Litsy

Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years | Gregory Maguire

so-so

This book was a good way to wrap up the series. I give it 3.5 pages out of 5. If you wanna hear my full review/rant here's a link to it:
https://youtu.be/7ClyWGuDmUw

2 likes

Cortg

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire

pick

This has been on my TBR for 15 years! I‘ve read a couple other titles by Maguire and they‘ve been hit or miss for me. Once I got into the writing style of this I was hooked! The gaps in years between sections left holes in the story that I desperately want answers to. I may have to give Elphaba a go when it‘s published this spring. Maybe the others in the series? I was hoping to just read this and be done but I after finishing, I want more 😆

LibrarianRyan I have never seen that cover version!.

On a compleatly different note, if you like Oz things, After Oz was really interesting. It is what happens to Dorothy when she gets back to Kansas. No fantasy, but still a little crazy. 1d

Cortg @LibrarianRyan Thanks for the rec! I‘ll definitely check it out. And this is the 2009 reissue I found at a 2nd hand Habitat ReStore almost a decade ago 😂 (edited) 1d

28 likes2 comments

Butterfinger

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire

pan

It took me 4 months to finish. It is an affront to my beloved childhood books. I can understand Maguire's need to explain evilness in some people. But, I don't understand his theory. Is he saying revenge is the cause of evil or how they were raised? I didn't have any sympathy for Elphaba, except when she was a baby and a child. I have read Glinda was the villain, but she is barely in the last half. Glinda is hated because of the shoes. SHOES!!!

Butterfinger I did like the two nannies. They broke up the solemnity. 1d

wanderinglynn In my opinion, the Broadway adaptation is much better than the book. 1d

rubyslippersreads @wanderinglynn I agree with you. 1d

See All 9 Comments

Butterfinger @Texreader may I use this for ##LitsyAtoZ? I started it this past October. 23h

Texreader @Butterfinger Absolutely! If you read it this year it counts!! 22h

Lunakay I remember not liking it at all, but it's been too many years... all these retellings make me think that sometimes there is nothing wrong with a good old villain being evil... sort of the point 14h

Butterfinger @wanderinglynn @rubyslippersreads @Lunakay I don't know who adapted the book to Broadway, but they must have been brilliant. I love the music. 14h

rubyslippersreads @Lunakay Margaret Hamilton will always be the Wicked Witch of the West to me. 🧹 11h

rubyslippersreads @Butterfinger @wanderinglynn @Lunakay I absolutely love the musical (the live version more than the movie, although I do ❤️ Jonathan Bailey. 😍) 11h

42 likes9 comments

Andarna

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire

Half way through book 3 for the year. This is a re-read of WICKED. I read the original in 2001, before the musical and well before the movie based on the musical that was based on the book. I shall be adding the other books in this series to my reading list.

Blueberry I liked the book so much I didn't know if the movie would ruin it for me. I did not like the play. 5d

6 likes1 comment

Butterfinger

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire

Am I the only sentient being in the universe who vehemently dislikes this book?

I first bought it, with glee, 20 years ago. I didn't get through Part 1 before I donated it to the county library.

When I heard about Broadway, in disbelief, I thought it won't last. Never went to see the show, but my devotion to Jonathan Bailey, I started reading again before I saw the movie. Loved the movie so I can't wait to see it on stage. WHAT AM I MISSING?⏬️

Butterfinger My theory - Early in life, my books were my way to escape from a childhood full of anger, violence, and abuse. Because I loved and NEEDED Baum and his series, I think I am irritated by the fact that Gregory turned childhood into adult sex. I WILL FINISH THIS BLAMED BOOK. On the other hand, I really do appreciate Gregory's attempt to give us the backstory of MY favorite character. I will always love the villains. 6d

TEArificbooks I couldn‘t get through the first 10 pages of this book. I‘ve tried multiple times. I think it even gave me a issue with all retellings, I hate them. 6d

JacqMac I read it way back in the 90s. But it took me forever to get through it. I loved the story. But the writing was just hard to read. And it is such a separate entity from the musical. I don‘t think a lot of people realize that. 6d

See All 15 Comments

Butterfinger @JacqMac Maguire knows his Baum. I think that is my only motivation. If it was just based on the 1939 movie, I would pan. And, you're so right. For the Broadway version, thank goodness for it not being exactly like the book. Maybe his writing is too scholastic for me. 6d

Butterfinger @TEArificbooks I am so glad I am not alone. 6d

Soubhiville I didn‘t like it either. I read 3 by him because I liked his ideas, I just really don‘t like his writing style. 6d

Bookwormjillk The book wasn't for me either. I finished because a friend liked it so much and I didn't want to be rude, but it was a slog. I've head the show and movie are different, but I never saw either. My daughter went on a field trip to see the movie (!) and thought it was boring. We usually have the same taste so I probably won't bother. 6d

Susanita I bailed at about 1/4 of the book. 6d

Scochrane26 My friend read it a long time ago & didn‘t like how he wrote women & other things about it. So, I‘ve never bothered to read it. We both love the Broadway show & liked the movie. 6d

Julsmarshall IMO this is one of the rare instances when the musical/movie is better than the book 😀 6d

Tamra I bailed. 👎🏾 6d

Ruthiella I didn‘t like the book much either but I did enjoy the musical. I read another book by Maguire that I liked better but feel no need to pick up his books again.

