center. Gregory has lived in Dublin and London, but now makes his home near Boston, Massachusetts, with his partner, their two sons and daughter.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
