‘That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift. When I cried inconsolably through my first hour of life, my tears were her inspiration. Shaking her head sympathetically at Mother, the fairy touched my nose. “My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying, child.” I stopped.’
The 1998 Newberry Honor Book, “Ella Enchanted” by Gail Carson Levine is the engaging story of a girl named Ella of Frell, who at birth receives a fateful gift of obedience from the fairy Lucinda. Ella has to obey an order, any order, be it to hop on one foot all day, or even to chop off her own head, a fact her scheming stepmother, Dame Olga, and her dimwitted and unattractive stepsisters, Hattie and Olive, make ample use of at every opportunity.
But Ella grows up with a mind of her own, and a great sense of humour. She is determined to find the fairy who bestowed this gift on her, to beg her to take it back. The action moves from Ella’s home, where she is treated like a slave by the trio each time her father is away on business, to the fashionable finishing school from where she runs away to avert having to end her friendship with Areida, her closest friend, at the behest of the jealous Hattie, across a land peopled with ogres, giants, elves and other exotic creatures. On her way to a giant's farm where rumour has it Luncinda is staying, she is attacked by ogres. She helps her childhood friend, Prince Charmont of Frell, pacify the ogres, and continues on her quest, leaving the prince in love with her.
But her quest for Lucinda is unsuccessful. She is doomed to return home to misery and servitude. She loves Prince Charmont too, but cannot marry him, because she knows that her gift, or perhaps it should be termed a curse, of obedience could put Char and the whole realm of Frell in danger. How Ella breaks the curse by her own strength of will, and saves not only herself, but also Prince Char, comprises the rest of this delightful book.
“Ella Enchanted” is Gail Levine's first book written for children, although she has published many other books. Although the plot was inspired by Cinderella, with all the original story’s trappings, the characters are more realistic, Ella certainly isn’t a goody two shoes like Cinderella, and the plot is definitely more enthralling than the original story. The book has romance, fantasy, and adventure in the right measures. If you like fantasy and love stories, this is the perfect book for you.
thus spake Pollyanna @ 1:28 pm
Footprints: 8
