Everybody knows the story of the Dorothy, swept up inside a house by a tornado in Kansas, taking her to the magical land of Oz, where she meets Munchkins, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and a Tin Woodman. She is given Ruby Slippers by Glinda, the good witch, and she melts the Wicked Witch of the West.
Y'all know that story right? Well, Gregory Maguire imagined a new interpretation. He gave us his idea of what happened before Dorothy came to Oz. He imagined, and wrote, the life of Elphaba, the girl mysteriously born with green skin and a disagreeable manner.
She grows up as the daughter of missionary parents, attends college and meets Galinda, the social diamond, has a love affair with Fiyero, and seeks redemption from someone who she had wronged, and all in all disagrees with the great Wizard of Oz and his world changing orders.
This interpretation creates an Elphaba who is good, not wicked, for most of her life. It is only others acts that affect her life that makes her resent the world, and turns her to wicked deeds, and it ends with, you guessed it, her death by water.
The novel, expertly told with bits revealed piece by piece and characterization that fleshes out the well-known characters, was very entertaining. It was cool to read a more detailed version. It gives motivations and reasons why things happen. Its akin to hearing what mood Hitler was in the day he decided to take over the world (not to compare Elphaba to Hitler. She really wasn't that Wicked.)
It was such a great read, because Its not so fast paced that you finish in a day, but not so slow as to defer you from continuing.
I am just not sure how it stands in my favor.
The book is just so political and theoretical. I think I may need to read it again to understand the theories behind it all. The good thing, though, is that one doesn't need to understand them to enjoy or oven get, the book.
It really was great, what with all the layers. Page by page, chapter by chapter, everything is revealed, fleshing out the story in a way I envy.
All in all, I highly recommend it, if you don't mind a little vulgar terms in some parts (really not as much as I was expecting, thankfully).
However, what I am really looking forward to is the musical adaptation of it, which I hear is very different. I hope to see it at some point in my life.
Always accepting recommendations for books, feel free to give them! I really enjoyed Water for Elephants. know of anything similar?
