Ella is under a spell. She is cursed to instantly obey any order given to her. But Ella is strong-minded and will not let her curse keep her down. Not even when her mother dies, or when she befriends the young prince, Char. Not even when she is sent away to finishing school with two spiteful sisters. Not even when they become her stepsisters, and certainly not when she is kidnapped by ogres, or mistreated by her stepmother, or forced to be a slave in her own home. Ella may be cursed, but she is also determined to break that curse in order to live out her own happily ever after.
Gail Carson Levine's clever re-imagining of the Cinderella story is one of her best-loved novels, and with good reason. Ella is a charming, strong-willed, empathetic young woman who refuses to wallow in her misery or accept her fate. But she's not selfish or mean-spirited, though sometimes she is a rebel (and, honestly, if you were forced to obey even the slightest order, from anyone, wouldn't you be too?)
Despite the nature of Ella's curse, Ella Enchanted doesn't imply that obedience is a bad thing, or (like many a Disney movie) that people should be free to follow their heart. In fact, Ella's curse is finally broken at a point in which she must deny herself the thing she wants most. It's her refusal to just follow her heart that ends up saving not only her, but also her country, and the man she loves.
This is a welcome change from princess stories where girls are told that their own happiness is all that matters, or that their lives begin when all their problems are solved by the appearance of Prince Charming. Ella doesn't let her problems or disadvantages stop her from living her own life—and she's ultimately willing to put aside her own desires for the sake of the people she loves.
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
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