katekintailbc | Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (Reply)

Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
(Audio)

I've held off on reviewing this for one reason only: my reluctance to write an honest reaction. I have no trouble with the book; I enjoyed it thoroughly.The problem is that I hate admitting when I am a stupid idiot! TWO TIMES-- count them: two-- I thought "This story sort of reminds me of Cinderella." And this is, of course, because it IS a retelling of Cinderella. Um, if I'd bothered to even THINK about the title for more than five seconds, that would have been MORE than enough. Instead, I got through elements such as the evil step mother and wicked step sisters, the fairy godmother, the glass slippers, and cleaning the cinders in the fireplace... and when we got to the pumpkin being turned into a carriage so she could go to the ball THAT was when I finally realized the fact. And I realized I was an idiot. LOL

To be fair to myself, the first half or so of the book doesn't follow the traditional tale. It paints a great picture of Ella's life as she struggles with the ~~gift~~ curse she was saddled with as a baby that makes her unfalteringly obedient. I instantly liked the girl and was on her side throughout as she developed a friendship with the prince, used her talents to help, and explored the world around her (full of fae, trolls, small/big magic, and rules/customs of all sorts). I usually don't like books where the plot isn't strong/evident from the beginning. However, there's so much about her struggling to overcome the limitations of the curse and find her way in the world that it really lacked for nothing at the beginning.

Then the telltale signs that this is a Cinderella story came to the surface (and, finally, I realized this). By then, I was really invested in Ella and wanted her to have a happy ending. But it seemed impossible (though I feel like she could have trusted the prince and had Mandy tell him about the curse, which would have solved everything... but wouldn't have been as good an ending). I hated her step mother & sisters with a passion. Ooohhh, so mean! And it broke my heart when she had to lie in order to protect and then see the man who loved her dearly.

It was a highly entertaining story with a lot of fun little twists and elements, and a fully satisfying ending. It felt a little too perfect/childish at times, but it's a children's book so I expected as much. I loved it and came away smiling just the same :-)