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A review by holdenwunders_
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
My darling and dearest little asparagus, Elphaba, how I’ve missed you.
When I first saw Gregory Macguire was writing an “origin” story of Elphie, I thought eh I don’t need it. Then I kept on seeing it and I have to admit, over time my curiousity peaked and I couldn’t resist more Elphaba in my life. If you have read the other books in the Wicked series this is a treat, and if you haven’t, this is the perfect place to start.
We get to witness the evolution of our greenest girl in Elphie and establish the connections with her father, Nessa, and mischievous baby brother Shell before all the “turmoil” in the later stories begin. We get to see her first interactions with talking animals and the reactions and culture that shapes Elphaba’s personality and reactions to those around her. There were so many nuances in this story that further shapes the story we are already so familiar with and there were some easter eggs if you love the Wicked The Musical too! It was the perfect place to start and I have to admit, it being available right as the movie came out shaped my wanting in reading this ARC.
I absolutely love Maguire’s writing and always have and he does not disappoint when it comes to writing style. One of the true joys in reading him is learning so many new words and witnessing him play with dialect and shape words into new amalgamations that never stops you from giggling with joy.
Overall, I’m so pleased to have another book by him and especially one that centers Elphaba. The biggest question though, was it necessary? And while I enjoyed it I don’t think my answer would be a resounding yes, but I’m also not mad that it exists. Sometimes getting more of something you love can be an exquisite little treat and Elphie was exactly that.
When I first saw Gregory Macguire was writing an “origin” story of Elphie, I thought eh I don’t need it. Then I kept on seeing it and I have to admit, over time my curiousity peaked and I couldn’t resist more Elphaba in my life. If you have read the other books in the Wicked series this is a treat, and if you haven’t, this is the perfect place to start.
We get to witness the evolution of our greenest girl in Elphie and establish the connections with her father, Nessa, and mischievous baby brother Shell before all the “turmoil” in the later stories begin. We get to see her first interactions with talking animals and the reactions and culture that shapes Elphaba’s personality and reactions to those around her. There were so many nuances in this story that further shapes the story we are already so familiar with and there were some easter eggs if you love the Wicked The Musical too! It was the perfect place to start and I have to admit, it being available right as the movie came out shaped my wanting in reading this ARC.
I absolutely love Maguire’s writing and always have and he does not disappoint when it comes to writing style. One of the true joys in reading him is learning so many new words and witnessing him play with dialect and shape words into new amalgamations that never stops you from giggling with joy.
Overall, I’m so pleased to have another book by him and especially one that centers Elphaba. The biggest question though, was it necessary? And while I enjoyed it I don’t think my answer would be a resounding yes, but I’m also not mad that it exists. Sometimes getting more of something you love can be an exquisite little treat and Elphie was exactly that.