The Next Queen of Heaven - by Gregory Maguire (Paperback)

About the Book

A farcical and imaginative novel by the bestselling author of "Wicked" and "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" that was originally published as a limited-edition book for charity, now widely available for the first time.

Book Synopsis

"A delight....[A] funny and warmhearted exploration of the sacred and the profane."
--Washington Post

"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

New York Times bestseller Gregory Maguire--who re-imagined the land of Oz and all its fabled inhabitants in his monumental series, The Wicked Years--brings us The Next Queen of Heaven, a wildly farcical and gloriously imaginative tall tale of faith, Catholic dogma, lust, and questionable miracles on the eve of Y2K. The very bizarre and hilarious goings on in the eccentric town of Thebes make for a delightfully mad reading experience--as The Next Queen of Heaven shows off the acclaimed author of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror in a brilliant new heavenly light.

From the Back Cover

With the new millennium approaching, the eccentric town of Thebes grows even stranger. Mrs. Leontina Scales begins speaking in tongues after being clocked by a Catholic statuette. Her daughter, Tabitha, and her sons scheme to save their mother or surrender her to Jesus--whatever comes first. Meanwhile, choir director Jeremy Carr, caught between lust and ambition, fumbles his way toward Y2K. The ancient Sisters of the Sorrowful Mysteries join with a gay singing group. The Radical Radiants battle the Catholics. A Christmas pageant goes horribly awry. And a child is born.

Only a modern master like Gregory Maguire could spin a tale as frantic, funny, and farcical as The Next Queen of Heaven.

Review Quotes

"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
Originally published in 2009 as a limited-edition book by Concord Free Press for charity, Maguire's (Wicked) latest takes on religious life in rural upstate New York. Leontina Scales, thrice-divorced single mother of three teenagers, is a faithful member of the Cliffs of Zion Radiant Radical Pentecostal Fellowship, which shares a parking lot with the Catholic church next door. When she tries to borrow some milk from the church kitchen, she gets hit on the head by a decommissioned statue of the Virgin Mary, and all hell breaks loose for her family. Meanwhile, gay Catholic music director Jeremy Carr ends up befriending a bunch of ancient nuns at Our Lady of the Sorrowful Mysteries cloister. By turns serious and hilarious, this novel is classic Maguire despite its "real-life" setting. His take on the Radiant Radicals is a bit irreverent, but he shows sympathy for the Catholics in the story, particularly the elderly cloistered nuns. Verdict Recommended for readers interested in religious commentary with a sense of humor and Maguire fans not wedded to the fantasy genre. - Library Journal