(Ella Enchated #1)
by Gail Carson Levine
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Publication date: September 1rst 1998
Publisher: Scholastic Books
Format: Paperback
Genre: Humour, Children litterature, Fantasy
"People with small feet are fairies. End of story."
From Goodreads:
At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you'll ever read.
My thoughts
4*
This is another case of I saw the movie first but I didn't even know there was a book until a couple years ago. And then I had to wait to find it at the thrift store. I couldn't help but compare book and movie but they couldn't be more different aside from names and the curse. If you ever read the book after seeing the movie or seeing the movie after reading the book, don't make the mistake of comparing. You'll be disappointed somewhere. For me, I enjoyed both for what they are.
Ella Enchanted is a fun, interesting and fast read. If I had taken more time when I started reading it, I would have finished it in one sitting but I started it too late one night and then I had a girls weekend so no reading was done and it took a few days.
The way this book was written was very simple and easy as well but I have to say that I got bored with the languages fast. To me, those parts read as if it was only baby speak or people talking with their mouth full. I liked that there was a translation of the meaning but, really, reading letters jumbled together got annoying fast and I wanted to skip those parts. I didn't think these did anything to the plot aside from letting us know Ella's a quick learning which is good for her. Same with the wedding that's supposed to be this really big thing one has to witness at least once in their life... It looked good in writing but I did have a hard time imagining the beauty of it all. I don't think it added anything to the plot either.
And another thing that left me a little bit disappointed in was Mandy. If Ella hadn't told us at the beginning that she's her fairy Godmother, I don't think it would have made much difference. Not sure what I expected though so it might only be a me thing.
I liked how there is a romance in this book but it is gradual between Char and Ella instead of having it be thrown in your face and an insta love like a lot of books tend to have. It took time and actual conversations and I definitely loved how they became pen pals, in a way, and how Char described little things of Ella that made him love her. And I loved how Ella learned to love Char as well. I know I would have. And, okay, I did see Hugh Dancy as Char... what can I say? Some of the movie have to bleed through the reading, right? 😄
In a way, the story could have been in another genre altogether had it not been for fairies, elves, ogres and what not and I would have liked this story just as much. I mean, it's easy to picture, no?
~~~~
This review is a little bit jumbled and maybe all over the place but it took me a week to finally finish it. Not because I didn't know what to write for the review but because real life happened so, you get this. If/when I do a reread of this, I might get a better review of it, who knows.
This is another case of I saw the movie first but I didn't even know there was a book until a couple years ago. And then I had to wait to find it at the thrift store. I couldn't help but compare book and movie but they couldn't be more different aside from names and the curse. If you ever read the book after seeing the movie or seeing the movie after reading the book, don't make the mistake of comparing. You'll be disappointed somewhere. For me, I enjoyed both for what they are.
Ella Enchanted is a fun, interesting and fast read. If I had taken more time when I started reading it, I would have finished it in one sitting but I started it too late one night and then I had a girls weekend so no reading was done and it took a few days.
The way this book was written was very simple and easy as well but I have to say that I got bored with the languages fast. To me, those parts read as if it was only baby speak or people talking with their mouth full. I liked that there was a translation of the meaning but, really, reading letters jumbled together got annoying fast and I wanted to skip those parts. I didn't think these did anything to the plot aside from letting us know Ella's a quick learning which is good for her. Same with the wedding that's supposed to be this really big thing one has to witness at least once in their life... It looked good in writing but I did have a hard time imagining the beauty of it all. I don't think it added anything to the plot either.
And another thing that left me a little bit disappointed in was Mandy. If Ella hadn't told us at the beginning that she's her fairy Godmother, I don't think it would have made much difference. Not sure what I expected though so it might only be a me thing.
I liked how there is a romance in this book but it is gradual between Char and Ella instead of having it be thrown in your face and an insta love like a lot of books tend to have. It took time and actual conversations and I definitely loved how they became pen pals, in a way, and how Char described little things of Ella that made him love her. And I loved how Ella learned to love Char as well. I know I would have. And, okay, I did see Hugh Dancy as Char... what can I say? Some of the movie have to bleed through the reading, right? 😄
In a way, the story could have been in another genre altogether had it not been for fairies, elves, ogres and what not and I would have liked this story just as much. I mean, it's easy to picture, no?
~~~~
This review is a little bit jumbled and maybe all over the place but it took me a week to finally finish it. Not because I didn't know what to write for the review but because real life happened so, you get this. If/when I do a reread of this, I might get a better review of it, who knows.
I have been meaning to read this one for awhile now. I love fairytale retellings :)
ReplyDeleteI love them, too :)
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