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A review by chelseacounsell
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
4.0
Read this for the second time just now because I wanted a cozy read and my childhood self remembered this book as being good. It’s really weird because I distinctly remember being SO MAD as a child that the movie was different than the book (specifically the end conflict), but I could not tell you how the book or movie went as a 31 year old prior to reading. I just had vague good vibes. Anyway, uh, this book is pretty good. Seems to kind of have a meandering plot which is interesting. Ella’s curse hits WAY HARDER as an adult who’s been sexually coerced/abused. RIP me.
More interestingly, even though this book is cozy and whimsical, it definitely doesn’t have the “anglophilic” vibe I associate with writers like Diana Wynne Jones or Terry Pratchett. Obviously, the author Levine is American, but she didn’t seem to be narratively leaning into these preexisting structures.
Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella retelling that has been turned on it’s head. The titular character has been cursed from birth to be always obedient, which gets her into many a pickle. The romance between her and the prince is drawn out throughout the book as an attraction and appreciation that grows over time rather than one founded in the space of one night. Though the worldbuilding is really swell (I much enjoyed attending the Giant’s wedding and spending time with the Elves), the real joy in the work is in Ella, who is a sweet and kind underdog who uses her wits and her gift with languages (a rare and interesting talent for middle grade protagonists!) to get herself out of a pinch. Also I like that the prince just takes Ella as herself and is enamored with everything she does. That’s really sweet.
Ah, but I did read the audiobook, and I felt that the musical bits in it were distracting.
More interestingly, even though this book is cozy and whimsical, it definitely doesn’t have the “anglophilic” vibe I associate with writers like Diana Wynne Jones or Terry Pratchett. Obviously, the author Levine is American, but she didn’t seem to be narratively leaning into these preexisting structures.
Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella retelling that has been turned on it’s head. The titular character has been cursed from birth to be always obedient, which gets her into many a pickle. The romance between her and the prince is drawn out throughout the book as an attraction and appreciation that grows over time rather than one founded in the space of one night. Though the worldbuilding is really swell (I much enjoyed attending the Giant’s wedding and spending time with the Elves), the real joy in the work is in Ella, who is a sweet and kind underdog who uses her wits and her gift with languages (a rare and interesting talent for middle grade protagonists!) to get herself out of a pinch. Also I like that the prince just takes Ella as herself and is enamored with everything she does. That’s really sweet.
Ah, but I did read the audiobook, and I felt that the musical bits in it were distracting.