CCBC-Net Archives
Ella Enchanted
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Geri Chesner <chesnega>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 14:23:15 +0000
Hi,
I have been lurking for quite a while, but since I just put down Ella Enchanted, I too have some feelings about the ending. This typically is not the genre I am attracted to, so I was surprised at the way the book pulled me in and kept me reading until I finished (It hasn't been since reading Out of the Dust few months ago that a book has grabbed me so).
I feel the book was very strong in allowing the reader to believe the character of Ella and her escape from finishing school to find Lucinda the Fairy to uncast her spell and the events preceeding it. But I think this believability ended there when her father started to try to marry her off. I knew right as soon as we were introduced to Prince Char that they would get along spelendidly and even thought they may be involved romantically but was disappointed when they did. I'm not too sure why this disaapointed me, but I think it may be similar to what Carrie said, wanting Ella to be stronger and the ending have a more feminist resolution, since the rest of the book had this theme.
I also was surprised that the cook (a fairy also, I forgot her name) wasn't more well developed. She seemed as if she was going to be a more central character, but I felt she could have been a stronger influence on Ella.
I was amused at the correlations with Cinderella with the glass shoes and think children will like finding this "typical fairytale element. As I read this part I kept wondering if the author was going to change the details surrounding the shoe trying on scene in a drastic way and was a little disappointed to find she hadn't.
This book had an impact on me in the few days I was reading it...The setting was always floating in my mind and I even had a dream which was related (I won't go into details :) ) All this was amazing to me, since I mentioned that it is not a genre a generally enjoy.
Geri Chesner Alverno College
Megan Schliesman wrote:
Received on Tue 10 Feb 1998 08:23:15 AM CST
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 14:23:15 +0000
Hi,
I have been lurking for quite a while, but since I just put down Ella Enchanted, I too have some feelings about the ending. This typically is not the genre I am attracted to, so I was surprised at the way the book pulled me in and kept me reading until I finished (It hasn't been since reading Out of the Dust few months ago that a book has grabbed me so).
I feel the book was very strong in allowing the reader to believe the character of Ella and her escape from finishing school to find Lucinda the Fairy to uncast her spell and the events preceeding it. But I think this believability ended there when her father started to try to marry her off. I knew right as soon as we were introduced to Prince Char that they would get along spelendidly and even thought they may be involved romantically but was disappointed when they did. I'm not too sure why this disaapointed me, but I think it may be similar to what Carrie said, wanting Ella to be stronger and the ending have a more feminist resolution, since the rest of the book had this theme.
I also was surprised that the cook (a fairy also, I forgot her name) wasn't more well developed. She seemed as if she was going to be a more central character, but I felt she could have been a stronger influence on Ella.
I was amused at the correlations with Cinderella with the glass shoes and think children will like finding this "typical fairytale element. As I read this part I kept wondering if the author was going to change the details surrounding the shoe trying on scene in a drastic way and was a little disappointed to find she hadn't.
This book had an impact on me in the few days I was reading it...The setting was always floating in my mind and I even had a dream which was related (I won't go into details :) ) All this was amazing to me, since I mentioned that it is not a genre a generally enjoy.
Geri Chesner Alverno College
Megan Schliesman wrote:
Received on Tue 10 Feb 1998 08:23:15 AM CST
