Friday, January 09, 2009

i am actually feeling a little betrayed at the moment. for the past number of years, i have been hearing all the hype about the play"wicked". i even started getting hyped myself and had hoped to someday go see it. can i now say that i am SO glad i never wasted my time or money on such trash! people who's opinion i trusted, i now question.
to clarify...i had bought the book several months ago, but forgot i had it. then when we moved, i came across it. so when i needed some fun reading the other day, i took it off the shelf and started to read. i was never made to care about a single character and i was completely offended at the crudeness and vulgarity of the author. but i told myself, "there must be SOME redeeming quality to the story, because SO many people love it SO much" so i forced myself to keep reading...you know, give it a fair chance. but after 4 chapters, i was SO offended and SO disappointed, i put the book down and swore to never pick it up again! i had not found ONE redeeming quality or reason to spend precious time on one more page.
in those 4 chapters, we have drug addiction, adultry, promiscuity, vulgarity, cannibalism, to name a few.
the green baby has to have her mouth taped shut so that she doesn't eat herself or anyone else. her mother is afraid to nurse her, because she is afraid the baby will bite her "ti*s" off. the mother is a drug addict who has sex with every traveling salesman that comes along, because her husband is a soft, boring man who is "unimaginative" in bed. the mother doesn't even know for sure who the father of the green baby is, and her own nanny tells her that she noticed how many times a day she changed her "perfumed underwear" when she was a teenager to try and hide the fact that she was sleeping with all the boys in the neighborhood.
the father/husband is beat up and poops on himself and doesn't even get to clean himself until the next day. the midwives try to decide the best way to murder the newborn green baby. the mother is jealous of the green 2-year-old, because she is crawling around between the legs of a traveling salesman and that's what SHE would like to be doing...so ten minutes later, she is doing a WHOLE lot more than that! later, the green 2-year-old pees on the floor and then proceeds to bend down and smell her own urine.
phew!! should i go on, or do you get the picture? i mean, seriously...who writes this crap? and why would all my friends tell me how wonderful it is? i can honestly say that i was MORE OFFENDED by those 4 chapters, than by ANY of the R-rated movies i own!!
in fairness, maybe this garbage is left out of the play...but then what does that leave? i guess i will never know. so if you, like me, have not seen the play or read the book, at least you have been warned! i will not be the one you blame...that honor can go to someone else.
and next time i want a good book to read...nora roberts, nicholas sparks, or david gemmel, here i come! the rest of you can have gregory maguire all to yourselves. i have no use for him...

15 comments:

angiedunn said...

you tell 'em, jenny! hahahaha...

i haven't seen or read wicked...but from your description...doesn't exactly sound like my cup o' tea either...(:

Stacy said...

The play is nothing like the book. I had an Aunt who did the same thing...she was disgusted by the book but we convinced her that the play was void of such trash...the play might have been rated PG-13 for one sceen (they show nothing) but the book is way disgusting. This opinion from a girl who has seen the play...but only heard repeatedly DO NOT read the book!

shabbyscrapper said...

ok, perhaps...but if you take out all the trash, all you have left is "bored rich girl marries boring preacher and has no idea why her baby is ugly and green". personally, i need a little more than that!

shabbyscrapper said...

and if i were to rate the book by the same standards i would rate a movie, it would get an "R" for sure. a wicked "r". LOL

shabbyscrapper said...

and either way, gregory macguire profits from his trash. i'd rather feed someone else'e family.

Guthrie's said...

Woah Jenny! Go get em! I promise I won't EVER touch Wicked! I love how adamant you are when you express your opinion.

mamamuniz said...

I both read the book and saw the play. I agree, the book was not my favorite, but the musical is fabulous! You did not get far enough in the book (I DON"T BLAME YOU-JUST SAYING) to know the plot of the musical. It skips all that you have mentioned, and focuses on when Elfaba (your green baby) goes away to college. It is a musical based on the PREMISE of the book, the wizard of Oz story from the green witch's point of view. It is NOT a close adaptation of the book itself. Many, many differences!!

Erin said...

This is hilarious... and disgusting! I had no idea that it had any of those things in it. I haven't seen or read it, but it sounds like that won't be going on my "To Read" list.

Unknown said...

Oh that is awful Jenny.
How dare someone write such yucky!
I don't like it, so I am on your side! No wonder kids get the wrong teaching!

but, now I am completely curious to see the play.
If I go I shall let you know.

Oh and you know Books are so way out in the left field at times but, never to make an excuse.
the book sounds like Rated X, to me.

ForeverSarahLee said...

Well, just wanted to say hi & I love you!

Lori Bottomley said...

LOL...okay so I have to admit that I saw the play on Broadway and LOVED it! I didn't know about the book until later. I was warned however, before reading it how awful it was and so have stayed far away from the book! However, the musical was FANTASTIC! IT is NOTHING like the book at all...very tame and I have no qualms taking my younger children to see it. The music is awesome too! Sorry you weren't warned about the book. It really is awful that such a wonderful show came from such a horrible book and that people will get taken in to read it unknowingly. Sorry you will miss such a great show! But, good for you for taking a stand!

Anonymous said...

Hi
I just saw cute Jessica at Barro's she is so cute... It was good to see her. I stock Lauras blog she is awsome at her blog I love to read it. She has a CUTE little girl.. Hope you love your home.. It is so far out here. We are in Johnson Ranch.. It is a trip to go anywere..Just wanted to say Hi.. LOVE>>>Jill Johnson

shabbyscrapper said...

hey jill!!! you ARE alive! you should call me sometime (same old number). i work all week, but we could "do lunch" on a weekend or something.
jenny

Anonymous said...

Sounds GOOD !!!

EJ said...

So I had no idea there was a book, too. I saw the musical my senior year with my dance team in Chicago, not knowing what it was before going. I thought it was amazing, and the music is great! It is NOTHING what you described the book to be. I'm not trying to say you should still see it, but I want to say that it is good and clean because I HAVE seen it! The book sounds ridiculously horrible, though. :(