Inspirations - Just Ella
This is the story of Cinderella, retold in one of the most unique ways I have seen so far. I think if you are a strong, willful Princess who likes to take control of her life and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty you will really enjoy this story! Myself, I couldn’t identify with Ella quite as well as in some other adaptions of the tale, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.
Just Ella, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, finds our heroine at the Palace after the legendary slipper scene. She is trying to adjust to Palace life and the traditions and protocol that accompany it, but can’t seem to fit in. Being told off for lighting her own fireplace is just the start. She struggles with her tutors and ladies in waiting, but manages to make a couple of real friends. Meanwhile a rumour is being spread about pumpkins and fairy godmothers, while the royal family tries to cover up her past by claiming she is a foreign Princess. Ella reveals to us the true tale of how she made it to the ball, without any magic but a bit of luck and her own determination. The story takes an interesting turn when Prince Charming, and the Ball itself turn out to be.. not quite what they seem.
Its a light little read for lovers of fairytales retold, and the hardcover edition is beautiful with elegant designs at the top of each page. Just Ella is about making your own ‘happy ever afters’ and how sometimes they turn out a little different than we expected.
Welcome to the Princess Portal, a blog about finding your inner princess and living every day with beauty, grace and a sense of childlike wonder. This is both my diary and a way of sharing my writings on the Princess lifestyle. Please feel free to comment on anything that interests you! I'd love to hear from you ♥
May 9th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
This sounds very interesting!
I’m not really a fan of retold fairytales but now after reading this review, I want to know how things happened without magic and what her ‘Prince Charming’ is like in reality ^-^
Thank you!
May 10th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Wow, I remember reading this story when I was in the fifth grade and I loved it!
I’m very much a tomboy-ish princess, so I adore tales of strong, independent princesses who can take care of themselves.
Oddly enough, I’ve been thinking of this book all week (despite not having read it in years) and now I am tempted to search for it again.
Thank you very much for reminding me of it!
May 10th, 2008 at 3:49 am
May I add my two cents on this book?
I found it in the library a few years ago when I was 12 or 13, and I still vividly remember it, and not, I’m afraid, for good reasons. Past the first few pages, it didn’t read much like a fairy tale: Prince Charming was a real idiot, life in the Palace was a disappointment, etc. But far worse than that, I was horrified by one part where the “Princess” gets put in the dungeon for not conforming to her role as Princess. (Yes, Emily Y, she is very independent and strong-minded!) Her jailer is a demented thug. Ella asks him about his life, and he replies that he was unhappy during his childhood: “Wanted women. Couldn’t get women. Now big. Get what want. Heh.” Ella is determined to get out of the dungeon and finds a way - “digging out through the crap hole,” she says. The whole book is written in what was, to me, a disappointingly morbid flavor. It’s a twist on an old tale, true, but it’s one that really made me shudder! If you are a delicate princess (if you love the rest of this site, that’s a good clue you are), you may not enjoy this story so much.
That said, it’s definitely an imaginative retelling!
~Princess Dani XX
May 10th, 2008 at 4:27 am
As much as I love fairy godmothers and dainty princesses, I like this more realistic version better. I still have this book in my library.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:29 am
I’m more of a fantasious, romantic person who lives in its own mind, and I’m not a person with strong personality so I think it would not be good for me to read it. It sounds interesting and unique, though! I’m sure many will like it!
If you tell me what happened with the Prince I’m surely going to cry :P I’m a delicate princess and I think it would twist my life as it twists the fairytale itself, but I still think that realistic, strong princesses will enjoy this!
May 10th, 2008 at 9:56 am
May 11th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I remember this book!!!
and i loved it.
all throughout, i was like rock on chick!!
the prince, though always handsome and strong, is usually stupid or vapid in regular fairy tales(like disney.)i like this version waaaaay better. good pick!!
May 12th, 2008 at 12:23 am
I’m definitely not the delicate type, and I love different versions of old fairytales, so this book sounds perfect! ^_^