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    Ella Enchanted
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    Ella Enchanted
    Unavailable
    Ella Enchanted
    Audiobook5 hours

    Ella Enchanted

    Written by Gail Carson Levine

    Narrated by Eden Riegel

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.

    So begins this richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who wants nothing more than to be free of Lucinda's gift and feel that she belongs to herself. For how can she truly belong to herself if she knows that at any time, anyone can order her to hop on one foot, 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 spirited account of her quest to break the curse is a funny, poignant, and enchanting tale about an unforgettable heroine who is determined to be herself.

    Eden Riegel provided the voice of Young Miriam in the animated feature film Prince of Egypt, and has appeared in the film Into the Woods. Her television credits include recurring roles on New York Undercover, As the World Turns and Guiding Light. On Broadway, she was one of the original cast members of Les Miserables and performed in The Will Rogers Follies.

    Editor's Note

    A reimagined Cinderella…

    A fun-filled adventure following a feisty heroine that reimagines Cinderella with many satisfying twists and turns. Even though she’s cursed to obey orders, Ella has a free spirit that’s impossible not to admire.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 5, 2000
    ISBN9780553751369
    Unavailable
    Ella Enchanted
    Author

    Gail Carson Levine

    Gail Carson Levine's first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Ever, a New York Times bestseller; Fairest, a Best Book of the Year for Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal and a New York Times bestseller; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; A Tale of Two Castles; Stolen Magic; The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre; Ogre Enchanted; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction books Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink, as well as the picture books Betsy Who Cried Wolf and Betsy Red Hoodie. Gail Carson Levine and her husband, David, live in a two-centuries-old farmhouse in the Hudson Valley of New York State.

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    Reviews for Ella Enchanted

    4/5

    3,240 ratings174 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I am still on the fence about this book. It was very well written, but somehow it just didn't draw me. Great if you like the princessfantasy genre.
    • 4/5
      This is a rather free adaptation of Cinderella, free enough that much of the time it's hard to recognize the original fairy tale underpinning the story. It attempts to explain Ella's almost psychotically obedient behavior through most of the tale, and in the process produces an interesting and charming story.

      When Ella was born, a more than usually disconnected fairy godmother gave her the "gift" of obedience, and not all the pleading and explanations of Ella's mother or other fairies could persuade her to remove this terrible gift. Over the course of her childhood, Ella gets very good at manipulating the limits of the curse, but when directly ordered to do something specific, she has to do it. This includes handing over her most treasured possessions to her hated new stepsisters after her father remarries, or hopping on one foot for an entire day, or cutting her own head off.

      The foolish fairy, Lucinda, continues to pop in at inopportune moments, giving the very practical and money-minded Sir Peter (Ella's father) and his new wife Olga the "gift" of always loving each other, and very loving giant couple the "gift" of always being together, and other benignly-intended curses. Meanwhile, since Ms. Levine doesn't buy the idea of Ella and Prince Charming falling in love at first sight across a crowded dance floor, they meet for the first time at Ella's mother's funeral, and build a closer acquaintance over several years. And Ella, being a decent, kindly, friendly girl, makes other friends, at the boarding school she and her hated stepsisters are sent to (where the elder stepsister makes a virtual slave of Ella, having accidentally discovered her secret,) and among the elves and the giants when in desperation she runs away from school, hoping that her father, who doesn't love her, but does grudgingly admire her strength of character, will help her find the fairy and get the curse lifted, or at least not send her back to school.

