Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780006755487
ISBN number: 0006755488
Label: Collins
Manufacturer: Collins
Page Count: 238
Printing Date: September 04, 2000
Publishing house: Collins
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 5227245
Studio: Collins
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
How can a fairy's
blessing be such a curse?
At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy's gift -- the 'gift' of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse -- once and for all.
In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who at birth was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at anytime anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or 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 godmothers, Ella's quest to break the curse once and for all and discover who she really is is as sharply funny as Catherine, Called Birdy and as richly poignant as Beauty, and has all the marks of a classic in the making.
Amazon.com Review:
At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent 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 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, trying 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've ever read.
Gail Carson Levine's examination of traditional female roles in fairy tales takes some satisfying twists and deviations from the original. Ella is bound by obedience against her will, and takes matters in her own hands with ambition and verve. Her relationship with the prince is balanced and based on humour and mutual respect; in fact, it is she who ultimately rescues him. Ella Enchanted has won many well-deserved awards, including a Newbery Honor. (Ages 9 to 14) --Emilie Coulter
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
Great book. Read this when I was a kid and still remembered it years later when the movie came out. Great story complicated enough to interest a young teen, but entertaining enough to keep a kid reading. Great message for 10-13 year olds.
Rated by buyers -
The spell that Ella was put under gave the book a nice twist, and this was a novel that I immensely enjoyed. Reading about Ella dealing with her gift/curse and the ways she found around was a delight. I stumbled across it in highschool, and reread it in college. The reading level is a bit under highschool level, but it was a enjoyable read nonetheless, and would be a great gift for a girl, and still a enjoyable however quick read for an adult.
Rated by buyers -
Oh, wow. So, picture if you will, a girl bored in Reading class, beacsuse she's already read all the books we're reading. So I wander over to the book shelf, and I find Ella Enchanted. 2 years later, I think I've read this book about 16 times. It is great. If Ella hadn't married Char, I WOULD!!!
I love the step sisters. They're so stupid and hilarious.
Buy the book. Watch the movie. Obsesses if you want. I do.
Oh yeah, this is Karen's daughter.
So yeah.
See ya!
Rated by buyers 
-
I came to this book in the odd position of having seen the movie first. I must say, I was quite surprised. Aside from the names of the characters and the curse of obedience, little was the same. When I started reading, my mind was trying to make comparisons... but the stories were so different that I had to stop. The two plots are so dissimilar, they can't really be compared.
The book features a spunky heroine who can more than look after herself, even in the face of a curse that makes her obey any order that's given to her. I enjoyed reading about her adventures and her blossoming friendship with Prince Char. Since this story is loosely based on Cinderella, of course we all know that Ella will live happily ever after. But how she gets there is in turns entertaining, frustrating, romantic, and clever. And yes, there are glass slippers in this version of the story.
My only real complaint was with the climax and the way Ella finally broke the curse. It seemed a little overly convenient to me, and I didn't really understand why she hadn't done it sooner. In that respect, the movie version of this event made more sense to me.
So, even though the way Ella broke the curse wasn't my cup of tea, I quite liked the rest of the book. The climax may have fallen a little flat... but getting there was more than half the fun.
Rated by buyers -
All I want to say is that if you like fairy tales and hot princes read this book. I have read this book at least 8 times starting from the time I was in middle school and I'm 22 now. If you ever need to get away from life or just need a quick fairytale break then this is for you. I laughed out loud and cried tears of anger and tears of joy. Read it you won't regret it!
Ps. If you have seen the movie don't judge this story by that, because it isn't anything like the book. The book is 1000 times better in fact the movie doesn't give the book any justice.
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