Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Ella Enchanted

Finished Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. It won the Newbery Honor Medal in 1998. This is a clever and frustrating retelling of Cinderella’s story. Ella is very smart and confident. So why would she hang around and let her step-mother and step-sisters boss her around? Because she has been enchanted. When she was born the fairy Lucinda bestowed the gift of obedience upon her, so when told to stop crying, she did. But this gift quickly became a curse. If someone told her to stand on her head she would have to do it.

Ella is befriended by Prince Char. The two eventually fall in love, but Ella knows that if the prince’s enemies learn of her obedient state, it would endanger Char’s life and kingdom. Ella begins a quest to find Lucinda and ask her to remove the curse, but Lucinda has renounced large magic and cannot revoke her gift. Ella must break the curse all on her own. There is a lot of meanness and thoughtlessness in this book. It is necessary to the story, but it still pissed me off. An excellent girl-power book.

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