Wicked
The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
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Wicked
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Narrated by:
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John McDonough
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By:
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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, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"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.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jo S
- 22-09-24
Weird & indulgent
I stuck with this, thinking it might improve. Alas, no… it was so self indulgent at times and pompous. Certain elements were obscure and disjointed and so difficult to follow the narrative. Also it was almost impossible to feel any connection with the characters. I think it may have helped to have been narrated by a female voice rather than the ponderous way this was delivered.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ryan Abbott
- 14-01-25
Enjoyed
I’m a huge fan of the musical and now film. Have read one before but some details weren’t retained. Happy to have heard listened and liked the performance throughout. Will definitely listen to the other 3 in the Wicked series.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claire T.
- 18-07-19
Definitely not for children
Not at all what I expected, but a detailed, shocking story of Oz.
I haven’t seen the musical but I imagine there’s not a lot of this book in a family show.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-05-21
Great listen
Puts a totally different light on the original story, just begs the question" who was really Wicked ?????? " it's up to you to decide !!!!!!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alex Baines
- 25-09-24
Not as expected - which is a good thing!
Surprisingly darker, different to what the musical shows and makes me want to explore the rest of the series, at least the sequel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah O' Connor
- 09-01-25
A fascinating insight into Elphaba’s history
Wonderful story, well performed. Creates a better understanding of what makes one wicked. Highly recommend a listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jemma McGregor
- 12-12-23
Interesting, quite shocking, and insightful. (Not for children.)
I loved that this is the original version of the story.
The first time I read it, it was not what I was expecting. I did not like it at all. I felt the language very crude and the character of Elphaba hard to like. I had wanted to read this with my children and quickly realised from the get go how inappropriate that would be. There are a lot of sexual references.
On reflection the second time it made a lot more sense as to where the characters and story for Wicked the musical came from. I was able to understand, appreciate and actually like the characters more. The back story was more detailed and insightful. Especially about the political events involved.
I enjoyed the historic events and now appreciate the differences to the musical.
It is a total contrast to the Disney movie Wizard or Oz and the happy go lucky sentimental, feel good musical of Wicked.
It was well read and overall of you are a wicked or wizard of oz fan this is a must read.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- T123
- 29-02-24
Interesting, but not captivating
I read this a long time ago, and was excited to re-experience it through audio. The performance was pretty good I thought! I could tell characters apart easily enough. The story has so much more potential than what we got on the page though, and many questions are left unanswered. It’s a frustrating listen. But even so, an enjoyable one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-12-24
wicked
I liked the whole story. it's excellent. it explains how the wicked witch be come wicked
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- linda
- 12-01-25
Brilliant
I loved every bit of this story and enjoyed how it turned out in the end. Fantastic tale brilliantly read 👍
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