Gail Carson Levine

In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.

Ella Enchanted

Ella enchanted

Quite as enjoyable as the movie, which I loved as a kid. The book follows a different plot than the film, but the premise and characters are the same. I like that in the book the curse of obedience is not the only unique thing about her; Ella also has a natural tendency toward linguistics and with this skill she is quite self-sufficient, even saving herself from the ogres by using their enchanting language against them. It's really interesting that the film made Ella's other "special character trait" social rights activism and yet the movie producers white-washed Charmont--he's supposed to be dark-skinned and "swarthy."

Charmont was also much more developed in the book and his friendship with Ella is long and beautiful; their love develops naturally over time, and he's a genuinely lovely person. I can't help comparing him to movie Charmont, who has nothing to recommend him besides being smitten with Ella (because she initially despises him, unlike ever other maiden in the kingdom) and being susceptible to her good influence. But we all know the bar is in hell for rom-com film heroes lol.

All that to say, book Charmont and Ella will make you believe in friends-to-lovers again.

Bethany

Quite as enjoyable as the movie, which I loved as a kid. The book follows a different plot than the film, but the premise and characters are the same. I like that in the book the curse of obedience is not the only unique thing about her; Ella also has a natural tendency toward linguistics and with this skill she is quite self-sufficient, even saving herself from the ogres by using their enchanting language against them. It's really interesting that the film made Ella's other "special character trait" social rights activism and yet the movie producers white-washed Charmont--he's supposed to be dark-skinned and "swarthy."

Charmont was also much more developed in the book and his friendship with Ella is long and beautiful; their love develops naturally over time, and he's a genuinely lovely person. I can't help comparing him to movie Charmont, who has nothing to recommend him besides being smitten with Ella (because she initially despises him, unlike ever other maiden in the kingdom) and being susceptible to her good influence. But we all know the bar is in hell for rom-com film heroes lol.

All that to say, book Charmont and Ella will make you believe in friends-to-lovers again.

One of my favorite books from childhood, and it still holds up as an adult now. It's just a charming and unique fairytale retelling

Emma Lechner

I read this book in elementary school and loved it. I’m trying to stock up my home library with all of my favorites from every era of my life and I recently purchased this one. I just couldn’t shelve it without giving it a read to see if it held up to my memory of it - and it did! it’s a quick read and so nostalgic for me. five stars!

emily learmont

This was such a charming and satisfying book! There were a lot of heart wrenching parts (maybe because I’m a softy) but I loved the ending. I would say that the main character didn’t seem to have as much personality as I wish she would have, but that might just be me. She did have very interesting characteristics which I appreciated (like her linguistic ability).

Jeweliet Coffee

Monicap

Need I really say anything?
Okay, I do have to say something: like with most books/movies, watching the movie can not be a substitute for reading this book. Although in most cases, it' just a couple things different between the book and the movie.
with this case, it's far more severe. the book and the movie share a title and a main character, and that's it.

How can a fairy's blessing be such a curse? At her birth, Ella of Frell was given 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 or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. She goes on a quest, encountering ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, fairy godmothers, and handsome princes, determined to break the curse—and live happily ever after.

Sarah Sammis

My husband has been wanting me to read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine now for about four years and I've been blowing him off. To make things right, I decided to read the book as my first selection for this year's Spring Reading Thing. Neither of us have seen the film so I won't be comparing the two.

As can be expected from the title, Ella Enchanted is based on the Cinderella fairy tale. In this version, Ella is short for Eleanor. The hook to this retelling is that Ella has been blessed (or cursed) with the gift of obedience. She must follow all direct orders even if they might cause her harm or cause her to harm others. While all the key points of the fairy tale are there the story is really Ella's quest to break the curse.

The book is roughly divided into four parts: childhood, school, remarriage and the ball. The remarriage of Ella's father is the part where novel gets forced back on track with the fairy tale. The change in tone is jarring and frustrating. By the ball the book stops playing connect the dots and goes back to telling a good story that only bears a passing resemblance to the fairy tale.

