Ella (novel)

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Ella
ISBN
9780747259206
Followed byDead Cold 

Ella, or Ella: A Psychic Thriller, is a science fiction novel by Israeli illusionist and self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller, first published in 1998.[4] The novel tells the story of Ella Wallis, an abused 14-year-old girl living in Bristol, England, who develops telekinesis, levitation, and other psychic powers and achieves fame while at the midst of a power struggle between adults who want to control her.[4]

Background

The book's themes marked a change for Geller, moving his focus away from illusions such as

Heise Online that he gave powers to Ella that he did have, but always wanted, and noted that a lot of the plot within the book that covered poor public relations stunts and bad press was inspired by the reactions he himself had received over the years, as was the criticism made by the book of skepticism.[1] He expressed his hope to The Times that Ella would be made into a movie, but as yet this has not been the case.[7] The Guardian suggested parallels between Ella's and Geller's lives, with the darkness in Geller's life being reflected in much of the plot of the book.[2]

Plot

The story concerns a fourteen-year-old girl named Ella Wallis, who lives in

psychic healing. She gets ever thinner, from the ongoing impact of her eating disorder, and eventually appears to die live on television, with her final act being to heal the sickness of everyone in the world, with something known as the "Ella Effect".[8] The book hints that she was actually transformed into an angel.[2]

Reception

Publishers Weekly described the book as an "acerbic portrait of the sensationalist media, [which] adds a new twist to this predictable but engaging tale".[11] In a highly critical review, The Jerusalem Post said that "There is not a single redeeming feature in any one of the ugly, unpleasant, and indeed revolting characters in this book", and that "as a thriller writer, Geller is a flop."[12] 10 years later, in 2008, Geller was still upset by the Post's review, and blamed it on the "intelligentsia" not accepting him.[13]

References

  1. ^
    Heise Online
    . Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Would You Believe It?". The Guardian. 28 February 1998. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  3. .
  4. ^ . Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  5. Academic OneFile
    . p. 4. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  6. ^ Barber, Lynn (9 December 2001). "The Magic Touch". The Observer. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  7. ^ Ferguson, Donna (18 January 2015). "Fame and Fortune: Big money messes with your mind". The Times. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Uri's first book is memorable read". The Telegraph. 3 April 1998.
  9. ^ Lacy, Martin (8 March 1998). "Ella: Book review". The Evening Press.
  10. ^ Saunders, Bill (29 March 1998). "Book Scene". Daily Express.
  11. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Ella by Uri Geller". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  12. ^ Eisenberg, Dennis (10 September 1998). "From Metal-Bending to a Thriller". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2017-04-02. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  13. ^ Golan, Ori (13 July 2008). "Uri Geller: A Mind field". The Story so Far. Retrieved 9 February 2018.

External links