Gregory Maguire fills in a large gap of Elphie's life that was missing from the original "Wicked" novel. This novel takes place between a toddler Elphaba saying "horrors. horrors." over and over again and grown Elphaba's entrance to Shiz University. We learn more about young Elphaba's life as she gains two siblings, her mother passes away, and her father drags her, her siblings, and Nanny across OZ in an effort to convert more Ozians to the faith of the Unknown God. We see Elphaba's natural ability to communicate with animals and Animals.; her early struggles with being different amongst Ozians who have never seen someone like her; and her search for more information on the beloved Turtle Heart.

What I especially loved about this novel is the way that the language changed as Elphie aged. The start of the novel is short, stuttering sentences as toddler Elphie makes sense of the world around her and advances to the beautifully written sentences that we're used to from previous Wicked novels.

Thank, Mr. Maguire, for filling in this gap from the original novel and giving us new insights into Elphaba! If you loved Wicked, this novel cannot be missed!

The story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West from about age 4- 16. This is before she gets to Shiz and becomes the Elphaba we all know and love. She is shaped by her family's roaming ministry, her mother and father and of course her siblings, Nessarose and Shel. She starts to recognize the plight of the Animals as a young girl and learns the lesson of hard work. A perfect compliment to Wicked and any fan of Elphaba's.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this digital e-arc.*

Whether you met Elphaba in the original novel or musical film, this book could appeal widely to anyone bewitched with the jade heroine. One trait she shares in all mediums is her steadfast love of animals (and Animals), her solid morals and her consistent exploration of the world as a whole. It’s in this prequel that the chartreuse building blocks of Elphie’s life are shown fully for the first time.

While Wicked was a fantasy drama with political intrigue (and romance and music for the film), Elphie is a fascinating character study with the lovely, strange and poetic prose that Maguire is known for. Wicked showed us her birth and part of her early life, but cut off her childhood while she was barely a toddler lisping ominous words about the future. In Elphie, we finally get to meet her only brother Shell, and see her bond with her younger siblings as well as their navigation through the tragic loss of their mother, the traveling endeavors of their father and the diverse people (and creatures) they encounter along the way.

One of Elphaba’s strongest traits is that, in as much as she is a question to the world, the world likewise is very much a question to her and one that she doesn’t fear to challenge. Having a father as a traveling minister with beliefs she doesn’t really grasp gives her plenty of opportunity to explore diverse cultures, and characters she’s never met. But many events within her own family are strangers to her too; Maguire beautifully describes her emotional process during growth and occasionally tragic changes (paraphrased: her mother had taught her birth and death; Elphie was no longer immortal. She waited to be born, as someone else, as herself). Elphie’s life before Shiz was an interest to me from the beginning, and the fact that her colorful youth is accompanied with people I either already loved or was hoping to know more about made it all the more enjoyable. This is a wonderful exploration of Oz as well as a dynamic heroine and if you’re a longtime fan of the novel, or solely love the story through the musical, it is a gemstone window to more of the unique characters.

Gregory Maguire shows us Elphaba's childhood in his new book Elphie. We start with Elphie as a toddler all the way to her heading to Shiz. There's more of her relationship with Nessa and her brother, Shell (I didn't remember she had a brother) Elphie discovers that animals can talk and cuts out wings at the tailor shops where she goes to work. Elphaba keeps away from water. The people around her wonder about the unexplained things that happen. Much of this feels like Maguire is setting up the future Elphaba that we already know - mostly from the musical. If you never read the novel, it is very different from the musical - much darker. There are dark moments here. Maguire's writing style is often awkward with the made-up words and places. It is not a smooth read.

Good for those who want more of the Oz story.

I was so excited for this book because the early years in Wicked were interesting and I was excited to expand upon that. However, I feel like there really wasn't enough material to expand upon and it left this feeling extremely drawn out and unnecessary. I have read almost all of the other books in the series so I am accustomed Maguires style, but this just felt unnecessary. There were some parts that were interesting but this could have been a short story.

Posted on Goodreads: 3/22/2025

This book gives more background to the Thropp family, highlighting different significant events and acquaintances in Elphaba's young life. The reader gets to have a bit of insight into the relationship between Elphaba, and her mother, sister, and father. As a reader, I feel like having some background on the characters before reading this is definitely beneficial to getting the most out of the writing and connecting to the characters. Overall, I found the book interesting, but it sort of puts one in a pensive mood about what makes people who they are, and how people can find themselves when they are so different from everyone else. I was given the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley, and I hope it finds other readers who want to return to the world of Oz.

Insanely slow and disjointed. I want to like Wicked amd other books by Gregory Maguire so badly but honestly his writing is a tad unbearable

I am a huge of Maguire's other works for the Wicked series but unfortunately, Elphie was not it for me. It was a quick read and the story was decent. It was not an amazing book that stood out. The hardest part for me was the writing itself. The structure and style felt lazy compared to the other works.

The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie when I was little - still is. I remember watching it around every November because that was when TBS showed it. Now with streaming - anytime. And now Wicked!!
We all know who Elphie is but we don't know the whole story. In Elphie you get to read all about young Elphie. The childhood days. The parenting *insert angry face. Her sister. The animal population.
I really enjoyed getting more of Elphie's story, this is a world I would love to visit.

