Scan barcode
A review by brooke_review
Ella by Diane Richards
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you were to learn of Ella Fitzgerald’s upbringing without being told that she would grow up to be one of the greatest singers of all time, you would not believe it. Diane Richards brings Ella’s incredible origin story vibrantly to life in her debut novel, Ella.
Richly reimagining the teenage years of Ella Fitzgerald after she loses her mother in an accident at the age of 15, Ella brings light to the struggles that the future star faced as she attempted to support and mother both herself and her young sister amidst the hustle and bustle of the Harlem heyday. When Ella turns to unsavory means to bring in money - numbers running and looking out at a brothel - she finds herself on the wrong side of the law, landing herself in a training school for girls, where she faces horrors far worse than any she met on the streets. The novel concludes with Ella returning to Harlem, where she finds success - and her place - upon the stage.
Richards’ Ella is a story of both tragedy and triumph. The obstacles Ella faced in her young life were vast, and to many, would be insurmountable. But Ella wanted more for herself than what she was handed, and found a way to rise above time and time again. This absorbing coming-of-age novel is fascinating in its portrayal of a teenaged Ella. It paints such a stark portrait of Ella’s life pre-stardom to the one we would come to know, that it is utterly unbelievable that she ended up living a rags to riches story.
Who would have thought she would end up one of the greatest jazz singers of all time? Why, she did, and that’s why Richards’ novel is so inspiring. It shows how, when the entire world gave up on her, Ella never gave up on herself.
Richly reimagining the teenage years of Ella Fitzgerald after she loses her mother in an accident at the age of 15, Ella brings light to the struggles that the future star faced as she attempted to support and mother both herself and her young sister amidst the hustle and bustle of the Harlem heyday. When Ella turns to unsavory means to bring in money - numbers running and looking out at a brothel - she finds herself on the wrong side of the law, landing herself in a training school for girls, where she faces horrors far worse than any she met on the streets. The novel concludes with Ella returning to Harlem, where she finds success - and her place - upon the stage.
Richards’ Ella is a story of both tragedy and triumph. The obstacles Ella faced in her young life were vast, and to many, would be insurmountable. But Ella wanted more for herself than what she was handed, and found a way to rise above time and time again. This absorbing coming-of-age novel is fascinating in its portrayal of a teenaged Ella. It paints such a stark portrait of Ella’s life pre-stardom to the one we would come to know, that it is utterly unbelievable that she ended up living a rags to riches story.
Who would have thought she would end up one of the greatest jazz singers of all time? Why, she did, and that’s why Richards’ novel is so inspiring. It shows how, when the entire world gave up on her, Ella never gave up on herself.