‘Wicked’ by Gregory Maguire – A Wickedly Missed Opportunity

I wanted to love Wicked. After falling in love with the movie adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande when it premiered in November 2024, I was all in. The visuals, the performances, the vibe—it hooked me completely. I bought the movie the second it dropped in December, already knowing I had tickets to see the Broadway tour when it hit San Diego in February 2025. With a few months in between, I figured, “Why not dive into the book that started it all?”

And that… was my mistake.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is a 500-page slog of beautiful potential that, for me, never quite materialized. The prose is dense, overly intellectualized at times, and instead of inviting me into the magic of Oz, it kept me at arm’s length. The entire book reads like a string of “and then this happened”s—plot points relayed like bullet notes on a whiteboard rather than immersive moments I could feel or visualize. There’s a huge difference between telling a story and showing a story. This book lives almost entirely in the former.

The pacing is glacial, and it somehow tries to cram several lifetimes of plot and political tension into one volume, despite being part of a series. It felt like two or three novels smushed together into one long, meandering tale that never quite knew what it wanted to be. For a story set in one of the most iconic fantasy worlds ever, it somehow manages to strip Oz of its wonder. The worldbuilding is complicated for the sake of being complicated, and the commentary on politics, religion, and power, while clearly intentional, just didn’t land for me emotionally.

That said, I did like one thing: Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship.

In this version, it’s far less “frenemies” and more grounded in mutual respect and a kind of awkward, genuine connection. Their arc was the one thing that felt emotionally rooted, and I would’ve loved the entire book if it had leaned more into that kind of dynamic storytelling.

Now, maybe if I’d read the book before seeing the movie or musical, I wouldn’t have had as clear a standard to compare it to—but I also might not have even finished it. I really had to push myself to keep turning the pages, and I only did because I was already invested in the characters thanks to the other versions.

The truth? The musical saved this book from obscurity. The movie expanded on that and gave new life to the world of Oz in a way that the book simply couldn’t. If you're curious about my thoughts on the stage version, I’ve written a separate review on my site, but here is a spoiler alert: it did not disappoint.

Bottom line: if you're new to Wicked and you're looking to fall in love with the story, start with the musical. Or the movie. Or both. Because the book? It might technically be the origin, but for me, it was the weakest link. I gave it a 2 out of 5, and honestly, that might be generous.

Have you read ‘Wicked,’ or seen either the movie or musical inspired by it? What are your thoughts on any or all of them? Were you more impressed with the book than me? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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