DNFed at 4%. I gave this chance, given my love for the Wicked musical (less so for the book, which had never been a favorite of mine). Unfortunately, ELPHIE is written in a nearly impenetrable style, simultaneously florid yet conveying nothing, and I wasn't tempted to continue further.

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/elphie-review-one-little-witch-not-so-wicked-25d65172?st=STuqtr&reflink=article_email_share

Forget everything you thought you knew about the Wicked Witch—Elphie is here to show you that even villains have a story worth telling. Elphie is one of those rare books that makes you see a well-known character in an entirely new light. If you’re looking for a fun and thought-provoking read with a dash of magic, this is it.

What’s so great about Elphie is how Maguire turns Elphaba, the “Wicked” witch, into someone we can’t help but root for. She’s complex, quirky, and totally relatable—even if she’s not your typical hero. It’s a refreshing reminder that there’s more to every story than meets the eye, and this book lets us experience Elphaba’s journey in a way that’s full of heart, humor, and just the right amount of magic.

If you love stories with strong, misunderstood characters who don’t fit into the usual “good vs. evil” box, Elphie is a must-read. It’s a perfect blend of fantasy, wit, and a little bit of mischief—plus, it’ll leave you thinking long after the last page.

Read this if you like:

Anti-hero
Found family
Coming of Age
Morally grey characters

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

This book was not for me, unfortunately. I found this writing style very hard to read and retain. I wish I would have known that before I requested it, but here we are.

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

I wanted to like this book. I truly did. Wicked the book followed by Wicked the musical and now Wicked the movie have been a huge part of my life since I was young. However, I had a really hard time getting through this one. The entire book is written in a strange present tense with a narrator who seems to be watching but also omnipotent. It’s a style I really don’t enjoy and felt strange with all of the overt future tense moments reminding the audience of things we already know will happen in the Wicked timeline. There is no real plot or climax, just a series of mildly interesting events that sort of help build where Elphaba came from, but I don’t truly feel I know more about her now than I did before. I’m worried this book was a bit rushed and pushed out to capitalize on the Wicked movie success and so lacks a good heart or foundation.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, the writing style isn’t for me. The chapters are short and very poetic, which I understand aligns with the “wicked” theme, but the writing feels indirect and confusing. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t connect with it and DNF’ed halfway through. After spending time with the text, I still couldn’t grasp what I had read. Thank you for the opportunity to read early, though. While this book wasn’t for me, I wish continued success for the rest of your publication.

This story follows Elphaba’s memories as a child growing up that made her into the Elphie we all know. Her views and personality were formed by her family’s earliest adventures as outcasts. She became a typical older sister, after the loss of her mother. She had to watch after her siblings and fell into the background with father, so much so that he had no idea she could sing. When he finds out, he uses that as a way for her to help support the family too. The adults outside of her unit fostered her need to be more. The ending segues into her arrival at Shiz. The writing in this book is very detailed and drawn out.

I have not yet read Wicked, and will once the second part of the movie comes out. I had a hard time rating this as I love Elphie so much, but wish she would have done more in this book. I am so happy that we are getting her story as a child!

I found the writing style to be difficult to follow at times, but I did enjoy the back story of Elphaba's childhood. Elphie has always been a favorite of mine, so this was interesting.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

As someone who read the original Wicked series and seen the play twice, I was very excited to have the opportunity to read the Elphie ARC by Gregory Maguire. That being said, this book left me feeling very underwhelmed.

Elphie acts as a prequel before the Wicked Series, giving us a broader look into Elphie's childhood up until her arrival at Shiz University. I remember reading and enjoying the writing in the original wicked series, but the style of writing in this one felt very different. The writing didn't flow well in my opinion, at times feeling like the author was overly descriptive and flowery just for the sake of doing so. I personally do not enjoy this writing style, as I feel like it made it harder to stay invested in the plot, especially when nothing really notable happens. Nothing in this prequel felt necessarily "new", more like highlighting pivotal moments that were only referenced in the original series, such as the death of her mother during childbirth. Having a deep appreciation for the source material, and the hope that the plot would pick up is what really kept me going until the end with this one. Besides adding a few things such as Elphie's discovery of talking Animals, and characters that are meant to play small but "impactful" roles in her life, I didn't feel like this story added anything of actual importance to greater fabric of the Oz-Verse.

Giving this book a 2.5 stars, while I did appreciate the additional insights into Elphie's relationships with her family, overall I did not enjoy the plot and writing style in this one. While some who loved the original books may enjoy this one, sadly it wasn't for me. Thank you to netgalley and William Morrow for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read this shortly after (finally!) watching the film adaptation of the Wicked musical. I adored the original novels, so I was SO excited to see that Maguire was releasing a new book exploring Elphaba's childhood. It was everything I was hoping for, and has all the hallmarks of Maguire's writing that I enjoyed: complex characters with conflicting motivations and desires, and layering a (somewhat silly!) fantasy world with prescient real world issues. Inspired me to do a Wicked reread... eventually!