Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted (Enchanted #1)

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3.95 of 5 stars 3.95  ·  rating details  ·  168,171 ratings  ·  5,456 reviews
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 godm...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published April 19th 2011 by HarperTrophy (first published 1997)

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Community Reviews

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Cara
Apr 05, 2009 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Cara by: Valerie (sister) and Ginny (friend)
Now I know why people made such a fuss when the movie came out. I watched the movie first, so I had no idea how utterly wrong everything was. It totally is not like the book. Just slap on the names and the curse and that's where the similarities end. I must say the book is MUCH better than the movie.

The style of the writing was kind of weird for me, but not in a bad way. It's not that it was too fast paced or anything, but I noticed there wasn't a lot of padding or fanfare before events would...more
Emma
Feminists often denounce traditional fairy tales because they perpetuate the ideals of a patriarchal society by encouraging girls to behave like proper princesses and wait for charming princes to take charge and save the day. In response to these traditional fairy tales, many authors have tried to reclaim the realm of fairy tales for girls. These retellings feature active protagonists who are not scared of taking charge and do not need princes to save them. One example of this new fairy tale gen...more
Jillian -always aspiring-
I've lost count of how many times I've read this wonderful book. I remember the first time vividly, though. I wouldn't have picked up this book had I not been on a fifth grade field trip, had some pocket money, and wandered over to the book section of the gift shop. While everyone else was chattering and looking at all the other shinier things offered, I was discovering Ella.

Ella is the type of girl I wanted to be when I was eleven -- adventurous, loyal, brave, honest, clever, witty, kind, charm...more
Kat Kennedy
Jul 14, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Teenage girls ready to "bloom"
Ella Enchanted is like a koala. A big, soft, cute koala.

And if you mess with it, it'll use it's big, sharp, not-so-cute claws to tear your face off.

Seriously.

It's just a cute little fairy tale for teenage girls about a silly little world. Accept it for what it is. Leave it at that. Don't delve any futher. Don't consider it from a feminine perspective, don't rationalize it from a historical stand-point, don't try to analyze is for hidden metaphors or literary value.

Just read, rinse, repeat and mo...more
Chelsea
This still stands as one of my favorite books. The fantasy elements are clever and not too over the top. Ella is witty and pretty clever herself, not to mention strong and determined and resourceful. Mandy is just your everyday, ordinary, regular old cook/fairy. Char is, appropriately, charming. The stepsisters are deliciously evil. Lucinda is completely batty.

I like that none of the women in the book are doormats. Good or evil, protagonist or minor background character, they have an opinion, th...more
Needleroozer
Nov 14, 2008 Needleroozer rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of princess and fairy tales
Shelves: young-adult
My sister recommended this book to me and even bought me a copy at half price day at Goodwill. Now I am recommending this book to you.

The main character, Ella, is a young woman, almost 15, who is cursed with obedience as an infant. A fairy thinks she's blessing the baby by forcing her to be obedient, but that's not really how it turns out. Imagine being physically compelled to do anything that anyone tells you to do. You don't have to be an anarchist to quickly realize that would be a rotten wa...more
Shannon (Giraffe Days)
It's a sweet, humorous book, written for a younger audience but easily enjoyed by an older one too. Based on the Cinderella story, there are a few notable differences, namely that Ella was "blessed" with the "gift" of obedience by the fairy Lucinda, who thinks all her gifts (such as turning you into a squirrel) are wonderful. Ella is the daughter of Lady Eleanor and a somewhat unscrupulous merchant, Sir Peter, whom she rarely sees. She grows up with her mother, who teaches her to slide down the...more
Ash
Apr 12, 2009 Ash rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Ash by: Cara and Valerie
This was a very sweet and funny book. The movie version really doesn't do it justice and is almost a different story all together. I'd always heard about this book when I was in elementary and middle school, but back then I thought reading a book was punishment. Now though, I see that books are our friends and not just good paper weights. I'm glad that I had a chance to read this book before I got too old to actually enjoy it. Though I think that I would've still liked it anyway. Ella is funny...more
payasa213
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a Fantasy book and is a fairytale story much like Cinderella. Ella, the main character when she was born Ella was given a gift by a fairy. To most people a fairy's gift would be fantastic though many people may not understand what these gifts mean. Ella's gift was to be obedient always. At first this sounded ok but through the story, Ella's gift seemed more like a curse. What is even worse is that, after her mother dies, her father marries the horrible Da...more
Sally
Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I have a new favourite now, oh my. :D Why did it take me so long to read this?! Maybe because the book itself is a falling-apart ex-library hardcover, that just looks so unappealing. Tch. :P Each time Solyndra has mentioned it I've thought I should really read it at last, so good thing THIS time I finally DID.

