Stand-by Joined: 3/16/05
There are some sexual scenes in the book that are pretty graphically depicted.
ok just wanted to know
Broadway Star Joined: 12/31/69
Honey, there are tons of threads related to the novel. Try the search engine.
Or just read the "Son of a Witch" thread.
In the book, it has a lot of details about Elphaba and Fiyero's love affair and also, it's pretty boring. I wouldn't suggest reading it.
I very much enjoyed the book.
The Wicked book is over-rated. It had it's moments but otherwise it has a lot of dull moments. I didn't understand why people love this book...it's just alright.
Oh well, to each his own.
(I for one, think Winnie pulled out a much better story from the original novel.)
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/29/05
The book is very "dark." There are also many, many, more characters in the book.
I had read the book long before seeing the musical. I loved the novel - I thought it was well-written, imaginative, and it kept me enthralled. The musical, which I also love is, on the other hand, much lighter and comedic.
Both follow the same basic story line, but the book is heavy, somewhat tragic, the musical is light, comic.
And the reason people rate it as adult is because there is sex, murder, conspiracy, and a heavy dose of politics. It's dark indeed, but brilliant.
I wonder if I like the book because I read it before seeing the musical? Curious if that changes people's opinions wither way.
If you really want to know though - read it!
the novel is very racy, extremely well written, and wonderful social commentary. gregory maguires other books are pretty good too, i reccomend confessions of an ugly stepsister which places cinderella in the setting of the dutch-masters period. also dark.
Featured Actor Joined: 10/11/04
i'm trying to read the book now. i'm on about page 50. i just feel like it's taking me so long to get into. also after having seen the play first, i'm waiting to turn the page and see kristen chenoweth singing "popular" pop out. lol. i know they're completely different. it's just taking me a while to get into
I absolutely ADORED this book. It's so deep and there's so many different messages you get from it. I thought it was a pretty good piece of literature.
I'm a huge fan fo the show, but I much rather the show's plot than that of the novel, which are very different mind you.
Comparing the book to the musical is fruitless. It's only based upon the novel, but obviously takes on a life of its own.
I enjoyed both for different reasons.
I saw the musical and loved it so much that I went out and read the book. Although I did enjoy the novel, as others have said, it was very different from the show because of the darker aspects of the story. I kept waiting for Fiyero to come back and other things from the musical to happen and they never did. In the end Elphaba never got her happy ending but then again she also started out as a deeper, darker character.
The musical is very well written since it was based off a novel. The book is in depth and gives you an idea of what really happened "behind the scenes". IT IS MY FAVORITE!
Broadway Star Joined: 3/16/04
The book was definitely interesting, although not particularly well-written. I think it could have been amazing, because in theory it is a really good idea. However the political metaphors fall short where there is a lack of explanation of... well... everything. I wouldn't consider it to be great literature, but it was an interesting read, nonetheless.
Broadway Star Joined: 12/31/69
No, Elphaba does not have a happy ending. She never did. She was never supposed to...
You have to take it for face value. The only thing I didn't understand is the huge skip of about ten years after Elphaba runs off to the Emerald City.
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