Wicked Semi-Spoiler

I wanted to write a little more about the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.  I thought it would be best to give warning that I might let out more details than some would like.

Wicked really does cover the entire life span of the Wicked Witch of the West, beginning at her birth.  It is fabulously written from the start.  She was made to be a truly realistic character, flawed and multi-dimensionaly as we all are in real life.

A large portion of the book focuses on her formative years at school (high school/college age).  This was a great part.  It was so hard to stop reading.  It was during this time that she befriended Glinda.

Wicked also gives explanation of how the Witch became so negative, and serves as a poignant reminder of how much damage sulking and dwelling and never forgiving ourselves can do.  We are truly our own harshest punishers.

Dorothy enters the story so very late I was afraid that there weren’t pages enough to lead to the Witch’s demise.  I should not have given it a thought.

Dorothy is not the bad guy, and retains her sweetness and innocence and heart in this retelling.  In fact, I saw no places where Wicked was in glaring contradiction to the original (though I have not read the book in many years and it would take a side-by-side comparison to be sure of that).

I would definitely recommend this book, and look forward to my next read:  Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.