The thing that makes Ella Enchanted one of my favorite fairy tale retellings is that the clever and seamless incorporation of Ella's curse provides the story a much bulkier message for young readers: one about the importance of free will and the control that others will always try to exert over us, and the fact that sufficient determination to do the right thing will prevail against even the most improbable odds. Let's settle for a generic 'Goodness (especially in the face of adversity) is always rewarded.' Have small feet? Wait for a man to sweep you away out of servitude? It's.a little less clear. When considering Cinderella for this review, however, I struggled a bit in deciding what the moral of the original story even is. I disliked the last fairy tale retelling I read because of the way the author failed to successfully capture the beloved message that is at the heart of Beauty and the Beast: love people for what's on the inside, not the outside. It will take every bit of this heroine's resolve to find her happily ever after! Of course, there is a prince in the mix as well, and while their friendship grows into something more the dangers of Ella's existence have never been more apparent. Nasty stepsisters, boarding school nonsense, sweet-talking trolls and fairy fickleness only brush the surface of the adventures that are in store for Ella as she struggles against her challenging new circumstances and her curse. Her world is upended by her mother's death, and the changes that follow. She grows up struggling against the crushing constraints of her curse but relatively happy and beloved by her mother and cook.

Spoilers follow!Įlla of Frell is given a terrible 'gift' by a foolish fairy when she is a baby- she must always be obedient when given a command.

There is pretty much no chance of objectivity with this one, but I think we'll all still have a good time with this review. I can't even tell you how many times I read this book when I was little - I adored absolutely everything about it, and if ever there was a comfort re-read, this was it for lil Char. Welcome to the absolute PINNACLE of Charlotte's Intense Childhood Nostalgia. 'And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after.'

Ella enchanted magic book