A Sweet Cinderella Retelling | Review: Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella by Sarah Price

Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella

by Sarah Price

About The Book

 “Be kind and have faith.” Ella Troyer strives to abide by her mother’s final words, although life in the small Amish town of Echo Creek isn’t always easy. Her new stepmother, Linda, treats her coldly, and her two stepsisters, Drusilla and Anna, delight in gossip and laziness. After her father’s death, Ella’s stepsisters are free to attend youth singings while Ella stays at home to manage the household chores, rarely seeing another soul. Until one day, while running an errand, she has a chance meeting with a young Amish man from a nearby town.

 
Drusilla and Anna are full of admiration for charming, affluent newcomer Johannes Wagler, and Linda hopes to ensnare him as a husband for one of her girls—while keeping Ella out of the way. As for Hannes, he longs to catch another glimpse of the mysterious young woman who can sing so sweetly and bake the most delicious pie he’s ever sampled. Now, with a little help from some unlikely sources, Ella dares to hope she might find her heart’s dearest wishes—for love, family, and a home of her own—coming true at last . . .

My Thoughts

If I were to use only one word to describe this book, it would be sweet. While I’m still pretty new to the Amish fiction genre, I love fairytale retellings, so when I heard about this book, it really jumped out at me. This novel did not disappoint me. I was impressed with how the author used Amish customs in place of certain instances in the original fairytale in ways I would have never thought of. Price was able to take those traditions and work them into her novel in ways that clearly followed the original storyline while giving a fresh take on a beloved story. The book was full of characters with both good and bad traits that fit in seamlessly with the Cinderella story. Readers will love Ella and Hannes and root for them as they read the story.

Overall, Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella is a sweet retelling of a beloved classic. Fans of Amish fiction will love the book and readers that love fairytale retellings will also want to give this one a try.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zebra Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.