What I liked best about Ella Enchanted was the inclusion of all the different languages and cultures (both for humans and non-humans). I liked how the novel explained the ever absent father from the fairy tale without making him evil or impotent. I also liked the ongoing friendship between Ella and Char so that his decision to seek her hand in marriage after the ball was based on more than just a dropped shoe and a nice dance.

Having now read and more or less enjoyed the novel I think I'll have to rent the film one of the days.

Laura Mauler

This seems to be one of those Young Adult books that doesn't really work once you are no longer young. A major pet peeve: the use of exotic languages was overdone; instead of writing things in Gnomic or Elvish and then translating, it would have been a much easier read if it was just "XXXXXXX" Slannen said in Elvish. I had to do some heavy skimming to make it through the book, and even with that it felt like a waste of time.

Allie Reynolds

Rereading some of my favorite books from my childhood makes me realize why I am the way I am — definitely in a good way.

Liz Hunsaker

Briar's Reviews

I've watched the film adaptation of Ella Enchanted many, many times. For years, I've been wanting to read this book but had never managed to find it in my book search. Then, one day, I managed to pick this book up at a charity event! It was an exciting day for me!

What I discovered as I read this book was that the movie and the book are WILDLY different. Seriously, it's like night and day.

Because of that little fact, I was disappointed in this book. I found that I wasn't interested in this plot (but this book was written for middle grade and young YA, so it's not FOR me). 

This book seems to be an adaptation of Cinderella - a young, little potential princess who's mother has passed and she's stuck with her Dad. Her Dad isn't the best parental figure to begin with, but then marries a wicked step-mother and along come the wicked step-sisters. To spice things up, Ella has to be obedient due to some crazy fairy who gave her a gift (it kind of reminds me of Disney's Sleeping Beauty). As she gets older, Ella meets a Prince (because this is a fairy tale and that's super important). 

This is where I am convinced the movie out does the book - Hugh Dancy is definitely a way better Prince visually than what was described. That is not a hit against the book, but... come on, Hugh Dancy.

Anywho, back to the book - Prince Char is romantic, charming and the ideal Prince, especially for a sassy and headstrong girl like Ella! The two mesh very well, and seem like the ideal pair. Throughout the book, Ella is determined to meet the fairy who gave her this awful gift that forces her to do anything people tell her to, and she will find a way to be normal one way or another.

This book screams strong women and I am totally here for it. I think it's nice to see a fairy tale where the girl doesn't necessarily need the boy to win. There were times my heart hurt for Ella - the cruelty of forcing her to do something... - but the end justified the rest. I also totally enjoyed how smart Ella is - she knows languages so well and seems like a self-sufficient lead. As a re-telling of Cinderella, I think this one hits well.

I did find it a little boring and slow, but I'm convinced it's due to two reasons: I was expecting the book and the movie to be similar (my bad!) and it's not written with me in mind. 

I'd recommend reading this book if you love fairy tale adaptations (with a cool twist!), are enjoying middle grade and younger YA reads or just want a sweet, fast tale in your life.

Three out of five stars.

Sarah

I first read Ella Enchanted almost 12 years ago when I was in elementary school and is still one of my absolute favourite novels of all time…!

Honestly, I am so grateful to Gail Carson Levine for creating such a beautiful, well-written, endearing tale that started a lifelong love of reading that has led me to where (and in part who) I am today. For the first time in my young life it allowed me to fall in love with the idea of love that has carried with me to today. Although it may seem like an exaggeration, I truly don’t have the vocabulary to express just how much this novel has affected me and just how much it changed my life…

Rather than a review this has turned into a little more of a fanatic commentary on how much I love Gail Carson Levine’s work, but I can’t recommend this novel enough! It’s a quick read, but completely absolutely worth every second <3

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.

