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Ella Enchanted  By  cover art

Ella Enchanted

By: Gail Carson Levine
Narrated by: Eden Riegel
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Publisher's summary

"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.

Ella Enchanted is a 1998 Newbery Medal Honor Book and a major motion picture.

©1998 Gail Carson Levine (P)1998 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, An Imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

Newbery Honor Book, 1998

"Eden Riegel's high, childlike voice is the consummate match for this first-person narrative. Her sweet-voiced Ella, under the dominion of a vulgar stepmother and duplicitous stepsisters, reveals the gift of obedience (from fairy Lucinda) to be a scourge that only someone of Ella's sensitivity and intelligence would have the means to outwit. Riegel's smooth delivery of the exotic languages of the elves, gnomes, giants, and ogres enhances the fantasy element while occasional interludes of music add to the medieval air of the story. A lively and satisfying reading of the 1998 Newbery Honor Book." (AudioFile magazine)

"A winning combination of memorable characters and an alluring fantasy realm." (Publishers Weekly) "A high-spirited, comic first novel." (The New York Times Book Review)

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What listeners say about Ella Enchanted

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

bad choice of narrator

I really enjoyed the story of this book. It is a fun twist on Cinder"ella", but the narrator sounded as if she was about 10 years old and so did not match the romantic storyline. It was really too bad because it detracted from the story. It was ok to listen to, but it might be a better real read.

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52 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator Ruins it

I LOVE this book. I read it on repeat as a kid/preteen. Now, as an adult, I thought it would be fun to listen to in the car on my commute to and from work, a little reminder of the carefree life of my younger years. But the narrator ruins it. She sounds to be about 10 years old. She doesn't have the vocal range to voice male characters or adult characters. And it makes me uncomfortable to hear a 10 year old tell me about romance. The character is a fifteen year old young woman, not a 10 year old child. This narrator is a total miss.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Needs new narration

The story is excellent! I have read this novel many times in the past 15 years and it continues to be my favorite! But this needs a new narrator. Poor choice of voice for character and reader slips out of chosen characters' voices many times throughout the reading or is inconsistent with the quality of the chosen voice of a character. She doesn't have enough tonal or vocal range to lend variation to the large amount of characters presented though the protagonist's adventures. Very sad such a great novel is not made better by this reading.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Why Is a Small Child Reading This Book?

Any additional comments?

I read this book before buying the Audiobook and loved it. I was hoping to be able to experience the same enjoyment from the audiobook but was sadly disappointed. Although the narrator does a fine job reading the book, her voice is so high pitched and sounds so child like that it's distracting. It's difficult to tell the difference between the different characters because her voice is high pitch and sounds child like no matter who she's portraying. The beginning of the book perhaps makes since to be listening to a child because Ella is much younger. But the voice does not mature with the character and it all just starts sounding really weird. Unfortunately I could not bring myself to listen to the book all of the way through.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What a fun twist on the Cinderella Story

What a fun twist on the Cinderella Story. I really enjoyed the reader of this book, and thought she did such a great job with all the different people in this book. Her reading draws you into the story and makes you sorry when it comes to an end. For an enchanting story that will take you away from the stresses of the world, look no further! It would be even more enjoyable to listen to with your favorite princess!

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Harpsichord accompanies narration.

The narrator sounds too young and girlish to pull off any of the voices other than the main character. And even for the main character I thought she was too young.

But much worse, there is music during the best moments of the story, ruining them. It's awful.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My favorite fairytale story

The narrator was not my favorite but it was the music that really bothered me.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story

We loved this story, but the narrator is a little hard to listen to because she sounded so young and somewhat squeaky.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • C
  • 06-19-09

Wonderfully read!

The narrater is a young girl - she reads the story so well that I was captivated by it along with my 8 and 12 year old daughters! This book is quite a bit more interesting than the movie. It's an excellent choice to add to your audio library!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Classic (atleast in my eyes)

I read this book for the first time when I was 8 or 9 and still (12 years later) love it. Full of hope, love, triumphs and happy endings! Amazing strong female character. Recommend to any child and most adults too :) Its one parents can enjoy along with their kids!

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6 people found this helpful