This was a hard book for me to finish, simply because the writing style was either painfully simple and choppy or way at the other end of the spectrum of being overly complicated and flowery. There was little to no new information about this beloved character to add to the story we already know and love. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this book, but this one wasn't for me.

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood attempted to give us a better picture of Elphaba Thropp growing up, filling the gaps between her infancy and Shiz University. We follow Elphie to various ages as the book sheds more light onto events that were only brief mentions in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

This one was just not for me. First critique was the writing. Having recently reread Wicked, I am familiar with Maguire’s unique style, however, this was painful. I felt like I was trying to decipher a never-ending riddle. Sentences were chopping and descriptions were bizarre. I spent so much time trying to figured out what he was trying to say, only to realize it wasn’t even pertinent to the story. It was tough to slog through, and unnecessarily so.

Second… nothing really happened? Sure, we get to see young Elphaba interact with her siblings, father, and Animals, but there was nothing really deep that gave us a better picture into what helped shape her into the stubborn and independent thinker we met in Wicked. Was the plot interesting, maybe? Was it necessary to truly understand Elphaba as an adult, no. I’ll admit, I’m a plot vs. character driven reader though, which may have some impact on my harsh critique, but this was just sloooowww.

If you are familiar with his writing style or like a very flowery narrative, and/or want any new nugget from the Wicked universe, give this a try. It takes a bit of brain power to sift through to the meat-and-potatoes of the plot, but I’m sure Maguire’s unique writing is appealing to some… just not me.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great deep dive into how Elphie became who she is and provided a better understanding of who she is at her core!

I wanted to love this book so much and I just struggled. It was hard for me to “get attached” and I found myself just not wanting to read it. While I appreciate Elphaba and the need to give background on her childhood, it just didn’t captivate me.

Prequel to wicked- Elphibas childhood. I really wanted to like this so much more than I did. It was ok- I struggled to get through it.

Elphie is a coming-of-age tale about growing up green with an absentee, religious zealot father who keeps her and her two younger siblings on the road while he proselytizes around Oz.

Her father, while his parenting is mostly non-existent, still manages to keep his children out of school with his nomadic lifestyle. Elphie is smart, clever, and probably the most grounded of the Thropps, but she is held back from until she finally gets a push from one of the only people who really has a positive influence on her in the book.

If you love an origin story and enjoyed Wicked (the book!), I would recommend. I will say that Maguire has a unique writing style that may not be for everyone, although I enjoyed it, and this was more of a walk in the woods as opposed to a thrilling adventure.

Personally, I had sympathy for Elphie throughout the book and enjoyed seeing her early personality come through. I loved that we got to see the first instances of Elphie finding some sort of relatedness or connection with Animals, and later, empathy for their mistreatment.

The release date is in March and I plan on getting a physical copy for my shelf!

Elphie is the story of Elphaba's Childhood. 

I loved it because of course, I did. If you did not know I am obsessed with Wicked. I was so excited to get an early copy of this one. This book is much easier to read than Wicked ( I do suggest reading that though). I just felt like Wicked had some parts that were harder to understand. This was just such a fun read for fans of Wicked. This doesn't change anything about the story; it just gives you insight into Elphaba as a child. This book makes me want to reread Wicked, watch the movie again, and it got me even more excited for Wicked For Good. 

Thank you, Gregory Maguire, William Morrow, and Netgalley for the ARC of this.

I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book.
As much as I wanted to love this book as much as I did Wicked many years ago. The struggle was real to get through it, as I appreciate Elphaba’s story, I feel as if this was just written since the movie has come out and there just wasn’t enough there. Again I appreciate the opportunity NetGalley.

I feel like this book was writing as publicity for the movies, taking advantage of the film's success. This story was one that did not need to be told, and I really did not enjoy it at all.

Maguire’s writing is lyrical and, at times, profound. He excels at philosophical character examinations. However, Elphie, as a story, had a really rough start.

Elphie, her early years- the years I was aching to learn more about in Wicked, are first filled with repetitive, strangely parsed chapters. Like seriously, who decided to start a new chapter mid-way through a thought? I fault the editorial team. It wasn’t until about 45% through that I felt myself relax into the Maguire’s signature character analysis - Elphie and her supporting cast grappling with identity and a world that never measures up to what they believe it happening.

In spite of its rough beginning, lack of complexity, and meandering plot, I found myself highlighting profound ideas consistently within the second half of this book. Maguire’s mind can hex his readers into falling in love with a book that didn’t quite feel finished (albeit I read the ARC) and wishing it would never end!

