Retro Review - Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

 Just Ella

TITLE: Just Ella

AUTHOR/EDITOR: Margaret Peterson Haddix
INFO: Hardback, Fiction, 185 pages
PUBLISHED: Simon & Schuster, 1999
ISBN#: 978-0-689-821868-7
HOW'D I GET IT: Purchased it

FROM THE COVER/PUBLISHER:  Like every commoner in the land, Ella dreams of going to the ball and marrying Prince Charming.  But after she is chosen to marry the prince, life with the royal family is not the "happily ever after" that Ella imagined.  Pitiless and cold, the royals try to mold her into their version of a princess.  Ella's life becomes a meaningless schedule of protocol, which she fears she will never grasp.  And Prince Charming's beautiful face hides a vacant soul.

Even as her life turns to misery, the stories persist that Ella's fairy godmother sent her to the ball:  How else could the poor girl wear a beautiful gown, arrive in a coach, and dance in those glass slippers?  But there is no fairy godmother to help Ella escape the deadening life of the castle.  Can she do it on her own?

Margaret Peterson Haddix's reconstruction of the Cinderella legend without the magic - how a commoner could have married the prince - is a story as richly fascinating as the classic tale.

MY TAKE:  I have always enjoyed the Cinderella tales - never wanted to be her, but liked the story.  This is an interesting take on the classic as Ella isn't the normal simpering princess type.  This Ella was a strong female who wasn't afraid of hard work and wasn't afraid to make use of her brain.

There were several interesting characters introduced such as Mary, a young servant (reminds me of the mice in the original) and her instructor's son, Jed.  I don't want to give the storyline away, but this version of happily-ever-after is much more satisfying to me because Ella gets her head straight and stands up for herself.  It's a good, quick read with a much better message for young girls - you don't have to wait for a Prince to save you - do it yourself!

MY RATING: 3/5

WHERE TO BUY IT:   Just Ella

 

Retro Review - The MacGregor Grooms by Nora Roberts

In my new feature "Retro Review", I will be putting up posts on some books that are at least 10 years old.  I was on a site a few days ago where the blogger asked if people only wanted "new release" reviews or still enjoyed hearing about older books or those from an author's backlist.  Many, like me, were of the opinion that we needed to have a mixture of both.  

I like to be introduced to books that I didn't find on their first time around.  Because I pick up a lot of books from thrift stores (see last week's post :), yard sales, and swaps, many of my books are older releases.  I found two new-to-me series (and one for the hubby) on that last thrift store binge, even though one of them is over 15 years old.  Of course, I'm still on the hunt for new releases all of the time too. 

So, without further blah, blah, blahing ~ I give you my first Retro Review:

The MacGregor Grooms 

TITLE: The MacGregor Grooms

AUTHOR/EDITOR: Nora Roberts
INFO: Paperback, Fiction, 329 pages
PUBLISHED: Silhouette Books, 1998
ISBN#: 978-0-373-28569-3
HOW'D I GET IT: Swapped it

FROM THE COVER/PUBLISHER:  The Matchmaking MacGregor.  It worked with his granddaughters.  Now Daniel MacGregor, powerful patriarch of the MacGregor clan, wants to see his three handsome, eligible-but stubbornly single-grandsons married.  So he's found just the women to tempt, tease, and torture D.C., Duncan and Ian all the way to the altar. 

And you can bet Daniel will be sitting by with his feet up, a glass of whiskey in hand, smugly watching his plans unfold.... 

MY TAKE:  I have always loved Nora Roberts' books.  The fact that it's about a bunch of mule headed Scotsmen and a much beloved old man who's manipulating all of them makes it even better.  The book was broke into three shorter stories about each of the three grandsons.  They were quite the quick read with the romances, pitfalls, and happy endings getting wrapped up in a hurry.  My favorite was the last story - about Ian and Naomi.  I would have liked that one to be much longer.  All in all, an enjoyable read. 

MY RATING: 3/5

WHERE TO BUY IT:   The MacGregor Grooms on Amazon.com

Happy Reading!