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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Moderate; violence including a war and its civilian casualties
Language
Some
Some strong language
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit sexual content; adult relationships including a sexual assault
Substance Use
Some
Social drinking and drug use in the decadent political class
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Significant; the novel is fundamentally about whether evil is innate or constructed, and the psychological cost of being defined as the enemy
What this book is about
Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel reimagines the Land of Oz from the perspective of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, from her birth to her death. An explicitly adult retelling that engages with questions of evil, political power, religious oppression, and what makes a person a monster. Maguire's Oz is dark, morally ambiguous, and marked by sexual content and violence that the musical adaptation softens considerably.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Explicit sexual content
Sexual assault
Dark reimagining of a beloved children's story
Adult content throughout
Reader Verification
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More Fantasy books from the catalog.
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