Wicked is one of my favorite novels of all time. It's expertly written with dramatic prose, well fleshed-out characters, and a beautiful weaving story. It's intelligent, and is the perfect balance between realism and fantasy.
Wicked tells the story of the character we know as The Wicked Witch of the West, from the classic Wizard of Oz story. Here, she is re-imagined as Elphaba (the name comes from the original author's name, L. Frank Baum) - the green girl born to Munchkinlander parents. At university she meets Glinda (then Galinda, eventual Good Witch of the North) and the two become friends. At school, Elphaba also meets the influential Dr. Dillamond - a talking goat who is conducting scientific research that the Wizard of Oz doesn't want to get out. The murder of Dr. Dillamond leads Elphaba on a crusade against the Wizard and his injustices against Oz and it's inhabitants.
For me, what makes this book is Elphaba as a character - she is intelligent, strong-willed, and fights for what she believes in no matter how that alienates her from her friends and from society. She does not let the color of her skin define her (and there is a lot of prejudice against her because of her green-ness), and grows into a smart and able woman. Elphaba's sass and wit is evident throughout the novel, and she makes a strong case for the term "Wicked" being applied to someone who is just simply different and refuses to fit in. I think we can learn a lot of lessons from her.
I also really love that this book isn't a fantasy the same way the original story is. Of course, the original story is meant for children and Wicked is definitely an adult novel, but Maguire does a superb job of making Oz seem so real and accessible - everything from descriptions of it's landscape and it's people to the truthfulness of how the Emerald City operates (it's neglect of the poor and needy, the gaudiness simply to please an inept ruler, the inner workings of elite society). Oz no longer seems the technicolor dream of Judy Garland's film, but instead a gritty, corrupt country with problems that reflect real life.
Discussion Questions:
1) What did you like about this book, what did you dislike? What do you think are the major differences between Wicked and the original Wizard of Oz story? For those of you who are fans of the musical version of Wicked, what are the major differences you see there? How do you think the similarities/differences effect the story and your impressions of it?
2) How do you think Elphaba and Glinda (and the other women of this novel) stand as strong female characters? What makes them interesting or likable? What makes them unlikable? What do you think are their strongest qualities?
3) What do you think this novel has to say about those who are different in society? How do you think the characters are marginalized, and how do they deal with prejudices against them?
4) What do you think makes Elphaba "wicked"? What do you think this novel has to say about the nature of wickedness, or it's perception?
5) What other classic stories would you like to see re-imagined in the same way, with more background, etc? What other classic villains would you like to learn more about?
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