Helpful Score: 1
Wow. This book will really make you think.
In this amazing novel, we follow the life of Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West, from birth to the bitter end. In between is a gripping tale that ponders the philosophy of good and evil, and makes you rethink your preconceptions of what you think you know.
The 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz' is anything but. More like a ruthless dictator without a shred of compassion or moral decency, let alone a conscience. The politics of Oz are complicated, but compelling, and all roads (including the Yellow Brick Road), lead straight back to the Wizard. Indirectly, as well as directly, his actions shape Elphaba into the person, or Witch, we know her as.
This book is a feast for the brain. I loved the words he used, even when i thought i would need a dictionary. It was a journey through a remarkable and vivid world, on the constant edge of political turmoil. I found the religious arguments on all sides deep and thoughtful. I found myself feeling deeply for the unfortunate girl who had the ill luck of being born with green skin, which in turn colored her life from start to finish (pun intended). Born into a family as screwed up as they come, her dysfunctions are as natural to her as the air we all breathe.
She fights for her entire life to be different, unique, and yes, to do good in the world. Animal rights is her passion, and she fights for justice and equality in Oz even as the odds are stacked against her, and even those who fought with her succumb to normal everyday lives, and forget the righteousness of their former campaigns against evil and tyranny.
Readers will be amazed at how Maguire can turn a story everyone knows into a complex and mesmerizing tale where more than one side lives to be told, and everything comes full circle.
I loved this book. Many people say it is hard to read or slow, but i did not find it to be either. I found it remarkable. The philosophies discussed within will turn you on your head.
My favorite quote from the book:
I don't comprehend religion, although conviction is a concept I'm beginning to get. In any case, someone with a real religious conviction is, I propose, a religious convict, and deserves locking up.
In this amazing novel, we follow the life of Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West, from birth to the bitter end. In between is a gripping tale that ponders the philosophy of good and evil, and makes you rethink your preconceptions of what you think you know.
The 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz' is anything but. More like a ruthless dictator without a shred of compassion or moral decency, let alone a conscience. The politics of Oz are complicated, but compelling, and all roads (including the Yellow Brick Road), lead straight back to the Wizard. Indirectly, as well as directly, his actions shape Elphaba into the person, or Witch, we know her as.
This book is a feast for the brain. I loved the words he used, even when i thought i would need a dictionary. It was a journey through a remarkable and vivid world, on the constant edge of political turmoil. I found the religious arguments on all sides deep and thoughtful. I found myself feeling deeply for the unfortunate girl who had the ill luck of being born with green skin, which in turn colored her life from start to finish (pun intended). Born into a family as screwed up as they come, her dysfunctions are as natural to her as the air we all breathe.
She fights for her entire life to be different, unique, and yes, to do good in the world. Animal rights is her passion, and she fights for justice and equality in Oz even as the odds are stacked against her, and even those who fought with her succumb to normal everyday lives, and forget the righteousness of their former campaigns against evil and tyranny.
Readers will be amazed at how Maguire can turn a story everyone knows into a complex and mesmerizing tale where more than one side lives to be told, and everything comes full circle.
I loved this book. Many people say it is hard to read or slow, but i did not find it to be either. I found it remarkable. The philosophies discussed within will turn you on your head.
My favorite quote from the book:
I don't comprehend religion, although conviction is a concept I'm beginning to get. In any case, someone with a real religious conviction is, I propose, a religious convict, and deserves locking up.
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