Elphie by Gregory Maguire takes the reader back into the world of OZ to take a look into the childhood of our title character. I did enjoy being back around the characters I have come to be invested in but something in the pacing and stakes felt really off kilter. I have traditionally loved this author's work and will likely add this one to my collection and will mostly be recommending mainly to hardcore wicked fans.

4/5 stars — A witchy, witty return to Oz!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of Elphie! Getting to revisit the origins of one of literature’s most complicated heroines felt like opening a long-lost diary—one written in emerald ink and probably enchanted.

Gregory Maguire is back, and he’s brought us a gorgeously detailed, emotionally rich prequel that gives Wicked fans exactly what they didn’t know they were missing: a deeper dive into young Elphaba’s chaotic, curious, and complicated childhood. From her very first scream (which no doubt had a hint of sass), Elphie is wholly herself—prickly, perceptive, and perpetually misunderstood. You don’t become the Wicked Witch of the West without a few formative traumas, and Maguire delivers them with his signature blend of dark whimsy and biting insight.

The book is at its best when it lingers in the in-between moments—Elphie observing the injustice toward Animals, testing the brittle boundaries of friendship, and trying (and often failing) to fit into the puzzle of her own peculiar family. Melena and Frex are walking contradictions (one hedonistic, one sanctimonious), and their parenting style could best be described as “mild neglect meets magical realism.” The arrival of saintly Nessarose and troublemaker Shell only further tilts Elphie’s world.

There’s something a little heartbreaking—and a little hopeful—about watching a child so full of bite and brilliance try to find her place in a world that doesn’t quite know what to do with her.

Admittedly, the pacing stumbles in parts, and the prose occasionally leans more philosophical than necessary for a coming-of-age tale, but the emotional payoff is worth the journey. And for longtime fans, the ending—leading right up to Shiz and the first glimmer of Galinda—is nothing short of enchanting.

If you loved Wicked, Elphie feels like slipping on an old, green glove. Unconventional, slightly abrasive, and utterly unforgettable.

(P.S. I’ll be needing that deluxe limited edition, immediately. Stenciled edges and a color map? Yes, please!)

I am one of very few people I know who loved Wicked (the book, not the musical), so I was very excited to see the prequel that would give us Elphaba’s origin story. That said, I’m not sure it really delivered said “origin”. This story occurs largely outside munchkin land in Ovvels where Elphie and her siblings are mostly with their nanny and their father is proselytizing. Elphie does meet some talking animals, but the engagement is brief but clearly impactful to our protagonist. This is perhaps the biggest connection to “who elphaba will become”. I’m not sure what the ultimate point of the family’s venture to Ovvels is. I am still not clear on the relevance of Turtle heart, who was mentioned often yet seemed no one cared much about. Ultimately I don’t feel that I learned much about Elphaba.

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

This was a pretty interesting prequel to Wicked. It moved along quickly and fleshed out some parts of Elphaba's backstory. I read the original novel a long time ago, so I feel like I'm more familiar with the musical these days. I had to refresh my memory a couple times. I don't think this book would really appeal to anyone who isn't familiar with the story, but the chapters are short in a way that sped things up.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Wiked has always been a favorite of mine for many years, and this book is no different. I loved reading the story and looking into Elphies world I just cannot get enough. Now I need to go back and rewatch the movies and maybe stop by the theatre again for another fix.

Thanks to University Press of Kentucky and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This is perfect for fans of Wicked. Great characters, great setting, great story

Elphaba will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character as the Wicked Witch of the West in adult life. But even as an infant, she was always a one-off. Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a character that spawned a saga of books, a musical, and an award-winning movie.
Starting from the dedication page, you understand what kind of book you are getting. Dedicated to Idina Menzel and Cynthia Erivo as well as all those who play Elphie past and future, we know we are not getting the gritty Elphaba from the original books. We are getting an Elphie that will tie into the movie better than the original book (that has scared many movie fans).
From page one, you get Gregory Maguire’s voice with a unique writing style. His narration ages up with Elphie. Many complained about this beginning, saying they couldn’t read it. While I had no trouble, I also understood what the author was doing. The writing becomes conventional as Elphie ages. It’s quite beautiful and genius. The story itself provides new info while hinting at what’s to come. He also adds homage to the musical and the actors/singers he mentioned in the dedication. This book is both well written and made me, as a book fan, happy. But it is also a wise move as it’s a nice step down to allow musical/movie fans into the world before they get into the true nitty gritty of the book’s universe.

This was a disappointing read. I have read books from this author before and have enjoyed them. I was really drawn to the idea of a prequel for Elphaba, however this was pretty terrible. The plot went nowhere. The prose is what I would expect from this author, however it just really didn't add anything to the character's backstory other than a bunch of unidentifiable drivel that was nearly impossible to follow. Thanks for the Arc, NetGalley.

I’ve never read the Wicked book, but I still plan to. I saw the Broadway musical and movie multiple times. I knew going in that the books were nothing like what was adapted for the musicals. I was underwhelmed. This story felt unnecessary.

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

Unfortunately I’m DNFing at 18%.

I was so excited for this book. I read and enjoyed Wicked and Son of a Witch but the writing style in this book I did not understand. I found it slow and choppy. I thought maybe I would come back to it but I think it’s a lost cause for me.

I couldn’t get into this. I felt like the author was jumping around a lot and barely scratching the surface with the characters and events. I feel like Wicked wasn’t written like this. DNF at 15%

If Gregory Maquire writes it, I"m going to not only read it but also pre-order it way in advance! I love that we continue to visit the story of Elphaba. With Wicked turning 30, I think it's a great time to introduce what Elpaba's childhood was like. There are so many references throughout other books that it was nice to finally focus on it for a solid book.