SO MUCH LOVE. The whole story is just marvellous and wonderful. I was so invested in the Ella/Char romance and it takes a lot for me to actually, seriously, deeply CARE...more
Veronica
When some of my friends learned I was reading Ella Enchanted for the very first time, the first thing they told me was, "What! I read that book, like, when I was in fifth grade!" Well, let me just say, I wouldn't have enjoyed this book in fifth grade as I have enjoyed it now. It's exactly what one of my bookworm friends would have described as a "cookie read": short, sweet, and satisfactory. It was a truly well-woven, fanciful tale with just the right pint of humor, a delightful sprinkling of r...more
Lina
Well, I can certainly say I enjoyed this book a lot more than the movie. It was a very charming and cute, but I think I sort of prefer Just Ella to this work in particular. Anyway, this book is about a young girl named Ella who is cursed with the gift of obedience, which was given to her by an empty-headed fairy who was unaware of how this might affect the young child. As a result of the curse Ella was do anything she is directly commanded to do, any resistance to this causes pain and different...more
Jasmin
Jul 10, 2010 Jasmin rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: All the little girls and the little girls at heart
Unicorns. Fairies. Castles. Most of all, Prince Charming.

Ella Enchanted made me want to revert back to being a little girl, where it's easy to believe that happily ever afters do exist. And yes, it reminded me that, despite my bitter self now, I at one point, believed in happily ever afters.

Who doesn't know Ella? I sure caught the craze when this was a movie with Anne Hathaway as Ella. The movie was spectacular, and the book was just as good.

Ella was bestowed the gift of obedience. Well, to the...more
Sara
I was looking for a fun easy read that could help me escape reality and this one did it for me. I really enjoyed the book. It is, however, very different from the movie and in many respects I feel that the movie screenplay was sharper witted, tighter and more entertaining. I liked the book enough to read Fairest, a companion book, which I enjoyed even more. If you liked Ella check out Fairest.
Jjen
I got this book free with a magazine to promote the film version that was coming out around that time, so I thought it would be terrible. It looked terrible. But I read it anyway because I hate to judge, and I was wrong about it. Although it was not exactly a work of literary genius, I really connected with the main character Ella - she wasn't the sappy, needy pwincess we usually associate with fairy stories but an independent, strong young woman. She is put under a curse as a young child - she...more
Elevetha Houre
3.5 stars.

Fun to read. Very different from the film. 9+.
Ambur
I loved this book so much!
If you've seen the movie, the stories are nothing alike, but personally, I enjoyed both. I love the movie, and I love the book, for totally differen reasons. The movie changed the plot, the timeline, pretty much everything, but it stays true to the characters, and since the story was so far from the book I found myself able to enjoy both separately. While I loved the movie, the book was even more adorable!
Char and Ella have so much chemistry in the book, and so many mo...more
Jacki
I felt like the author said to herself: "I'm going to really revamp the Cinderella classic! I'm gonna give the girl a backstory like you wouldn't believe! and it's going to be cute, and funny, and there will be all kinds of mythical creatures in it! It's going to be wholly other-worldly! And she's going to go on this awesome journey that's going to be epic and life changing!"