Colleen

5 Stars

When I was craving a fairytale last week, the first thing book I thought of was Ella Enchanted. That book was not immediately available though, so I ended up reading Entwined. I enjoyed Entwined, however, I came out craving more Long Ago and Far Away and decided that indulging with Ella Enchanted was just the thing I needed.

I have said several times that Cinderella is one of the most over-told stories. The problem is that most of those remakes - be they book, movie, or other media - are unoriginal and lack their own spark. Ella Enchanted manages to strike out on its own while still remaining faithful enough to the original story. The main addition to the story is that a fairy cursed Ella to obey any command given to her. This makes the story much more than a mushy rages-to-riches story.

I first read Ella Enchanted at age thirteen and absolutely loved it. If Goodreads had been around then, I would probably have written five pages of gushing admirations about it. But rereading books you loved at a younger age can be a tricky business. Sometimes it can completely destroy those found memories. I was worried that it might seem cheesy now and did hesitate for a moment before starting it. But it still sucked me in from the first page. Enough time had gone by that some of the details were foggy in my memory and it was delightful to rediscover them. I am unashamed to admit that I stayed up quite late reading this book!

I loved that Ella was such a spunky heroine. There was no helpless damsel in distress here! She was smart and brave and embraced adventure. When she was given an opportunity to break the curse, she jumped on it without being pushed. While other Cinderellas sit around limply waiting for their fairy godmothers to wrangle their destinies, Ella chased hers down. 

I would also like to point out that this story was written in first person, and I still loved it. I know often give lower ratings to books written in first person, but it is not directly because of the tense; rather it is because I feel that most of those other books do not execute the use of that tense well. 

I loved the romance in this story. It was sweet without being saccharine and completely age appropriate. Perfect for setting my little thirteen-year-old heart aflutter and creating butterflies in my stomach and years later still able to move my more jaded self to happy sighs and secret smiles of delight. The letters between Ella and Char were what I remembered loving the most the first time and I still loved them. (I will even admit that when I first read this, I liked one of Char's letters so much that I copied it down so that I could read it again after I returned the book to the library. Oh the fancies of youth!) I also greatly appreciated that in this version Ella and Char get to know each other over a long time period and their relationship is based on more than just a short encounter at a ball sparking stupid instant love. The older I get, the harder it is for me to believe that a couple of dances at a ball were enough for those two characters to be enough to know that they should get married. So rather than Ella Enchanted seeming silly to my older self, in some ways I appreciated it more.

The only thing that made me sad was that the story was so much shorter than I remembered. Oh, also Ella is supposed to have black hair and clearly the girl on the cover does not. But I know how bad publishers are about matching covers to books. And that certainly is not a reason to enjoy the story any less.

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 5 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Boothby

sophia n

i WISH i hadn't seen the movie before reading the book. i spent the entire book wondering when the "evil uncle" character was gonna show up. turns out they made him up entirely for the film lmao. so annoying. but actually it made me dislike the movie, not the book. what a great book. can't believe it took me this long to read.

Kirsten Simkiss

My reading of this was well overdue. This book was adorable and definitely more interesting than the movie "inspired" by the book. I had heard from friends that the book is very different from the film and now I can say I fully see what they mean.

Ella Enchanted is a retelling of Cinderella from the perspective of a girl who was "blessed" with the gift of obedience by a fairy. As a result, she has to be obedient to any command anyone gives her. Truly, anyone. Needless to say, this is a very exploitable issue and quickly proves to be more of a curse than a blessing for little Ella.

Cinderella is a pretty classic story and I found this to be a pretty faithful and interesting retelling. You have all the elements of the story: wicked step-sisters, the handsome prince, glass slippers, and a ball. Still, you get to see them in a new light and this Queen-to-be isn't sitting by while the story happens to her. She is actively trying to get out of the curse of her fairy gift throughout the book. I also really liked that there is a significant amount of interaction over the course of a few years in which Ella and the prince get to know each other rather than committing to an instant romance like most princess stories.

