Monday, October 24, 2011

Teaser Tuesday 103: Wicked

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


I am currently a quarter of the way through Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I have not seen the musical, though I would have loved to when it was in town last fall, but am enjoying the book so far. It's actually quite a fast read. Here are a couple of quotes from the book. The first is from about where I am in the book, the second from farther on.




"What the hell are you doing up there?"

So he slipped, of course, because he was startled, and because fate, having been so kind to him as to award him this ecstasy, retributively was going to kill him now. He lost his footing and grabbed for the chimney but missed. Head over thighs he rolled out like a child's toy, smashed into the poking branches of the damn pear tree, which probably saved his life, breaking his fall. He landed with a thud on a bed of lettuces, and the wind was knocked out of him, mortifyingly so, through all available orifices.

"Oh, brilliant," said the voice. "The trees are dropping their fruits early this year."
(pg 96)


~*~*~*~*~


People who claim they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us. It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.
(pg 357)


ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.



21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cool teaser... did you ever watch the production show?

Here's mine: http://tfwalsh.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/teaser-tuesday-hades/

Sarah said...

Ha ha that's pretty funny, I've been meaning to read this book eventually.
Thanks for visiting.

Heather said...

Tania: Production show? If you are asking about the musical, I believe I answered I answered that. ;)

Sarah: Thanks, that entire scene was pretty amusing. *g*

Demijel said...

I've been trying to read this book for a while now. I can't seem to get into it though. it's been on hold for like, a month.

Thank you for sharing~

Demi @ Breaking Bookshelves

Donna said...

Great teaser! I started this a while back but couldn't get more than a few chapters into it before putting it down. I may have to give it another chance. Check out my teaser here

Shelley Munro said...

I've always been going to pick up this book. It's such a great idea. I wish I'd thought of it! Nice teasers.

Beth F said...

I know so many people who gave up on this book. Hope you make it through.

Claire said...

Great teaser! I loved seeing the musical so if you get the chance I definitely recommend it.

My teaser is here if you'd like a look

Anonymous said...

I've been meaning to read this one for, like, EVER!

Here's my Teaser Tuesday post. :)

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

What fun! I like the visual images and the humor in the moments.

Here's MY TEASER TUESDAY POST and
MY WEBSITE

Anya Millar said...

I've heard great things about the book and the production. I own the soundtrack, lol.

Here's my Teaser Tuesdays - House Millar series

Aine

Heather said...

Demijel: Sorry to hear you've had difficulty getting into this one. I'm at the halfway mark now, and the political intrigue is quite engrossing.

Donna: I do hope you'll give the book another try. The early childhood section may have seemed a bit slow and plodding to some, but there is good reason for the backstory.

Shelley: I'm sure a great many people wish they'd thought of it, LOL. I hope you get the chance to pick it up some time!

Heather said...

Beth: I did not realize so many gave up on this book, as I have heard nothing but high praise for it. I am definitely sticking with it to the end!

Claire: Thanks, I hope I can afford the ticket price next time the musical is in town. I tried hinting to my sister (who has seen it twice) that it would make a great early Christmas present, but she's a little slow on the uptake sometimes. ;)

Diary: I've been meaning to read this one since I pilfered, er-- borrowed it from my sister last Christmas. October seemed the perfect time to work it in. *g*

Heather said...

Laurel-Rain: That first scene was definitely one of the funniest scenes.

Aine: I've only heard a few songs from the soundtrack, but have liked what I've heard, especially Defying Gravity.

Cathy De Los Santos said...

Great teaser, I've seen the show on broadway and thought it was great.

Anonymous said...

Never saw the show, sounds interesting!

http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/10/teaser-tuesday_25.html

Heather said...

Boriquaz: I've heard the show is spectacular, would love to see it one day!

Tribute Book Mama: I don't know how it compares, but I am enjoying the book so far and hope to see the musical some day.

Alice Audrey said...

LOL! This is too good. I love it. Great teaser.

Heather said...

Alice: Thank you! *vbg*

The Book Faerie said...

Great teaser! I've heard a lot of good things about this book. Will have to check it out for myself :)
Thanks for stopping by!

wutheringwillow said...

Hi! Thanks for dropping by my blog!

Great teasers especially the second one. Very profound!