Wicked
The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $46.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
John McDonough
-
By:
-
Gregory Maguire
About this listen
Elphaba is born with green skin, a precocious mind, and a talent for magic. An outcast throughout her childhood in Munchkinland, she finally begins to feel as though she fits in when she enters the University in the Emerald City. While she hones her skills, she discovers that Oz isn't the Utopia it seems. She sets out to protect its unwanted creatures, becoming known as the Wicked Witch along the way.
Narrator John McDonough draws you in to Maguire's magical world of witches and talking animals, making it possible to believe in a land somewhere over the rainbow.
©1995 Gregory Maguire (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLCCritic Reviews
"A staggering feat of wordcraft." (Los Angeles Times)
"McDonough's excellent portrayals of Elphaba's outspoken, gravel-voiced nanny, Glinda's snobbish friends, and the wide-eyed, soft-spoken Dorothy make this excursion to Oz worthwhile." (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Wicked
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 04-12-2024
The classic story with a twist
Loved this book many years ago and reading it as an adult, has been a trip, talks of philosophy and spirituality that completely flew over my head blew my mind this second time around. Brace yourself for it is triggering and explicit.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 03-12-2018
Never gets old
I read this book years ago before it was adapted into a musical. It's brilliant. You can't compare this to the musical as many characters die in this version that are kept alive in the musical. Many parts of this book leave you gasping or shocked. The characters are well developed and the narration is done very well. You really get a sense of OZ, it's denizens and its history. There are many questions left unanswered which has me excited to read the rest of the series.
I love both the musical and the book equally, but they are not the same and should be treated as such. Once you've read this book you will emphasise with the wicked witch of the West and want to kill the wizard yourself. Totally recommend this book as it's become a classic in my opinion. You probably don't need to read the rest of the series to enjoy it. It stands on its own very well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 14-11-2024
Aunty Witch
Well this completely turned the wizard of OZ story on its head for me. I’ll admit, I had never read any books, only watched the movie. But this was a fantastical storey from a different viewpoint. I’m glad I read this before watching the new movie wicked to see what that has to offer.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 30-12-2022
Wickard by Gregory Maguire 💜🖤
To start with I thought this was about Rain but think it's about her wiccan family iam enjoying Gregory's books this is my third one thank you Gregory Maguire and thank you John McDonough for reading to me 💖💖💖
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 21-03-2024
Originality of writing
I love the world in this book, the creatures, the uncertainty of magic throughout. I did find it a bit long, but once you're over halfway there's no going back. Would read again.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 26-02-2024
Not for fans of the cheerful, uplifting musical
Gloomy long story with no redeeming features. The narator did a good job. Was hoping it would get better and then it ended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 26-04-2024
Fantastic, dark and gritty.
Far darker than anything I expected, I was absolutely gripped by Wicked right from the very beginning.
I have never seen the theatrical version, but cultural osmosis had given me some preconceived ideas about the contents of the book. I was surprised to find that my expectations were immediately contradicted by a surprising amount of grittiness within the first few chapters. For a revisionist story based on a fairy tale, Wicked is incredibly ‘adult’; covering topics like adultery, racism and radicalisation.
The book explores the question of whether evil is inherent or learnt, and blurs the lines between good and bad. I was glad to discover that Maguire doesn’t simply make The Wicked Witch a victim and Dorothy a menace. Maguire could have easily garnered readers sympathy by simply making the witch a helpless victim, but instead he makes her powerfully independent and smart. She is certainly not devoid of all blame, but when viewed with the perspective of her lived experiences, the Wicked Witch’s actions seem reasonable.
The novel is long, but the words are not wasted. Characters continue to grow and evolve through the entire book and despite knowing the outcome of the tale, one never experiences predictability. A very enjoyable read if you are open to its dark tone.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 20-04-2016
Fantastic
Wicked is a wonderful book. Very well written and I enjoyed listening to the audio book just as much as I enjoyed reading it several years ago. I would have preferred a female narrator though, considering this is from the Witches pov!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 07-06-2024
Great story
The voice was a bit dull but the story was great, interesting from a different perspective
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 22-10-2024
I think I got trauma from this…🤷♀️
I’m not sure what to feel with this book - it was interesting and had amazing world building elements to it. I much prefer the musical adaptation storyline and as such I wasn’t really satisfied/happy with the overall ending of the book - I don’t need a HEA in this instance but I felt unfulfilled with this ending. I think this book gave me trauma in an oddly weird way that I’m not quite sure how to describe, glad I read it but I’m not doing it again or any other books in the series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!