Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780590920681
ISBN number: 0590920685
Label: Scholastic Books
Manufacturer: Scholastic Books
Page Count: 232
Printing Date: 1997
Publishing house: Scholastic Books
Sale Popularity Level: 37663
Studio: Scholastic Books
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There I was. Probably the only one in the movie theater above the age of thirteen, but I didn't care. It was my twenty-second birthday, and I was going to watch the movie I wanted to see - even if I was alone. It was my birthday gift to myself, watching Ella Enchanted. I was interested in this movie, even though it was directed toward the average age of ten, because I had read the book at sixteen. At that time I was working in a library and had discovered that I had missed out on all sorts of literature when a younger child because I rarely read. Before working in the library, the only thing I would read would be the Sunday comics and only the books required in school. So when I found reading pleasurable, I wanted to make up for lost time.
I was introduced to Gail Carson Levine's books by the library's young adult book club. Ella Enchanted was a modern Cinderella story. I had always loved the story of Cinderella, and when I read Ella Enchanted, I loved it. But at the same time I took wonder in loving this book. There was a part of me at sixteen that wondered why I loved this story.
The story was about Ella, a girl cursed by her fairy godmother with obedience. Any time Ella was ordered to do something, she had to do it. Ella kept this curse a secret. Eventually Ella's mother dies, and since her traveling salesman father is rarely home, Ella only has her maid to raise her. One day Ella's father gets the idea to marry into money, but, unfortunately, he picks out a wicked lady with two equally wicked daughters. When her fairy godmother shows up at the wedding, she gives the happy couple the gift of love forever, which only serves to mess up Ella's life even further. Ella's father feels that the only way for him to live a happy life is to stay away from home thereby leaving Ella utterly alone in a full house. Ella's curse eventually becomes a particularly complicated problem for her when she is ordered by her stepsisters to give up her money and other possessions. Ella decides her only way out is to find her fairy godmother.
Ella sets out to find this fairy, so she can take back the curse. Ella, in the meantime, meets up with Prince Char on her adventure, falling in love with him. But when the prince's evil uncle figures out Ella's curse, he orders Ella to kill the Prince. Ella tries to stay away, but the curse is too strong. Eventually Ella finds a way out of her spell, while at the same time saving the life of the prince and redeeming herself from being thought a murderer. The story ends happily ever after.
Why did I love the story of Ella Enchanted when I read it? My very first instinct is to say that the magic in this story was exciting, and it gave me a chance to fantasize about magical places and creatures. I imagined that somehow I could have power like Ella's and was intrigued by the relationship between Prince Char and Ella.
At the time I read Ella Enchanted, I wondered, what was the connection between this modern Cinderella to the original? The very first story of Cinderella I was introduced to was the Disney movie. As a young child I loved the music where the mice make Cinderella's dress, and I thought the little mice were funny, especially Gus. It was a story with the only bad characters being the stepmother, stepsisters, and one fat cat. While Cinderella's life revolved around pleasing her stepfamily, the mice struggled with the evil cat.
My young mind loved this story because of the great struggle that Cinderella has and how she triumphs at the end. I did not take into consideration all the messages that were in the story at the time. Disney's Cinderella, which came out in 1957, has many moral lessons, which correspond to the thoughts of that time.
Everyone must reach a stage where they leave the nest. In our society, it is expected that eventually children will leave home for a life of their own. When I watched Disney's Cinderella, the idea of being taken away from a bad place that was home to a fancy, rich, good place was particularly attractive to me. Home for me could not be compared to Cinderella's home. I did not have evil parents or stepsisters. I think that what I really wanted to escape from was my boring, everyday life. Everyday seemed the same with school and chores. The thought of going to a palace where I would not have to be in school, or to be told what to do, was attractive. That was what moving to a palace was to me in my very young years.
