Ella Enchanted (novel)

***Ella Enchanted*** is a Newbery Honor book written by Gail Carson Levine and published in 1997. The story is a retelling of *Cinderella* featuring various mythical creatures including fairies, elves, ogres, gnomes, and giants. While all the familiar plot elements of the Cinderella story are still present in this retelling, they are given a different significance. In particular, in Levine's version Cinderella/Ella and the Prince have known each other all along and had already long since fallen in love but are debarred until the end from consummating that love.

In 2006, Levine went on to write *Fairest*, a retelling of the story of Snow White, set in the same world as *Ella Enchanted*. In 2018, Levine published *Ogre Enchanted*, a prequel to *Ella Enchanted*.

On April 9, 2004, a movie that is loosely based on the novel was released. It was directed by Tommy O'Haver and starred Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy as Ella and Prince Charmont, respectively. The film received mostly mixed reviews and was heavily criticized for its changes to the source material and addition of new characters. Levine stated that the film is "so different from the book that it's hard to compare them" and suggested "regarding the movie as a separate creative act".

## Summary

When Ella was just a baby, the fairy Lucinda bestowed the gift of obedience on her. The "gift" is in fact a terrible curse, forcing Ella to obey anyone who gives her an order.

When Ella is around fourteen, her mother dies. Her cook Mandy reveals herself to be her Fairy godmother. She is given two gifts by Mandy: a necklace from her mother and a magic book. At her mother's funeral, Ella meets the kingdom's prince, Char, who tells her how fond he was of her mother. Char likes the fact that unlike nearly everybody else, Ella is not at all awe-stricken by his being a Prince, and they start joking with other and having fun together - which helps the grief-stricken Ella through an otherwise terrible day. At the wake, she is introduced to Dame Olga and her terrible daughters, Hattie and Olive - but at the time, feels no special significance to this encounter.

Her father, Peter, decides to send her to a finishing school with the two mean sisters. Before leaving she visits her favorite places, where she meets Char again and they bond. At school, Hattie eventually discovers that Ella does whatever she is told and uses this for her own gain. She takes Ella's mother's necklace, then deprives Ella of food and orders her to end her friendship with her best friend Areida. Ella cannot stand this and sets out to find Lucinda so that she can reverse the spell. In her magic book, she saw that her father is about to attend a giant's wedding and she assumes that Lucinda - who likes to come uninvited to weddings - might be there. While leaving she discovers Hattie's wig and takes it with. She uses the wig to buy food and get directions to the wedding.

Ella comes upon the kingdom of Elves, who offer a warm welcome. The next morning, she awakens surrounded by ogres who plan on devouring her. She is given the command not to run away, so she is trapped, and stays up all night practicing Ogrese in hopes of using on the ogres their own weapon of hypnotic speech. It works and she tells them back to sleep, just in time for Char and his soldiers to apprehend them. One of his men is sent to escort Ella.

Ella learns that ungrateful recipients of Lucinda's gifts often end up as squirrels and decides to use an alias when talking to her. Ella tells her she desires more mettle for she is too obedient, but Lucinda tells Ella to be happy and Ella is forced to feel happy because of her 'gift.'

Ella learns from her father that he's lost everything so he must marry Dame Olga. At the wedding, Lucinda gifts the bride and groom eternal love. On the ride to Olga's house, Peter reveals that he's broke. Olga is livid, but due to Lucinda's gift, she is unable to stay angry at him. Instead, she begins to transfer all of her hatred to Ella. Char comes to visit Ella but Hattie orders her to stay in her room. This continues until Char leaves for his trip. They start communicating via letters, which Ella has him address to Mandy so as not to arouse suspicion from her new stepfamily. When Peter leaves for work, Hattie reveals Ella's curse and Olga makes Ella work as a servant in the house.

After months of communicating with each other, Ella and Char fall in love and Char wishes for her to be his queen. Ella realizes her curse could be very dangerous for him since he will one day be king. She decides they could never be together and writes a letter addressed from Hattie to mislead him into thinking she has run off with a rich earl. Mandy hates to see Ella so hurt and calls upon Lucinda to tell her to undo the gift of obedience in exchange for transforming her into a squirrel for three months.

During the next six months, Ella continues to endure the torment of her stepfamily. She learns that Char will be returning soon, and three royal balls will be held. Lucinda comes back feeling horribly for Ella but is not able to lift the spell. Lucinda tells her she can only do it herself, but Lucinda will help.

When Prince Char returns from his travels, Ella goes to the balls in disguise, with the help of Mandy and Lucinda. At the first ball, she dances with Char, who still wants to be with Ella after a chance meeting with Areida made him question the letter he received. On the third night, he introduces her to his parents and dances only with her. Hattie is jealous and unmasks Ella, causing her to flee and lose one of her glass slippers. Char finds the slipper and goes to her home. He asks her to tell him if she loves him, which she does. He then tells her to marry him - which is an order which her curse compels her to obey.

She would have been very happy to obey this specific order - but just because she so deeply loves Char, Ella feels that she must reject him and cannot be his Queen, because her stepmother and sister could order her to make them free of the royal treasury and because the kingdom's enemies might discover her weakness and order her to reveal secrets or even to murder Char. After an intensive internal struggle Ella burst out with "No, I will not marry you! No one can force me!" after which she hugs and kisses Char. Her love and care for Char have broken Lucinda's spell. Hattie orders her to go to her room, but she no longer has to obey.

Now, Ella can explain everything to the confused Char, who again asks her to marry him - which she is now free and deliriously happy to accept.

Unlike in the original Cinderella story, Ella takes no revenge on her stepmother and sisters beyond not inviting them to the royal wedding. Char's royal parents, who are much less stiff and formal than the teachers at the Finishing School led her to believe, warmly accept Ella in the family. Ella and Areida rekindle their friendship. Mandy becomes the castle cook and fairy godmother to Char and Ella's future children. Ella's first-person narrative ends with her telling the reader that "So we still live in love and laughter".

As noted by Levine, the plot element of Ella being cursed with obedience fills a logical flaw in the original Cinderella story, explaing why she had to obey her foster mother and sisters.

## Reception

In 2012 it was ranked number 85 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by *School Library Journal*.

## References

1. **^** Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present Archived 2011-02-11 at the Wayback Machine. Association for Library Service to Children. Accessed on June 29, 2010.
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## External links

* https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/13px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png Quotations related to Ella Enchanted at Wikiquote
* Gail Carson Levine's official website
* *Ella Enchanted* title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database