S.J. Parris
S.J. Parris writes about her inspiration for Heresy, which masterfully blends true events with fiction into a page-turning murder mystery set on the sixteenth-century Oxford University campus.
Adam Haslett
A conversation with Adam Haslett, author of Union Atlantic, a deeply affecting portrait of the modern gilded age, the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Son of a Witch: Summary and book reviews of Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire, plus links to an excerpt from Son of a Witch and a biography of Gregory Maguire.
Son of a Witch
by
Gregory Maguire
Hardcover: Sep 2005,
352 pages.
Paperback: Oct 2006,
356 pages.
Ten years after the publication of Wicked, beloved novelist Gregory
Maguire returns at last to the land of Oz. There he introduces us to Liir,
an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy
did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully, Liir is
shattered in spirit as well as in form. But he is tended at the Cloister of
Saint Glinda by the silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with
her musical gifts.
What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba's son? He
has her broom and her cape -- but what of her powers? Can he find his supposed
half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison, Southstairs? Can he
fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess? In an Oz that, since the Wizard's
departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down
long enough to grow up?
For the countless fans who have been dazzled and entranced by Maguire's Oz,
Son
of a Witch is the rich reward they have awaited so long.
Book Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
The book
works too hard to dazzle us; it's considerably more cluttered and strained
than Wicked.....but few readers will fail to stay its magical course. Once again,
the myth of Oz proves its enduring power.
Booklist - Paula Luedtke
This is no lightweight fairytale--entertaining, to be sure, but
also complex and multilayered in plot and meaning, thought-provoking, and
unforgettable.
Publishers Weekly
Tucked into Maguire's enchanting fable are carefully calibrated
object lessons in forgiveness, retribution, love, loss and the art of moving
on despite tragic circumstances. Ten years after Wicked (which is still on
Broadway), fans will once again be clicking their heels with wonderment.
Library Journal - Starr E. Smith
A tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit
examination of good and evil-and leaves several doors open for future journeys
over the rainbow into this cleverly constructed dystopia.
The Washington Post - Katherine A. Powers
Though Wicked was not simply a reverse image of Baum's book or the
famous movie, it depended on their depictions of Oz as a foil for its own
maverick reshaping of the narrative. Those for whom potty humor is the acme of
wit and foul decay is horror sublime will be happy to know that Son of a
Witch is as well-supplied with those articles as the earlier book was.
What it has lost, however, is the shaping vigor gained by pushing against a
well-known story.
The New York Times Book Review - Sophie Harrison
Maguire clearly feels most comfortable when inventing freehand, and most of
his novel is set after the original Oz story ends. Dorothy's presence in the
text causes difficulties. She belongs too frankly in someone else's fairy
tale; her arrival strains Maguire's own confident production in an unhappy
way...Once he's freed himself from Baum's tenacious apron strings, Maguire
begins to enjoy himself, and the story picks up.
People
Maguire's captivating, fully imagined world of horror and wonder
illuminates the links between good and evil, retribution and forgiveness.
When his daughter, Amy, died suddenly of a heart condition, Roger Rosenblatt and his wife moved in with their son-in-law and their three young grandchildren. His story tells how a family makes the possible out of the impossible.
You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family.
The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during wartime, when those we cherish leave. And how every story-of love or war-is about looking left when we should have been looking right.
Masterfully blending true events with fiction, this blockbuster historical thriller delivers a page-turning murder mystery set on the sixteenth-century Oxford University campus.
Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
I read this book in two days and found it so refreshing. Although you will learn a great deal about barn owls by reading it, the book is not just ...
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I enjoyed reading this book, however, feel that this is not completely her own ideas. This books remembers me of a cross between 'ghost','Sixth ...
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Lisa See has written a great book! This story is satisfying on many levels, some scenes horrifying, but seemingly truthful, and her handling of the ...
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Amazon 'buy button' rumors abound(Mar 18 2010) Rumors swirled today that Amazon could revoke the buy buttons for books by Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Penguin, or Hachette if the major publishers can't...
Full Story
Amazon's e-pricing threats(Mar 18 2010) With Apple's iPad launch just weeks away, Amazon raised the stakes again when it threatened to stop directly selling the books of some publishers online...
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Son of a Witch
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