Why must the princess move away in order to get her happily ever after? It's the formula of all fairytales, but why? I believe there is something in us that innately knows that we must very first break away from our maternal bonds in order to become our true selves. In both versions of Cinderella, the mother dies. Perhaps that is an easy way to separate the child from the home. If both parents are still alive, and the child is happy at home, the child ... Read More
Rated by buyers -
I fell in love with Ella Enchanted years ago and it still never disappoints each time I go back and reread it. It is the classic Cinderella story but given infinitely more depth and finesse. It is a book filled with magic, romance, intrigue, twists, turns, and a spunky heroine who never stops fighting for what she believes is right. I know I will never grow tired or too old for this book and will someday read it to my own children.
Rated by buyers -
Ella of Frell has to be one of the smartest, wittiest, strongest female leads ever created, (besides Elizabeth Bennet-Pride and Prejudice). And Prince Char has to be one of the cutest, most charming, kindest princes ever to step foot out of his castle. This book had me laughing, crying, and sighing all over the place. I think I've read it a million times. The writing is BE-utiful, and the pages will turn by themselves. My FAVORITE book growing up, it's a timeless story with excellent voice. A MUST READ!
Post Script- I HATED the MOVIE. This book was not done justice. I'm still fuming over it.
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Feminists often denounce traditional fairy tales because they perpetuate the ideals of a patriarchal society by encouraging girls to behave like proper princesses and wait for charming princes to take charge and save the day. In response to these traditional fairy tales, many authors have tried to reclaim the realm of fairy tales for girls. These retellings feature active protagonists who are not scared of taking charge and do not need princes to save them. One example of this new fairy tale genre is the 1998 children's novel "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine, which takes an untraditional approach to retelling the story of Cinderella. The novel addresses several specific feminist issues, specifically negotiating and fighting the burden of obedience, the importance of female friendships and, of course, learning to save yourself.
The story is set in an imaginary, medieval-esque kingdom called Frell. A roaming fairy named Lucinda gives Ella the gift/curse of obedience at Ella's birth. As a result, Ella has to do everything she is told, no matter what harm it might cause to herself or others. (In the novel, the severity of Ella's curse in constantly underscored with passages explaining how little control Ella has over her own life: "If someone told me to hop on one foot for a day and a half, I'd have to do it. And hopping on one foot wasn't the worst order I could be given. If you commanded me to cut off my own head, I'd have to do it.") As the plot moves forward Ella is compelled to leave home to try and find Lucinda and ask her to lift the curse. Along the way she also falls in love with Prince Char. For varying reasons, depending on the version, Lucinda refuses to lift the curse. Further difficulties arise as Ella continues her quest.
That's the main body of the story. The Cinderella element is relevant mainly to the last quarter of the novel where actual elements from that story (the slipper, the ball) appear in the story, although the evil step-sisters and fairy godmother are present throughout the narrative.
There are several reasons that I love this novel and recommend it to everyone. The very first is that it's an imaginative retelling of Cinderella which makes the story exciting for readers familiar with the original version without making it too abtruse for readers who have never heard of Cinderella. Also, the book is full of great role models for girls. All of the female characters are strong, self-aware women--things seen far too rarely in the fairy tale genre. The novel is narrated in Ella's voice. This makes it easy to see how strong Ella is as a character (especially at the end of the novel).
The other great thing about this book is that it all seems authentic, never over the top or under-written. In addition to creating immensely likable main characters, Levine creates a compelling world within the pages of "Ella Enchanted" vivid with details ranging from Elvish and Gnomish languages to customs at a Giant's wedding. The story is an immensely entertaining page-turner that will (even better) leave readers feeling satisfied when they reach the final scene where Levine ties everything together, artfully blending empowerment with a happy-ever-after ending fit for a traditional fairy tale.
Rated by buyers -
Ella Enchanted is one of the best books I have ever read.It has an unusual twist to the classic fairy tale Cinderella.Ella's curse makes the story exciting and creates a new story of the old one.
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