Member Reviews
Ella, is the second book in Sarah Prices’ new series where she retails fairy tales in an everyday Amish setting. As an avid reader of novels that retail fairy tales, I can honestly say that this version is in my top two books, I just can’t decide which one I like better, so maybe it’s actually tied for first.
We find Ella, an orphaned young woman, living in her childhood home with her step-mother and two lazy step-sisters. Ella is responsible for all the chores and baking and often helps in her father’s, now step-mother’s, store in town. The only thing that continues to keep her going is the promise she made to her mother.
When Henry comes to town in hopes of helping out with the struggling store, Ella is not prepared for the friendship that develops. With her step-mother pushing him into marriage with of her own daughters, Ella is left to wonder does Henry really care about her like she does for him.
The author does a wonderful job on the characters and it was easy to picture the town and characters in real time as the story played out. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a good fairy tale or just a good Amish story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from netgalley.com and Kensington Books in return for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this take on Cinderella with an Amish flare, all except friending mice…nope not this girl.
If you read Belle, she is here briefly, and now Sadie is missing, and hope found in the next book, but Ella is going to keep you page turning to the end. A great twist to an old fairy tale, there is even a mention of the brothers Grimm, love it!
Of course, you are going into this story knowing of the evil step-mother and the wicked step-sisters, and all the time I am reading I have mind pictures of the cartoon characters, and boy to they fit the images.
Once you pick up this one, you are not going to be disappointed, I read it in one sitting.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review.
So cute, so well written, a fantasy, a reality and more. This was a great read it was warm, and ful filling. Very true to the Amish life and culture as told. The main characters were well developed and sincere.
Another modern day Cinderella tale with an Amish twist.
Sarah Price is one author that I'm going to read more of. For a person who usually stays away from anything resembling Amish, I find myself captivated by Price's writing. It is in no way boring.
This was a charming little tale of Ella, a girl who lives with her two stepsister and cruel stepmother and forced to do all the chores. But one day she meets her prince charming in the form of a businessman just as charming as he is handsome....with a cunning edge to him.
I'm sure you'll be as enchanted as I was of this book. I highly recommend it for everyone.
Sarah Price is writing fairy tales set in Amish Communities and using the morals of the story to show how it would play out in real life in the Amish world. In this book, Ella is the orphaned step-daughter whose step-mother has moved in with her daughters and taken over Ella's home, her life, and they try to break her spirit.
Ella is responsible for keeping the house clean, fixing the meals, sewing for her step-sisters, weeding the garden and putting up the produce, and working in the family store when the step-sisters don't want to.
When Henry Clemens comes to town, with the hope of buying of the general store, Ella's step-mother starts wrangling for him to court one of her two daughters and tries to hide Ella from him. He meets Ella accidentally and wants to know more about her.
The more Henry gets to know Ella, the more he sees how she's treated by her family and gets his uncle and aunt involved in the situation--they are deacon and his wife. Her step-mother's actions came to light after the community's fund raiser pie auction.
This is a great retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale that reminds me of one of my favorite movies--Ever After. In that movie Cinderella pleads for her step-family's lives but with one condition, that they be treated with the same respect they treated her with.
This is a five star, hard to put down book, two thumbs up, and an apple crisp pie for dessert.
My thanks go to Kensington Books for allowing me to read and review this book.
What an adorable tale! Cinderella is one of my favorite fairytales, with Ever After being my favorite version (although it's movie form and not a book), because Without the magical pumpkins and mice turned into horses, it was made to appear possible. I love this retelling for the same reason. It was able to stay true to the Cinderella tale without straying from the realm of possibility.
I loved how well the characters were developed. In the classic Cinderella story, she was forced to be the maid in her home and was really never permitted to leave. This story adds a bit of a twist in that since the family is Amish, they all attend church services together and there are other occasions where Ella leaves the home and is a part of society. Although prevented from having her own social life, she's not completely absent from the community. She is called upon to help at church events as well. Everywhere she goes Ella is a humble helper.
I won't do any spoiling, but considering the story takes place in an Amish community, I think it's safe to say that there is no royal ball in this story. There isn't even a glass slipper. The event that takes it's place manages to reflect Ella's character in a deeper way than a piece of clothing ever could. The author weaves everything together to fit in a truly heartwarming way.
This was such a lighthearted and enjoyable read. I highly recommend this tale especially to fans of Cinderella. It's one a mother and daughter could enjoy together as well. Everyone loves a good fairytale every now and then :)
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and the author in hopes of an honest review. I am under no obligation for a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
Sarah Price has a gift of recapturing old fairy tales and making them new! Her second book in this series is Ella-an Amish adaptation of Cinderella. It has all the elements of the original but told uniquely Amish. Ella is an Amish woman living with her Amish stepmother and stepsisters. She does all the work she is given with a humble heart and strives to follow God's plan for her life, whatever it might be. It is truly a wonderful retelling with a strong spiritual message. I loved it!
This is the second book of the Amish Fairytale series by Sarah price and I have to say that enjoyed just as much as Belle, the first book in the series if not more. We got see Ella's life and the sweet romance she got to have with a young Amish businessman while dealing with her awful step-mother and step-sisters. They are truly horrible people and they deserved what they got at the end of the book. We also got to hear a little bit more about Sadie Whitaker from the first book and I can't wait to read her story.
I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a good Amish romance. It is truly a great and fast read.
When I read the last Amish retelling of a fairy tale by this author I knew I had to read all the books in the series. When Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella became available on Netgalley I immediately requested. I was able to read in two sessions and stayed up after midnight finishing this book. The author did an excellent job of converting the classic tale of Cinderella into an Amish novel. She did an excellent job of portraying the step-mother and step-sisters as abusive. The step-mother made Ella do all the work, never let her socialize and put her daughters before Ella. Ella was way too kind and were never say a word against them. They did everything they could to sabotage the friendship of Hannes and Ella. Linda the step-mother wanted her daughters to capture the attention of Hannes. Then there is the kindly Marian. She plays the part of the fairy godmother. I don't want to give too much of the storyline away but I guarantee you will enjoy it even if you don't enjoy Amish fiction. There is even a twist toward the end. The comeuppance that the step-family received was priceless.
I received this ebook thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley. The opinions are all my own and I received no compensation for reviewing this book. This book is due to be released on May 29, 2018.
Once again Sarah price has captured my attention in to her stories. Why I finished in one sitting. You'll fall in love with Ella story! it is such a clever way to tell. You can tell she put a lot of time in to it! plus the research. She's a talented writer. I loved the character of Ella she was indeed always putting one needs in front of hers. I really like how she talks about some of the other characters like Belle. Hope you get your copy May 29th!!!