The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List discussion

This is an intresting alternate look of what was going on in the world of Oz

I tried to like this book because I liked the idea so much. Unfortunately, I ended up very disappointed.

I really enjoyed it. I liked the idea of the Wicked Witch of the West being misunderstood.

I have tried to read this 3 different times but always lose steam when Elphaba is at school. It's such a great idea but I just can't make it through.

Push through the school part

I had to push myself through this book, but I ended up sucked into it. However, I liked Son of a Witch better. There was no longer a need to fill in back story or explain the lands. The characters are little less complex than Elphaba, and I really liked the story. I am looking forward to Lion Among Men -the third book. I also read Lost, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror. Once you get into Maguire's style they are fun to read. Don't give up too soon! Though I have to say I never realized the people in these stories were as naughty as Maguire reveals ;-)

I just got an email that their is a third book in the series that just came out called A Lion Among Men. It is about the "Cowardly" Lion

I read this book after reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and I really enjoyed it. I have to be honest here, I hate The Wizard of Oz movie and that is what I was basing my reading choice on. I was shocked at how interesting this book was. I loved the back story and I thought Elphaba was fabulous. My heart broke for her at times and I grew more attached to her with each tragedy she suffered. As for the rest of the series, I think each book went a little downhill. I did not enjoy Son of a Witch as much and I absolutely disliked A Lion Among Men. If not for the ending, A Lion Among Men would have been rated as a total stinker by me!

I thought this book was terrific. I'm not really feeling inclined to read any of the other books, but the creativity behind this story was very unique and made me look at the wicked witch from a different perspective, although not L. Frank Baum's...

I haven't read the book but I saw the musical a few weeks ago. I have heard such mixed reviews about the book I had chosen not to read it until I saw it on stage. If you haven't seen it, you should, it's incredible! It really makes me want to read the book now.

I wanted to like this book. I was fascinated with the idea of Oz from the witches point of view. The early parts of the book, when the girls were at school, I enjoyed. After that, I got lost. I'm not sure I can explain where I stopped caring about the characters, but I pushed through and read the entire book. I really wouldn't recommend it. I haven't seen the musical, but I've heard it's completely different from the book.

I went into this book with high expectations and was sorely disappointed. I did like the concept of the Witch being misunderstood and learning about her childhood and how she came to be known as the Wicked Witch. However, I didn't expect for it to be heavy in Oz politics. That part for me was just so boring. I was good up to she left the school and then it just went down hill from there. At some points I wanted to drop it but kept plowing through thinking that maybe it would get better. Unfortunately, it didn't and I was so glad it was over.

As for the musical...I saw it this past Christmas and really enjoyed it. It didn't go into Oz politics as much. It was very light and concentrated more on the relationship between Glenda and Elphaba. Glenda was hysterical on stage. She was made to be very narcisstic and humorous. Basically all the crap in the book was left out and the good bits put in (sorry for those who enjoyed it but that's just my opinion). Also, the music was pretty good. If you didn't like the book I recommend to see the musical instead.