Read a s a review book for Harper Collins. Starting a book ring with this title.
Ruth

Starting a ring for this book. Order of participants is as follows:
lmn60
Jackson371
cestmoi
jamesmum
oldreader
ldpaulson
Firegirl
MollyGrue
Suebo
MissGrace
butlin
wyldewomin
twinkpuddin
aylaeh
home-Rrrcaron

Hope you all enjoy

Arrived safe and sound today. I'm looking forward to this one and will read it ASAP!

Book Description from amazon.com
"The long-anticipated sequel to the million-copy bestselling novel Wicked
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?"

I was looking forward to this one as I have read and enjoyed other novels by Maguire, but have to report a mixed response to 'Son of a Witch'. AS usual, I enjoyed Maguire's quirky world view and the well drawn characters he portrays. My major problem with this book was its narrative thrust - or rather - lack of narrative thrust. Plot lines seem to begin and then tail off or go nowhere, at times the story plodded and meandered so much that I became frustrated and found myself skipping sections to get on to the next episode of the story. In the end, too, it felt as if Maguire was setting things up for a sequel rather than considering this novel a self-contained entity. Despite the fact that it will probably be a best-seller,and that a mediocre fantasy from Gregory Maguire is still better than a lot of other crappy writing to be found in the genre, in the end I was disappointed by this book.

Arrived today thank you. Will get onto it straight after the one I'm almost through.

I was so looking forward to reading this...and what a disappointment it was! It seemed like Maguire took all the things I disliked about Wicked and built on them to build this novel. I like Liir, I think he would be an incredible character, but Maguire never seems to give him a real story. Put that with all the political mumbo jumbo going on in the background and I couldn't read beyond half way through.

I am glad that I was in the ring though because it is giving me the opportunity to send it on to Jamesmum along with some treats.

Enjoy.

This bookring arrived in a delightful box of treats from Cestmoi. It felt like Christmas opening that box!

I'll bump this to the top of my reading pile, and send it along to OldReader within two weeks. Thanks for sharing!

12/25/05 update: Well, I liked it. It wasn't quite as powerful as "Wicked", but I still enjoyed it. Something in Maguire's style of writing appeals to me.
I have a second bookring book that wants to travel to OldReader next, so I will send both of them together in the new year (have contacted OldReader about this).

1/14/06: On itd way to OldReader.

Why oh why do all the rings arrive at once????

I enjoyed this almost as much as Wicked.Want to read the rest of his books now.Thanks soooo much for sharing.The ending sort of left me feeling there may be a third book in the future.Will mail by midweek next.

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailed today.enjoy.

Arrived from suburban Sacramento. Thanks! It is being added to the growing queue of rings and rays that are to be read.

Absolutely unable to continuing reading. Not engaged a bit.

The infatuation with Maguire is ovah. Done. No mas.

On to the next reader.

03/10/06 Update: Firegirl has asked to be skipped, so it's on to MollyGrue.

Got this today, coincidentally after I had finished another Maguire book last night. :)

I'm sorry to have delayed this book for so long. I am going to have to trust the fact that I can find almost anything to do rather than read this book as some sort of indicator that I'm not going to finish it. Maybe another time.

Reserved for the next reader.

DC# 03010120000939203632

RELEASE NOTES:

Happy reading!

caught it. hopefully will keep it moving.