      It's a pleasant and interesting variation on Cinderella, with a serious attempt at making the courtship between the merchant's daughter and the prince somewhat plausible.
    • 4/5
      Good book for 4/5th grader girls who like fairy tales, but with a bit of adventure. Ella is not too girly-girl and has a good sense of humor. Focus is on personality, not looks.
    • 2/5
      I don't like the way this is read on audio. Also hard to keep track of what's going on, seems imprecisely written.
    • 4/5
      Summary: Ella Enchanted is kind of a play off on Cinderella. She has an evil godmother that cursed her with the "gift of obedience". She has to do everything when she is told. She has two step-sisters and one takes advantage of Ella very quickly once she noticed her inablility to disobey. The prince falls in love with Ella, but Ella cannot marry him because she knows that the curse will put him in great danger. She convinces him that she has run away with another man. The prince orders Ella to marry him. Ella refuses, thus breaking the curse. She then takes the prince's hand in marriage because she wants to not because he ordered her to.Personal Reaction: I really enjoyed this book, I really like books that are far fetched and impossible. It really feeds my imagination!I enjoyed all of the characters and all of their aspects.Classroom Extension: Ella Enchanted could be used to teach the "Be careful what you wish for" saying. Sometimes you think it would be easier to just have something that makes you obey all the time. It would help you to stay out of trouble and to always do what you're told. However, it can also be a curse, forcing you to follow through with things that maybe are not the right thing.
    • 4/5
      I'm not a fan of fairy tales, so I put off reading this book for a long time. I am a reader who picks up every Newbery Honor and Winning book when I can, so I knew that eventually I would have to end up with this book in my hands.Why did I wait so long? I mean sure, there are some fairy tale like parts that drove me nuts, but I simply loved this story. Ella was so intelligent and resourceful and held relationships with characters that you don't normally expect in a fairy tale type setting, and the cultures were amazingly thought out and well depicted in such a short space of text that it blew my mind, especially when it comes to knowing younger readers are the target audience, not adults.I have not seen the movie, but I have heard the book is much better. I can believe it with all my heart.
    • 4/5
      It stood on its own against the movie. Two different stories with similar ideas.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic. Beautiful. It reminds me of Wren's Quest by Sherwood Smith, one of my formative books. It's what I wish Diana Wynne Jones had written like. My only quibble is that the style is functional to the extreme. You won't find any beauty of prose here. But in my opinion, that's a good problem to have. It keeps tension high and still uses vocabulary to keep you in a world (like "sparrowgrass" for asparagus).It's a version of Shrek for the intellectual. Less in-your-face and fart joke-laden. More for those who've read original versions and appreciates guilty pleasures. People who like "Into the Woods". Plus all the characters are likable. The most negative part is the predictable ending. Not that you know what's going to happen (you do), but you're bored waiting for it to play out.But I gave it five stars. However, those looking for twee elfin phrases will be disappointed.
    • 3/5
      Cute story.
    • 5/5
      My favorite book!
    • 5/5
      After hearing a 20-something of my acquaintance casually refer to a scene in Ella Enchanted (either the book or the movie version, I'm not sure which) as if she expected it to be something everyone would automatically be familiar with, I realized that this story had slipped itself into the canon of children's classics while I wasn't looking. And having now read it, I can absolutely see why. It entirely deserves it.The story follows Ella, the daughter of a wealthy but unscrupulous merchant, who at her birth has a "gift" bestowed on her by a well-meaning but very stupid fairy: the "gift of obedience." From then on, she cannot refuse a direct command given to her by anyone, for any reason. Which, if you stop to think about it for a moment (as the story most certainly does) is an utterly horrific idea.While it's not obvious from that description (and, indeed, a lot of the relevant elements don't come into play until near the end), this is basically a retelling of Cinderella. But it's a marvelous, original, and wonderfully creative one. The world, rather than being Generic Fairy Tale Land is one with its own history and cultures, and its own variants on the usual fantasy creatures. The love story is charming and believable and based on a real meeting of minds, rather than being the usual kind of vacuous fairy tale romance. And the main character is spirited and likeable and feels very much like a real person. At some point towards the end, I realized I was basically sitting on the edge of my seat with tension, desperately hoping everything would work out all right for her. Which is kind of crazy. I mean, it's Cinderella. I know how Cinderella ends! But I was that caught up, and that invested in her happiness. And the climax, when it comes, is a marvelous twist on the original tale that left a great big grin on my face. This is definitely the kind of fairy tale we should be giving 21st-century kids, and 21st-century adult me loved it a lot, too. Way more than I ever would have expected to.
    • 4/5
      This 'Cinderella-inspired' story is cute and well-written. Ella is a young girl who is given the curse of "obedience" at birth. So when someone tells her to do something, she has to do it. Doesn't sound so bad until the wrong person/s find out that Ella has to do whatever they say -- then things start to get hairy. Of course, knowing the story of Cinderella, you know how it's going to end. But the journey, being different than the original, keeps you on your toes trying to figure it all out. It is written for 8-12 year olds, but I was thoroughly entertained!
    • 5/5
      Ella Enchanted is one of my favourite movies but this was my first time reading the book. They are like completely different entities. I love the book oh so much more. I look forward to a little time passing so that I may read it again.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoy reading this book. It is magical and silly and also touching. It's definitely a unique take on "Cinderella".(There are a couple of movie spoilers in this next paragraph. The last one's safe, though.)Regarding the movie, I can definitely understand the disappointment of fans who saw it, expecting it to be similar to the book. However, I really like the movie as well. I actually think I like both stories equally. I mean, it's annoying that they just took the names from the book and changed everything else, but the moments when Ella is forced to end her friendship with Areida and when she breaks the curse are just so powerful... Maybe Anne Hathaway is the savior of the movie for me. Anyway, I just think the book and the movie have the same feel to them even though the plot lines are so different. I choose to think of them as two stories only related by their "Cinderella" inspiration.I do feel like in both the movie and the book, I could often find ways around her orders... Or there were instances where she was forced to do ridiculous things because of the wording of the order, whereas "Let me see it." forced Ella to literally give the object to the speaker. The inconsistencies bothered me a bit.