All that ended halfway through the book: The journey, the special creatures, the seemingly important gifts and details, th...more
Laura Spaulding
This was my absolute favorite book when I was a kid. I still have my first copy of it; the poor thing is so tattered and yellowed. It's a story about a girl placed under a spell by a fairy at birth and the journey she goes on to rid herself of the curse. Fairies, trolls, evil step mothers, magic-you name it, this book has it. I refuse to see the disney movie version. The book (although a fairy tale) was rather dark (death, curses, evil people, ect), and i'm sure disney completely butchered that.
Dawn Michelle
Well. I have never seen a movie AND then read a book that was SO different from the movie EVER!!!! In reading this, I had the movie in mind and was really confused as I was reading! The only thing from this book that was in the movie---ok, there are three things: 1. Ella has to obey, 2. her father travels (but in the movie they are close unlike the book), and 3. he marries someone YUCKY. Otherwise, it is ALL different. OH, and she does travel around looking for Lucinda (who is beautiful in the m...more
Danielle
Sep 01, 2008 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone :)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Enna  Moon
I love this book so much! It is absolutely my favorite book! If you havn't read it you've got to! I have the audiobook on my iPod and practically have it memorized. I think anyone one can enjoy this book, but I would especially reccomend it to fantasy lovers. It is set in the same world as Fairest.
Pamela(AllHoney)
I'm not sure if I'm letting the movie influence my rating but the book and the movie have almost nothing in common except for a few names and the infamous curse. The book was okay for me. I could easily tell it was written for children. There wasn't much time spent on developing the characters or plot or the setting. I think I would have liked to see a little more time setting the stage and understanding the world in which the story takes place in. I would definitely recommend it to the younger...more
Kendra
If you've seen the movie without reading the book, YOU ARE MISSING OUT! If you haven't seen the movie, make sure you read the book before you do, and I hope you do (well, at least read the book). The book explores the life of a girl growing up in the times of fairies and ogres, giants and elves, and let's not forget the evil stepmother and stepsister! Ella is a smart girl with a curse. At her birth a fairy gave Ella the "gift" of obedience. Immediately, this proves to be a bad gift. If someone w...more
Heather
One of my very favorite young adult books! When Ella of Frell was born she received the gift of obedience from a fairy. But it is not really a gift at all! Ella must be obedient to whatever anyone tells her to do! If someone tell her to hop on one foot for a day she has to do it! Ella decides to set out and find this fairy and change her destiny. This book is charming and humorous and enriches the original "Cinderella" tale. Ogres, witches, fairy godmothers, giants, and wicked stepsisters all ma...more
Abby
You are welcome to check out my blog post, were I ramble on an on about how much I love this book and my reasons for loving it so much, by clicking the link below.

http://missbookreader09.blogspot.com/...


"Though this book isn't the most "moving" or the most powerful, I think it's a fairytale every girl should read. It has the spunky, independent heroine, that we all admire and secretly wish we were more like, the charming prince who makes us all sigh and dream about, plus magic, curses, adventure...more
Maddie
one of my favorite childhood books. :) The movie was not at all what I thought it should have been. still love that Anne Hathaway.
Skyler Rowan
The book was fantastic the way they incorporated magic into it was hilarious.I found out that love has no bounds and that you have to always believe in yourself and not listen to what others say about you
Barbara
Apr 09, 2008 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Grades 5-8
Shelves: fantasy
CIP summary: 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.

Pithy Review: This funny, lively, and welcome reexamination of the Cinderella theme has many new twists and a spunky heroine who creatively fights to overcome her ‘gift’ of obedience.

Kirkus Reviews: Starred review. "..refreshing take on one of the world's most popular fairy tales..."
School Library Journal: "A thoroughly enchanting novel that deep...more
Jackie "the Librarian"
I love the little twist to this story of Cinderella - that she was given the gift of perfect obedience by her fairy godmother. Just imagine if you had to do anything anyone told you to! And you got stuck with that evil stepmother and stepsisters.
Ella has GOT to get rid of her fairy godmother's gift, not just because of the steps, but also because she's fallen in love with the prince. She doesn't trust herself not to endanger him in her current condition.
So off Ella goes to track down that "good"...more
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Ella Enchanted (Paperback)
Ella Enchanted (Hardcover)
Ella Enchanted (Enchanted, #1)
Ella Enchanted (Paperback)
Ella Enchanted (Paperback)

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Just letting you all know: I'm only going to review books I love. There's enough negative criticism without me piling on. A book is too hard to write.

Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Yo...more
More about Gail Carson Levine...
The Two Princesses of Bamarre Fairest (Enchanted, #3) Ever (Enchanted, #4) The Princess Test (Princess Tales) The Fairy's Mistake

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“I wished she’d never stop squeezing me. I wished I could spend the rest of my life as a child, being slightly crushed by someone who loved me.” 258 people liked it
“It is helpful to know the proper way to behave, so one can decide whether or not to be proper.” 191 people liked it
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