Ella Enchanted

This might be the best book I have read in this current semester (though I should say, re-read, as this was one of my favorite books growing up), and that's saying a lot as I have read quite a few wonderful books for this class alone. Levine just knows how to write in a way that immediately immerses you into a world, whether you are a long time fan, or a new reader.

One aspect I love is the relationship between Prince Charmont (a play on the French word for 'charming') and Ella. Levine is able to better flesh out their relationship over the course of a year or two, rather than a chance encounter, which gives them both a certain depth that the original Cinderella lacks. It is noted that Char found Ella's mother delightfully funny, and show more within Ella, sees the same joy in life that she had. This is best characterized by their share love of sliding down stair banisters: “No one is here," Char said. "You need resist temptation no longer." "Only if you slide too." "I'll go first so I can catch you at the bottom." He flew down so incautiously that I suspected him of years of practice in his own castle. It was my turn. The ride was a dream, longer and steeper than the rail at home. The hall rose to meet me, and Char was there. He caught me and spun me around.” It is a whimsical moment, but it showcases the idea that the best, healthiest relationships are built on a sense of joy from each other.

The second aspect I absolutely loved is the concept of the various languages, and giving Ella a gifted tongue (in the original fairytale, we know very little of the main character. Ella is able to free herself from the ogres by imitating their dialect. She comforts a small dwarf child by repeating a phrase she learned from a parrot, and she befriends a wonderful foreign girl over their mutual love of the girl's home language. This love of language, and of learning new culture, is showcased in a moment when she says goodbye to Char: “ahthOOn SSyng!" I said. "That's farewell." "It sounds evil." "It is," I answered, and we parted.”

There are multiple messages: embrace new cultures, find love in friendship, love yourself--all intertwined in the relationships and experiences Ella has with Char, her friend from boarding school, and her encounters with the magical creatures of her world. 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

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

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