Looking back at it, I'm not sure there's anything that I would change about the book aside from maybe having the writing be a little less simple - but as I'm reading this book as an adult and not as a child, I'm really not the intended audience for the book. Therefore I'm giving this book a 5 star rating on goodreads. It's a really cute story and a really admirable adaptation of Cinderella.

Drew Dost

I remember reading this as a kid and liking it but I couldn't remember it very well, so I decided to try reading it again as an adult. I still really liked it and I'm glad I can appreciate so much more of the details! I love reading books like this and it was very nostalgic. I think there are some things that could be improved or more fleshed out, but all-in-all a great book, especially for the intended age range as kids get more into longer chapter books. An interesting take on the classic Cinderella story!

Ari Gold

I loved this book as a child and re-read it so many times my copy fell apart.

Bambi Ard

4.5 stars just because I’m such a stickler for rating a perfect 5, but what a good book!

I loved this story. The way it was written, the many adventures and tribulations Ella went through, the lessons scattered throughout it, the way it was light-hearted but didn’t shy away from difficult topics and darker themes— it all felt very appropriate for young readers, and I’m glad kids have this book as a classic. I wish I’d read it myself when I was younger, but I distinctly remember reading the first chapter and becoming so distressed at the idea of Ella having to chop her own head off if someone commanded her that I immediately put it down and never looked back. 

I loved loved loved Ella— women and girls in literature who are stubborn, audacious, and trouble-making with something to prove tend to automatically have my heart. I thought Ella was so charming and independent and smart, and a very good type of character for young girls to see in media. On that note, I also loved Char and, perhaps bizarrely, Sir Peter. Char was good and kind and noble without being boring, and Sir Peter was so deadpan and self-aware of his own selfishness that I couldn’t help but appreciate what he brought to the story.

I thought Gail Carson Levine did some interesting things as far as the antagonists of the story went: the concept of ogres— while hideous and cruel— possessing voices so sweet and lovely they could tempt people to their doom was very unique. And then there was Lucinda, the beautiful fairy whose “kindness” manifested as horror. These characterizations were a nice break from the usual archetypes ogres and fairies are fit into.

I do have some minor complaints— there were certain tropes and descriptions I wasn’t fond of. It dragged just a little at certain places. Sometimes the way the dialogue flowed felt a bit flat to me. But again, those are minor complaints, and overall I loved this book.

(Also it took me WAAAAY too long to realize this was a Cinderella retelling. Levine may as well have spelled it out in the night sky with fireworks for how long it took to get through my skull.)

caly

i’m so glad i decided to read this, i love the movie but this was so special

Celeste Richardson

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. But what if she had been cursed with the “gift” of obedience at her birth, thus explaining her subservience to her step-family? That’s the premise of this middle grade novel. I somehow missed this book as a kid. However, it was just exactly what I needed after having my heart ripped out by Fredrik Backman’s Beartown. Ella Enchanted is light and sweet and funny, and you know before you finish the first chapter that there’s going to be a happily ever after. The characters were varied and entertaining, and Ella was a heroine that demanded that you root for her. I for one was happy to oblige. This wasn’t an earth shattering book; it didn’t really do anything new or remarkable. But it was fun, and that’s just what I was hoping for when I picked it up. It brightened my life for a couple of days, which is really all you can ask from a middle grade book, right?

Marsh Wu

It's a take on Cinderella, but you don't realize it until the last 50 pages, it's just so different. Basically, Cinderella's entire life before the dance, then in those last few pages...! Really really good.

Stephanie Joseph

I’ve watched the movie more times than i can count. In fact, it was a huge part of my childhood. But it was only recently that I found out it’s an ACTUAL BOOK! 🤯

From all the modern retellings of fairytales, this author’s twist on a classic fairytale is my favorite. The protagonist is simply wonderful. She’s smart, tenacious and witty. You can’t mess with this Cinderella. 🙌🏽💯

Rating: 4.5/5

Leia Douglas

I never read this as a child, but still really enjoyed it as an adult. This was so cute and fun, and I loved Ella and Char together.