From Booklist Maguire, author of the popular Wicked series of novels, which gives imaginative backstory to the events taking place in The Wizard of Oz, brings his creative storytelling from the realm of fantasy to the world of reality—but just barely. Quickly but delightfully read, Maguire’s new novel has as its canvas the entire little town of Thebes in Upstate New York. His natural compassion for people’s quirks gives his razor-sharp satire on small-town life a comfortable bed on which to rest. Maguire looks backward in time, to the advent of the new millennium in 2000. His theme is that, at this significant historical moment, town characters, including the church-lady Leontina Scale and her profanity-spewing daughter and the gay choir director, now face having their personal choices being called into question but eventually seeing the disparate pieces of their lives reconciled. Amusing entertainment but with a serious side as well. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Once word is out that the Wicked author has a new book, whether it is part of that series or not, requests will begin flowing into the public library --Brad Hooper Read more Review “Reading The Next Queen of Heaven is like hanging on to the back of an out-of-control carnival ride—terrifying, thrilling, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.” (Ann Patchett, bestselling author of Bel Canto and Run)“Comes alive in many dimensions, many of them funny and slightly bonkers.” (Los Angeles Times)“A delight. . . . [A] funny and warmhearted exploration of the sacred and the profane.” (Washington Post) Read more See all Editorial Reviews
K**R
truth in satire
What do I think about this book? I think anyone who gave it a rating of two stars or less, doesn't understand satire or is too deeply devout to laugh at themselves. I thought it was fantastic to use humor to bring a bit of reality to light; the constant press for moral conformity in religious groups and the conflicts with the flawed individuals who attend.I also thought the parallels between Jeremy's long failed relationship with Willem to Tabitha's recently failed relationship with Caleb were nicely drawn. So what if Jeremy's gay and Tabitha's a bit loose? They both loved someone who loved someone else more, and it hurt no matter the sexual orientation. Then look at the nuns growing older and older, locked away from the world, while the young die from accidents and disease... The old are certain of their own upcoming deaths, while the young are certain of their long lives... Proving again that everyday is a gift not a promise.In between bursts of sarcasm and crazy, GM brings to life the old cliches of living life well and to the fullest... Otherwise the Virgin Mary or Flying Baby Jesus might try to brain you.
A**R
Worst Gregory Maguire I have read
I was extremely disappointed in this book. The mixture of religion, teen sex and angst combined with the gay thread and pedophilia was disturbing. I had been a big fan and read 4 or 5 of his books following Wicked. Also, whoever did the Kindle editing did a horrible job. There were many pages that overlapped and repeated. The editing needs to be fixed.
F**A
Tabitha isn't Dorothy
Mr. Maguire has become well known for his rethinking of the Oz saga, among other things, and now he turns his eye and pen to a fairly contemporary time period. The story takes place in 1999 in a small town in upper New York State. A Catholic and Protestant church share a parking lot, and a member of the Protestant church goes down to a refrigerator in the Catholic church's basement (if you want to know why, read the book). A statue of Mary falls on her head and she begins speaking and acting in a quite unusual way. The cast of characters is broad and cover both religions and other people and occupations, such as a gay choral director, a "modern" nun and some very elderly "old-style" nuns living in a creepy building, both church pastors, assorted other folk, and the three children of the woman mentioned above. The oldest child, Tabitha, is somewhat of a rebellious teen-ager, with a jaundiced view of religion. Her brother Hogan (named after "Hogan's Heros" perhaps) is a true juvenile delinquent, and the youngest child Kirk (after Captain Kirk?) flounces around like a prima donna and sets his cap for the choir director. All kinds of mayhem ensues, and the ending is somewhat enigmatic in that you don't really find out what happens to many of the people in the book. It's a great read, however, and I can recommend it highly.
P**A
Terrific!
Completely unlike anything else Maguire has written, this new novel is hilarious and poignant. People who have only read his adult novels, not his children's books, don't know that he has a wonderful sense of humor, but he gives it free reign here. His take on unrequited love is moving, from Jeremy's relationship with Willem to the minister's attraction to the tatooed in your face 18-year old, Tabitha. A great Christmas read, but mostly a terrific read any time.
J**F
not his best work. I liked the story
not his best work. I liked the story, and in the last quarter of the book, the punchline for the LONG set up finally came, but most of his other works are much better.
J**R
Excellent author!
Another great book from my favorite author, this one has so many hilarious parts, loved it!
C**R
Heavenly Change
Maguire begins with an apology to all who are expecting Fantasy. I know he writes fiction and I've read Fantasy before; I don't consider him a Fantasy writer by any means. His style is unique and brilliant, in my humble opinion. So far, I'm loving this novel, but never for a moment believed I wouldn't. I can't wait to read Out of OZ, either. If there were such a thing, I'd be a Maguire groupie.
H**N
Not quite as entertaining and smart as others by this author
There were times when I laughed out loud during the end of this novel, so that was good. But it took me more than a month to drag through it. I was well past the halfway mark before I cared for the characters or had any kind of understanding of what was going on. The Wicked series are some of my favorite books ever, and I have enjoyed others of his, but not this one so much.
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