I grew up loving the Wizard of Oz, and had always wondered why Elphaba was considered the Wicked Witch of the West. Then I read Wicked for the first time, and got to look inside her life. This story pulled at my heartstrings for her from the very beginning, and to see all that she had to endure in her childhood and all that she had been witness to, it is only a wonder why she ended up the way she did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to any Wicked fan.

This prequel to Wicked was an interesting look into the life events that shape Elphaba. Overall the book was not necessarily exciting or riveting but more of a walk through the ages highlighting her parents, nanny, siblings, and friends/acquaintances.

I don’t typically read prequels, but thought I would give this one a try since I loved Wicked. This book can add some depth to the main story but does not feel necessary to read.

Overall the writing was well done and it was saddening and eye opening.

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire is available March 25, 2025. Check it out!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Why did we do this Greg??? This was a fever dream of flashbacks and doesn't quite have the same grit that Wicked offers. This feels like a money grab just because the movie version got super popular.

Elphie is told like a half remembered dream, at times disjointed and confusing, but still intriguing enough to keep me going. As the story continues, it does become more cohesive and easier to follow.

We learn more about Elphie's early years, people she encountered who helped shape her, and ultimately helped her find her way.

I enjoyed many of the new personalities with their quirks and eccentricities, but most of all Unger touched my heart. Their time together warmed me with each interaction.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this after rereading Wicked and am now looking forward to finishing out the series.

I was so excited to hear about this book after finishing all the other previous Wicked books last year. This was an informative take on Elphie's childhood with appreciated moments of call outs to the other media. The writing style is often commented on but I enjoyed this book so much. Definitely recommend if you've read the first Wicked book at least. If you haven't read it, I don't think it would be as enjoyable.

Arc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

I was very excited for this ARC. However, the writing was so strange. Not like his usual style, but fluffy in places it didn’t need to be. It was hard to follow. Nothing happened. Boring.

What I love about Maguire's writing is that he never shies away from the darker sides of our world. The original Wicked story was a story of what happens when the government is corrupt, and what narratives are told about the people who chose to stand against that corruption. This delves a bit deeper into how that corruption started in Oz while also giving us the backstory of how Elphaba ended up at Oz. I adore Maquire's storytelling. He's clearly a man who has lived his life entrenched in story, and it shows,

A captivating exploration of Elphaba's backstory, detailing her decision to attend Shiz and the experiences that shaped her journey. Her fear of water and how her parents helped her cope are highlighted, along with the challenges of balancing her role as Nessarose's older sister and caretaker. Influences from figures such as the shopkeeper also play a crucial role in helping her recognize her potential. Together, these elements provide a deeper understanding of the forces that shaped Elphaba's life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing March 25th!

Wow, people on Goodreads REALLY do not like this book, which is surprising to me because I actually enjoyed it-objectively it's probably a 3.5 but I'll round up to four to balance out what seems to me an unfairly low score. Is it entirely necessary? No, not really-you can absolutely skip this and still get a full and complete story of Elphaba through the original series, or even just by reading Wicked as a standalone. That said, this was a nice look into her childhood, and it was really interesting to see the development of the relationships between her and her two siblings. Most of the complaints in other reviews seem to center on the writing style, but as a Gregory Maguire near-completist, this didn't stand out to me as being significantly different than most of his other books-he definitely has a distinctive style which you may like or dislike, but if you've read his work before, especially the more recent Maracoor trilogy, I don't think the style should come as a surprise-I personally found it very readable as I finished the book in one sitting over a few hours. This isn't a necessary read but unlike some other prequels for famous books/characters I don't think it negatively impacts the overall story in any way (looking at you, Hannibal Rising).

I tried so hard.
I read the original Wicked first and I kept my mind open and separated this story from the musical. At the same time, it feels like Maguire wanted to ride on the coat tails of the recent movie success, and that's why he chose to bring this story back with a prequel to his series. So maybe it's fair for people to make comparisons with the musical (hot take, I know). There are also nods to the musical in this book, I think I caught a reference or two.

This book was difficult to read, easier than the original Wicked book, but boy did reading this book put me to sleep so many nights. I skimmed through the last one-third because it was a lot less exciting than the first bit. I think if you are a fan of the original Wicked book series, you will really enjoy this one. Morrow is not a straightforward writer, and his books are not easy to get through. I also didn't really feel like there was any plot at all. It was just a compilation of stories from Elphie's childhood. I think this book would've been better if it was split into several short stories actually.

Anyway, it was a mess and I tried really hard to be a fair reviewer because I noticed so many people didn't like this book because it wasn't close to the musical. But ultimately it wasn't for me. Sorry :(