Fairest gail carson levine pdf Continue Gail Carson Levin's Fairest Just as Gail Carson Levine award-winning Ella Enchanted tackle the Cinderella story, giving the story depth and meaning while simultaneously treating the reader to one of the best heroines and most realistic novels in all young adult literature, Fairest pretends to retell the Tale of Snow White with multiple twists. Aza was left in infancy at the Featherbed Inn and adopted by the hotel owner and his wife. Although Aza is loved by her family, she is ashamed of her weight and perceived ugliness, especially since the kingdom of Ayorta is one that prizes beauty and song above all other virtues. With many guests, Aza enjoys the solitude and sometimes the company of dwarves, who sometimes stay in the hotel, including those who prophesi that in the future they will meet again underground at a time when Aza will be in serious danger. A change in the routine of Aza's life occurs when a noblewoman, in need of a maid lady, convinces her to take part in the marriage of King Oscaro and his young commoner Wife Ivy. Through a sequence of events, Aza finds herself in a way over her head when she is made a lady in anticipation of the new queen Evie, who wants to use her talent to throw her voice (what Aza calls illusory) in order to make it look as if she herself is a gifted singer. Below is a rather loose retelling of Snow White, with a few good ideas for adapting the tale in the form of Aza's personal story, including a more sympathetic evil queen, a unique interpretation of the magic mirror, gnomes instead of seven dwarfs, and even a funny twist on a poisoned apple (it turns out Aza doesn't like apples all that much). When Aza's loud deception is revealed, she must clear her name, ensure the security of the kingdom and be reunited with her love, Prince Ijori. Fairest is clearly designed to provide commentary on our obsessive society's appearance, but unfortunately this issue is not dealt with particularly well. Levin spends more time on how Aza just wants to be beautiful rather than the pain of offensive comments that are directed at her and the psychological impact of such things on the young mind. There is a difference between self-awareness about her appearance and over-worrying about her appearance (usually described as vanity.) Aza falls into this category, since she constantly looks into the mirrors to check her reflection, worrying about her clothes, and has formed a habit of putting her hand on her face so that people can't see her. Wouldn't it just draw more attention to yourself? (The morale was also somewhat undermined when she spared a hunter ordered to kill her because he considers her so beautiful, thanks to the magic potion she had taken earlier. Beauty really is important. Without him, she would have been dead.) The value that is given in Ayort also creates problems further in history. We should be concerned when Ivi takes over the palace and starts interfering with the way things work, but we have never given a reason to take care of Ayorta's well-being. Apparently she is full of people who ostracized Aza just because she didn't fit into social norms, as she said: As bad as those who looked were those who turned away in embarrassment. Some guests didn't want me to serve their food and some didn't want me to clean their rooms. If that's how the Ayorthians treat ugly children, their kingdom can be invaded by the Huns and burned to the ground for anything I care about. It may be unfair to keep Fairest against Ella Enchanted, but in reality, a comparison is inevitable when you consider the differences between the two heroines. Ella burst out of the page with liveliness, good humor and a highlight for adventure, while Aza is considerably more relaxed and less confident. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but Aza turns out to be one of those girls who just doesn't. Cry. She cries when she's happy. She cries when she's sad. She cries when she is ashamed, either scared or nervous. At a crucial moment in history, when she should be (and when her colleague Ella will definitely be) looking back at a weapon or an escape, she just sits and cries a few more. I'm afraid I got fed up with her long before she happily ever after the rolls around (she cried that too?). Fairest is set in the same universe as Ella Charmed, and as such there are a few amusing references to earlier books. Aza is the younger sister of Areida, who was Ella's best friend after high school, and there are references to Elle, her father Sir Peter and Lucinda The Fairy (who is behind most of the troubles in this book too!). But unlike the previous book, which shed light on several fantasy idioms and poked gentle pleasure at the cliche of the fairytale realm, there are a few clumsy or cumbersome plot devices here that come across as unintentionally funny. For example, Ayorta is a singing kingdom, which means that its people sing their declarations of love for each other, come together for community songs and even (as in the case of Aza) sing when they are in mortal danger. Of course, it's all in keeping with their culture, but when you try to present it in your mind, it just seems silly. In another example, king Oscaro hit the head with an iron ring and somehow loses the ability to speak (I guess he had a concussion, but wouldn't it just be easier to say he had a stroke?), and later Aza bites into the infamous apple, gasps from her mouth and... fell into a coma? What can I say? The book is full of clumsy, strange plot tricks like these (for example, Aza tries to squeeze through a window rather than watch The door, Aza grinning at the man who just tried to kill her, and the kiss/declaration of love that abruptly interrupted the couple just walking apart for no apparent reason) that grating to the imagination and making it hard to truly believe in what was going on. Maybe I'm too harsh. Like all of Levin's books, Fairest said in a bright, fresh, highly readable tone and certainly entertaining while it lasts. Despite her crying baby tendencies, Aza's first-person account of her life is sincere and sympathetic, and the world that Levin has created for her characters is just as colorful and charming as it was in Ella. But I know Levin can do better. I adored Ella charmed, and recommend it to anyone who cares to listen to me, but this subsequent book pales in comparison. Aza is too dim for her own good, and the reason I didn't mention much about her affair with Prince Ijari is simply because there's not all that to say. I laughed and cried along with Ella, but all I wanted to do while reading Fairest was hand Aza cloth and tell her to stop her endless moping. The fairest - (2006) Age 9-12. Available from Audible. Publisher: I was born to sing. Most children cry. I sang an aria. Or so I believe. I don't have anyone tell me the truth about it. I was abandoned when I was a month old, left at the Featherbed Inn in the village of Ayortayan Amonta. It was January 12th of Thunder Songs. Fairy Lucinda once again made a terrible gift. This time it's a mysterious magic mirror. The gift is ruining when it falls into the hands of Aza, who never looks in the mirror if she can help him. In the Kingdom of Ayorta, Aza is certainly not the fairest of all. Many rejected it. A lot of people make fun of her. She's holding on to the gun. But in the country of singers, Aza has her own gift, which she came without a fabulous intervention: a voice that can do almost anything, a voice that captivates everyone who hears it. In Ontio Castle, he is approached by the cheerful Prince Igori, and the conceited queen Evie wants to use it for his own purposes. The queen of Evie will do everything to remain the fairest in the country. In this mesmerizing tale filled with humor, adventure, romance and song, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levin invites you to join Aza when she learns how exquisite she really is. SHARE: FOLLOW: If you plan to buy this book, you can support FanLit by clicking on the cover of the book above and buying it (and everything else) on Amazon. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but Amazon pays us a small referral fee. Click any book cover or link. We use this income to keep the site running. It pays for website hosting, postage for prizes, and bookmarks and T-shirts. Thank you! The fairest authorGail LevineGenreFantasyPublisherHarperCollinsPublication LevineGenreFantasyPublisherHarperCollinsPublication Fa 2006Preced byElla Enchanted Fairest - Gail Carson Levine's 2006 novel. It uses some of the plot elements of the classic Snow White and is set in the same world as Ella Enchanted. The Kingdom of Ayort, the staging of history, is the neighboring kingdom of Kirria, where Ella Enchanted was established and the story makes several allusions to a previous work.