Having just finished the original Wicked, I thought it lovely to have received an ARC of Elphie. Was excited to delve more into her character and personhood but this fell remarkably short. It felt like a stiff biopic at the best of times, and a meandering exploration of other characters and politics at others. There elements worth praising and integrating some more of Elphaba's connections with Animals and her family, but overall, the book felt stilted and awkward. It felt like the author just had more words to write, regardless of whether they advanced a plot (there was none) or character development (also felt lacking). Maybe if you really love Wicked and this terribly choppy writing style that lacks any cohesion, this is for you. But if you care to find me, it won't be near this book.

I did enjoy Elphie by Gregory Maguire.
I can’t say it was my favorite book for the Wicked universe. I did however enjoy seeing Elphabas life a bit more closely

Before reading this book, I decided to go back and read "Wicked" again, 30 years after I first read it. While I still enjoyed the writing style of the original book, I did not find the content as interesting as I did 30 years ago! With that in mind, I began to read "Elphie." I expected more than a re-hashing of the information presented in "Wicked." I found this book to be rather boring and not very informative about Elphaba. I would not recommend this book.

Elphaba Lives

[review will appear on Amazon later]

Thirty (!) years since the original publication of Wicked, Gregory Maguire's transformation of the Wicked Witch of the West occupies a far more significant and enduring place in popular culture than anyone could have imagined from what was then just another in his series of twisted adult-targeted takes on fairy tales. Besides the wildly popular stage and film musicals, Wicked spawned three book sequels and a follow-up trilogy. But absent a massive retcon of the original's pitch-perfect ending, none of those could star Elphaba. And since Maguire already explored her childhood and university years in depth in the original novel, all that was left was that gap of her childhood and adolescence.

In "Elphie," Maguire finally delves into those largely unexamined years with a light touch; avoiding the trap of sending Elphaba into some grand out-of-context adventure but appropriately putting her at the periphery of her parents' lives as they seek to locate and make amends with the family of a deceased friend. Along the way, we get more of a sense of the creation of the Elphaba who matriculates at Shiz -- but any reader recently entranced by the Hollywood film should know that this is the eighth in a series, a side story regarding the characters of the *books*, and will resonate far more with you if you have read the seven preceding volumes. (I read this having just finished a re-read of the original series as well as the follow-up trilogy, so I came in perfectly primed for it.)

“War in the air, and yet the air is soft.”

The oft ignored and misunderstood Elphaba Thropp is the focus of this origin story and bildungsroman. Though slow and plodding in much of the novel, Gregory Maquire’s lighthearted and clever cheek is present throughout as well as his characteristic onomatopoeia. Though he tries to meld the original novel with the film and stage show, there are inconsistencies. After all, “Memory and history codify perception.” Nonetheless, it was fun to travel back to Oz and reminisce.

Elphie, “delivering herself of the need to husband souvenirs of friendship, the vegetable pearl sinks back toward where it grew. She has no appetite for friendship and she wants no obligations of affection. The past promises us nothing but this: it will abandon us, leave us orphaned, unless we abandon it first.” I think this sums up Elphaba perfectly.

Thank you to William Morrow Publishing for providing an advanced review copy of this title for an honest review.

Maguire comes back to one of the periods of Elphie's life he's left deliberately vague in the wake of the massive success of the Wicked movie adaptation and decides to fill in some more details to make the books align more with the blander wildly successful Broadway adaptation and also get some tie in cash, which I will not begrudge him. Fairly solid novel that focuses on Elphie and Nessa's time growing up among the Quadlings.

DNFing at 29% - and that makes me so sad 🥲

I was so excited when I heard this book was coming out! I literally danced when I got the acceptance email for the ARC. My hopes were so high 😍
It really hurts to DNF this, but it is just so hard to read. I am so sorry; I just cannot finish this right now. I want to know more about Elphie, but it's like the writing is kind of circling around what it's trying to say instead of saying it out loud and using very small sentences at the same time 😕
It seems like this book was written just for the actresses of Elphaba to understand and no one else, which is amazing in its own way! I don't think it's easy to write, actually. Maybe one day I can try it again. I have to say, though, that I love the print job. The colours of the hardcover, including the sprayed edges and the maps inside, are so beautifully done ✨

We will meet again someday, Elphie 💚

Gregory Maguire is back in Oz—again!—and this time, he's taking us on a prequel journey with "Elphie: A Wicked Childhood," a companion to his now thirty-year-old breakout hit "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West."

Now, before you assume you should read this because of your Wicked musical obsession, let me just say, the books and the musical are not the same thing. I feel like I need a neon sign every time I talk about this series. The musical is catchy, whimsical, and digestible for the masses (love it!); the books are a little more Oz by way of Dickens, packed with political and social commentary. Elphaba in the book is not belting "Defying Gravity"—she's navigating a gritty, layered world where "good" and "wicked" are more labels than truths.

That said, I do love both versions for what they are. I'll sing along to the Broadway soundtrack but also crack open a Maguire novel when I want to stew in something dense and darkly magical. Which brings me back to "Elphie."

This book fills in the mysterious gap between baby Elphaba and college-age Elphaba at Shiz University. In Wicked, we basically blink, and she's on campus; in Elphie we walk through her childhood and all the odd, turns that lead her to Shiz.

Some parts of Elphie are deeply engaging, but I found myself drifting through large sections of the book. The pacing meanders, and while I typically enjoy Maguire's style, this one didn't grip me the way Wicked did.

If you're new to Maguire's series, start with "Wicked." That novel set the tone for everything that followed. "Elphie" works better as a bonus for readers who are already invested in this twisted version of Oz. If you're even a little bit curious about Elphaba's younger years, give it a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.