Ella Enchanted

This is one of those classic kids’ books that I never actually read when I was a kid, so I’m catching up now. A Wrinkle in Time and Bridge to Terabithia are also on my list.

But oh my gosh I wish I had read this as a kid? It’s so good! First of all, the premise is really interesting: Why was Cinderella such a pushover? Why did she do everything her stepfamily told her to? Because she was cursed to be obedient! And then it gives you a really strong, smart heroine who asserts her own autonomy any little way she can, and eventually breaks the curse with her own power of will. I also really like the theme of ‘big magic’ being dangerous because it can have unintended consequences, that sometimes actions you intend for good can end show more up hurting someone so you shouldn’t be careless.

I’m going to have to read more of Gail Carson Levine’s books for sure. show less

That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift. When I cried inconsolably through my first hour of life, my tears were her inspiration. Shaking her head sympathetically at Mother, the fairy touched my nose. "My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying child."So begins this richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell who wants nothing more than to be free of Lucinda's gift and feel that she belongs to herself. For how can she truly belong to herself if she knows that at any time, anyone can order her to hop on one foot, cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom - and she'll have to obey?

Against a bold tapestry of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy show more godmothers, Ella's spirited account of her quest to break the curse is a funny, poignant, and enchanting tale about an unforgettable heroine who is determined to be herself. show less

After hearing a 20-something of my acquaintance casually refer to a scene in Ella Enchanted (either the book or the movie version, I'm not sure which) as if she expected it to be something everyone would automatically be familiar with, I realized that this story had slipped itself into the canon of children's classics while I wasn't looking. And having now read it, I can absolutely see why. It entirely deserves it.

The story follows Ella, the daughter of a wealthy but unscrupulous merchant, who at her birth has a "gift" bestowed on her by a well-meaning but very stupid fairy: the "gift of obedience." From then on, she cannot refuse a direct command given to her by anyone, for any reason. Which, if you stop to think about it for a moment show more (as the story most certainly does) is an utterly horrific idea.

While it's not obvious from that description (and, indeed, a lot of the relevant elements don't come into play until near the end), this is basically a retelling of Cinderella. But it's a marvelous, original, and wonderfully creative one. The world, rather than being Generic Fairy Tale Land is one with its own history and cultures, and its own variants on the usual fantasy creatures. The love story is charming and believable and based on a real meeting of minds, rather than being the usual kind of vacuous fairy tale romance. And the main character is spirited and likeable and feels very much like a real person. At some point towards the end, I realized I was basically sitting on the edge of my seat with tension, desperately hoping everything would work out all right for her. Which is kind of crazy. I mean, it's Cinderella. I know how Cinderella ends! But I was that caught up, and that invested in her happiness. And the climax, when it comes, is a marvelous twist on the original tale that left a great big grin on my face. This is definitely the kind of fairy tale we should be giving 21st-century kids, and 21st-century adult me loved it a lot, too. Way more than I ever would have expected to. show less

All right. I never write reviews for books that already have 200,000 ratings because there's really nothing I can add, except personal observations and nostalgia. Originally I picked up this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. I had never heard of it. (Long story. Don't ask. And I read it long before the horrible movie was made.) So I was about halfway through it when the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I finally realized OMG, this is a f**king Cinderella story! OMG squee squee! I don't normally think of myself as a dense person, but yeah, I'll admit that. Because it's the first time in any version of Cinderella I can recall (and I have read many versions of the story so I may drop names like Vladimiar Propp and show more Stith Thompson)... The first time ever that the origin of the glass slippers and the reason for their non-disappearance at midnight was satisfactorily explained. That alone, even if it did nothing else, makes this an awesome and brilliant book. Lash me with a wet noodle if I'm wrong, please. show less

My fond memories of this book are particularly coloured by the thrill of my horror on first realising how terrible the "gift" bestowed upon Ella is. Some aspects of the rest of it are a bit simplistic - it is after all a children's novel - but I still love all the ways Ella tries throughout the novel to resist the curse. It's a thorough exploration of the potential and limitations of hiding her vulnerability, searching for loopholes, fleeing, and ultimately sheer willpower. I think it will always remain a bit of a comfort read.

I've always assumed that I read this book and have seen the movie but after listening to the charming audio version of it I really don't think I have. The story was new and fresh and fantastical. I loved it. I'm a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings and the superb narration (the narrator sounds like an honest to god kid!) kicked this middle grade fantasy into overdrive. When Ella was a newborn a fairy placed a curse on her - she would be obedient. Ella cannot disobey an order - which make it dangerous if the wrong people found out! After her mother dies she is sent to finishing school and two odious girls proceed to make her life a living hell. She runs away to try and find the fairy who cursed and along the way she has many an adventure. show more There is romance, action, adventure, humor, and fun. All around great storytelling. Empowering for young girls! show less

For the longest time I thought that I had read this book. It came out in 1997, right when I was in my middle school Everything Princesses And Fairy Tales period, and I have read several other fantasy stories by Levine. I assumed that it was a lesser novel, that I didn't remember much of it because it wasn't as good as Fairest or Catherine, Called Birdie or Zel or whatever.

But as it turns out - I'd never read Ella Enchanted after all. And what a shame that is! I'm glad that I was browsing the internet, happened upon MarkReads this week, and discovered this unfortunate missing piece of my princess/fairy tale reading life.

Ella Enchanted is good in so many ways. It has a great fantasy world, which is super detailed in unique ways, but show more doesn't go into extreme world-building but lets much of the fantasy universe match our own. This allows the important elements of the story shine through and is something that I think many more recent fantasy books forget.

The plot is Cinderella, but also a twist on "be careful what you wish for" - it isn't Ella who has wished for something, but a fairy who has given her a horrible gift that on the surface sounds lovely. Levine uses that gift to examine the way girls are expected to behave and behaviors that are viewed as a virtue and how all of that is oppressive and harmful, particularly when someone is a perfect example. Ella's obedience is a bit extreme, but even in lesser ways she shows how horrible it is to remove someone else's agency and free-will.

I absolutely loved reading Ella Enchanted and feel as though I should go back and reread other Levine books, that maybe with my fuller awareness of social issues, I might appreciate the stories even more now. (And I did utterly adore Catherine, Called Birdie and Fairest as a pre-teen!) show less