Confessions Of An Ugly Stepsister

(edited) 5d

Deblovestoread I read it years ago with a book club and gave it a light pick for the message it was trying to make but it is not an easy read. The play is fantastic! Definitely better than the book. Don‘t waste time on a book that isn‘t working for you #hailthebail 5d

Pogue I have not see the play or the movie because I dislike the book so much. 5d

Sparklemn Hated it, hated it, hated it! 4d

39 likes15 comments

Clare-Dragonfly

The Marvelous Land of Oz | L. Frank Baum

😂😂😂

#BeyondtheYellowBrickRoad

Ruthiella 🤣🤣🤣 6d

BookmarkTavern I love the Scarecrow. 😂 6d

23 likes2 comments

oddandbookish

The Wizard of Oz (Word Cloud Classics) | L. Frank Baum

pick

The story is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. Both stories revolve around a girl who is lost in a fantasy world and meets all kinds of interesting folks along the way. It‘s a simple plot line that works so well.

The cast of characters really made this an enjoyable read. The Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion were all so lovable!

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/01/07/review-the-wizard-of-oz/

oddandbookish #book #booklover #bookstagram #bookworm #bibliophile #bookobsession #bookish #bookreviewer #booktok #library #bookspin #bookspinbingo #read2025 #25alive #thewizardofoz #wizardofoz #classics #wordcloudclassics #canterburyclassics #childrensclassics 1w

TierraWilliams243 What a lovely review! I completely agree—The Wizard of Oz has such a timeless charm, and the characters truly make the story unforgettable. It‘s great to hear how much you enjoyed them, especially the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts; it makes me want to revisit this classic too!
1w

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful edition 💛 1w

See All 10 Comments

oddandbookish @TierraWilliams243 Thank you! It‘s definitely worth a revisit. It‘s so whimsy and magical. 1w

oddandbookish @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I love the Canterbury Classics Word Cloud editions! They‘re all so pretty. 1w

TierraWilliams243 If am not gonna trouble you can we talk about your book? 1w

oddandbookish @TierraWilliams243 What book? 1w

TierraWilliams243 Are you not an author? 1w

oddandbookish @TierraWilliams243 I am not an author. I‘m a book influencer. 5d

TierraWilliams243 ohh okay 5d

70 likes1 stack add10 comments

Bookish_Gal

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire

bailed

I just couldn‘t. Made it to about 60% through. Did get better the further in, just didn‘t get interesting enough to stay with it. It was all over the place. Liked the political atmosphere more, and wished it went that way more than this odd form of attraction.
Movie was better. (What an odd thing to say)

rubyslippersreads This is definitely a case where the movie is better. (And I think I actually liked the musical even better than the movie, although I loved all the 1939 film Easter eggs in the movie.) 2w

Bookish_Gal @rubyslippersreads I‘ve never seen the musical before - though I‘ve heard only great things. My sisters seen/read it all and says they‘re all a little different. The movie was soooo well done. (edited) 2w

dabbe #hailthebail! #betterbooksahead 🙌🏻 2w

10 likes3 comments

Tamra

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire

bailed

😆 I needn‘t have felt bad about bailing on this one. It was essentially a flop for the bookclub. Only two actually managed to read/listen to the whole thing.

willaful I remember trying it when it came out because I really liked Maguire's children's books, but I bailed too. Sure is popular though. 2w

MommyWantsToReadHerBook How is something so bad and then John Updike says it's an "amazing novel"? ???? 2w

Lcsmcat @MommyWantsToReadHerBook Maybe what Updike actually said was “I was asked to say this is an amazing novel. But it‘s not.” 😂 I never trust a 2 word endorsement! 2w

See All 7 Comments

DogMomIrene A friend recommended this to me. A friend who doesn‘t like reading, so I read the whole thing, hated it, and then avoided telling her. She finally cornered me, and I just couldn‘t think of anything good to say, so I limited my criticism, but she was not going to let me say meh 🫤 😂 2w

Tamra @willaful @MommyWantsToReadHerBook @Lcsmcat @DogMomIrene this seems to be one of those polarizing works - you either love it or hate it. 😅 2w

Lcsmcat @Tamra I didn‘t hate it or love it. I read it before the musical was a thing and so I went in with no expectations. It was ok but not great in my opinion. 2w

dabbe #hailthebail! #betterbooksahead 🙌🏻 2w

58 likes1 stack add7 comments

Booksblanketsandahotbeverage

Michael Foreman's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | L. Frank Baum

#beyondtheyellowbrickroad
I found this on my picture books shelf and at 158 pages, it looks like it has the full text. It feels like a perfect afternoon to spend in Oz. My new reading companion Fizzgig agrees!

BookmarkTavern What a beautifully illustrated edition! 💛💛💛 2w

40 likes1 comment

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