Ella Enchanted

amazingly fantastical! 2010-03-02

Reviewer: Nelaine Sanchez

I know many of you have already seen the movie. I know I was a big fan of the movie with Anne Hathaway... and that cute guy that played Prince Charmont. But do not let that deter you from reading this gem of a story. The movie only gives you a glimpse (and a small one at that) as to what is really between the covers of Ella Enchanted.

Although geared for younger readers, I was taken by this un-traditional retelling of Cinderella, and can definitely say that it can be enjoyed by older readers as well. I loved the fantasy elements which were clever and sometimes even downright funny. Ella is a great heroine - she is witty, strong-willed, determined and resourceful.

But what I truly enjoyed about this story is how women in general are portrayed. In your average fairytale you normally find your princess who is in some sort of peril and in need of a prince who rides in at the nick of time and saves the day. That is not the case here. All women are portrayed as strong, independent, opinionated - no matter if it was the sweet Ella, the deliciously evil stepsisters, Lucinda the fairy with her creative "gifts", or even Mandy, Ella's cook/fairy godmother.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable story and one that can be enjoyed whether big or small, young or old. This is a fantastic retelling of a wonderful fairytale and one that I highly recommend

Ambivalent, but Angry 2010-02-16

Reviewer: Deborah A. Catanzaro

Although this book has numerous awards, the almost "Mona Lisa" cover is an affront that has caused much hardship within our own family realm. Keep classical art out of this fictional realm so that as parents we may properly teach the differences between classic art and modern (or the evil invoked by this cover), between words and realism, worlds and reality, between the past, present and future; between "fiction and fancy" vs. "historical"; ANY art, literature, etc. You have crossed a border which should not be crossed... Fairies.......

Only an imbecile without children can so casually cross these lines. Stop it! I sincerely wish I could abscond with my child and save her from the effrontery of this ****. Is not childhood in this day and age enough of a trial? "Far Ram Yu" as a blessed sheep was wont to say; and he evokes much more loyalty than your damnable novel. Be gone with you! ...as I wash my hands of this tripe and tell my daughter to do the same.

Go away ye bad serfs - ye are working for the devil.........

P.S. Before you dismiss this as trivial.... As someone once said "A picture is worth one thousand words." In the position of publishing childrens' books, please exercise more restraint than this cover exhibits. Even though old English has caused my daughter what she feels are cerebral hemorrhages, the reading has expanded her mind. To have it brought back to a crap-ass painting which some few idiots regard as special is absurd.

My 9 year old daughter couldn't put it down. 2009-12-30

Reviewer: clairenpaulimom

My daughter has to read Newberry books for school. I found a few here on Amazon and this is by far her favorite ever.

Ella Enchanted: A true fairy tale 2009-12-10

Reviewer: R G

The fact that 12 years after reading this book at the age of 9, I have recently named my new dog Ella should be an indication as to how much I adored this book as a child. When I was a fourth grader, I read this book three times I loved it so much, and it holds a special place in my heart the same way reading Jane Eyre did when I was 18. It was *the* childhood novel that inspired me to become an avid historical romance reader (Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters) today. I highly recommend this book to any little girl who is even remotely interested in fairies, princesses, classic fairy tales, or the Renaissance Festival :D Its story flowed naturally, and was entirely appropriate for my reading level at that time. I was completely absorbed in the characters and the world of "Frell" that Gail Carson Levine created, and my imagination was along for the ride and could vividly picture each description and fantasy she incorporated. Not to mention, it had an excellent moral lesson on a traditional simplistic fairy tale; the Cinderella of this story isn't waiting to be rescued, she refuses to marry the prince in order to save *his* life and has to find the power and strength within herself to overcome her greatest obstacle.

As an aside in comment to the film, I know Gail Carson Levine liked it, but when I saw it I was horrified. It was nothing like how I imagined Ella Enchanted, far too modern and corny. When I saw Ever After as a child, a year after reading Ella Enchanted it was much more the beauty and loveliness that I imagined should be Ella Enchanted. So if you have a little girl reading Ella Enchanted, let her watch Ever After! I'm sure she would enjoy it.

Also, if you can, I would get the original cover art of the novel. It is the version I still have, and I would stare at the little castle in the background for hours imagining that world. The illustration completely influenced how I imagined the novel, and the newer ones don't compare. (Original cover is a painting/drawing of girl in a green dress, castle shown through the window, with the Newberry Honor award)

Ella Enchanted--Audiobook Review 2009-11-10

Reviewer: Megan Ellinger

Overall: B for Adults/A+ for young adults

Geared towards young readers, this is a wonderful reinvention of Cinderella--complete with glass slippers, fairy godmothers and a prince. That being said, Ella is far from the meek Cinderella. At birth, she is afflicted with a curse that keeps her constantly obedient to anyone's demands. Despite this, she manages to fight ogres, befriend a prince and keep her evil stepsisters at bay. I loved that Ella is an updated role model for young girls; she presents an independent personality and the ending emphasizes how believing in and being yourself is incredibly valuable.

This was a quick read (GoodReads says 240 pages in paperback) and it felt like the proper length. Since the intended audience is fairly young (I'd say 9-12 though GoodReads puts it at 9-14), the text is uncomplicated but not too simplistic.

Audiobook Details:

The reader, Eden Riegel, sounds quite young but does an above average job with the reading. She does voice intonation, though the different voices are not as clearly identifiable as other readers and some even sound quite similar to each other. The reading contains some background music in parts and this is probably my least favorite feature since it reminded me of midi music from the mid-90's. The first few times the music played, I kept looking around the room to see if one of my kids' toys was going off.

Run time--5 hours, 34 minutes