    • 3/5
      This was an okay book. My kids and I listened to it on audio. The narrator's voice was so high-pitched, I sometimes had to go in another room for a break. My kids even noted it, but it didn't seem to grate on them as much as it did on me.Aside from the narrator's voice, the story was a clever in places, but lacking in substance. The ending was an interesting twist on the classic Cinderella story, but the way Levine arrived at it was so convoluted and peppered with inconsistencies. Even willingly suspending my disbelief for the purpose of enjoying a fairy tale, I didn't find it quite believable.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this version of Cinderella.In this story, Ella is "gifted" with obedience and it has hindered her entire life. She is unable to say no to the worst, or even the best, command.I thought this book was far better than the movie. It shows the importance of inner strength and is a good example of putting the needs of others before one's own. (Although Ella loved Prince Char, she pretended not to in order to protect him from her curse.)
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite book of all time. I first read this book when I was young, and I still come back to it every year to reread it. This is a wonderfully written fairy tale reinterpretation, with an extremely likable cast of characters. Ella is a spunky, charismatic young woman, but she is also as stubborn and flawed as the rest of us. In this fairy tale, young readers can both relate to and look up to this very human protagonist. Levine does a masterful job of capturing the essential spirit of a fairy tale while also reimagining it into a story that sends valuable messages to its audience. Moreover, it's a fun and easy read! This book is a timeless classic.
    • 5/5
      I loved reading this book. I loved this book because of the characterization of Ella and because of the point of view. The characterization of Ella was great because the author wrote her as a strong willed woman who made the best out of a bad situation. Even though Ella was cursed with the "gift of obedience," she did what she could to break free of it and lead the life she always wanted. I especially like when she was able to resist the curse and not kill Prince Char even though she was ordered to. I also loved that the point of view was from Ella's viewpoint. I think the book being written in first person really allows the reader to connect to Ella and the frustration that she encounters with the curse. Ella says, "If you commanded me to cut off my own head, I would have to do it. I was in danger at every moment." The main message I took from this book is to fight for what you want and to stand up for yourself at all costs.
    • 5/5
      An imaginative re-telling of the Cinderella story.
    • 3/5
      When Ella is born, fairies bestow gifts upon her. One, however, misguidedly gives her the "gift of obedience". Ella always does exactly as she is told and wants nothing more than to be free of this "gift".
    • 4/5
      A magical tale! This is a great retelling of a fairy tale.
    • 5/5
      I loved how Ella was able to brake the curse and her words were so Heart warming and braking
    • 4/5
      Ella enchanted is my favorite Cinderella story. Mandy is definitely her fairy godmother.
    • 5/5
      This book is absolutely incredible. I am speechless. I recommend this for anyone because it has a little bit of every genre on it. Drama, romance, tragedy. This is a book I could read over and over again without getting bored of it.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely lovely! The story is everything you could wish for in a sweet fantastical tale for young and old. The only thing that I didn't lile was the voice of the narrator. Though she read extremely well, it seemed to young for Ella.
    • 4/5
      I have tears in my eyes ?❤ I loved it so much
    • 5/5
      I've always assumed that I read this book and have seen the movie but after listening to the charming audio version of it I really don't think I have. The story was new and fresh and fantastical. I loved it. I'm a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings and the superb narration (the narrator sounds like an honest to god kid!) kicked this middle grade fantasy into overdrive. When Ella was a newborn a fairy placed a curse on her - she would be obedient. Ella cannot disobey an order - which make it dangerous if the wrong people found out! After her mother dies she is sent to finishing school and two odious girls proceed to make her life a living hell. She runs away to try and find the fairy who cursed and along the way she has many an adventure. There is romance, action, adventure, humor, and fun. All around great storytelling. Empowering for young girls!
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed the book, in spite of having already seen the movie and noting many differences. I liked some of the differences better than the way the story played out in the movie, though I still like the movie as well. I think the depth of characters is so much better in the book. We learn so much more about the kind of person Char is, as well as more into Hattie and Olive's personalities beyond being the "evil" stepsisters. I enjoyed the aspects of the story that were missing from the movie...Ella's trip to finishing school, her friendships she made along the way. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fairy tale retellings, or stories in which the damsel is able to save herself.
    • 5/5
      I finally got around to reading this book. I had no idea it was a remake of Cinderella, since I had only based the title from what I knew about the movie, which is nothing like Cinderella. The book was so much better. Not ridiculous like the movie, but magical and funny. The more I read the more i realized it was a Cinderella story. Why I had never made that connection before? I don't know. This book is worth the read, especially if you've seen the movie and love a good version of a classic fairy tale. I wondered how Ella would break her spell (different from the movie), and what horror would great her at the end because their was no evil villain trying to get her to murder the prince (like the movie Ella Enchanted). It ended very well. Not quite what I expected, but it had all the classic elements of the original Cinderella, which Disney made.
    • 5/5
      I forgot how much I loved this book as a kid, and it held up just as well this time around. Love love love.