or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
1537 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Ellen Foster
 
 

Ellen Foster (Paperback)

~ (Author) "When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy..." (more)
Key Phrases: new mama, Santa Claus, Aunt Betsy
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (316 customer reviews)

List Price: $11.95
Price: $8.60 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $3.35 (28%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Monday, November 16? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
126 new from $0.24 1400 used from $0.01 11 collectible from $5.70

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition, January 12, 1987 $8.60 -- --
  Hardcover, January 11, 1987 $11.53 $1.99 $0.01
  Paperback, April 30, 1990 $8.60 $0.24 $0.01
  Audio, Cassette, Abridged, Audiobook -- $40.00 $16.50

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with A Virtuous Woman (Oprah's Book Club) by Kaye Gibbons

Ellen Foster + A Virtuous Woman (Oprah's Book Club)
  • This item: Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • A Virtuous Woman (Oprah's Book Club) by Kaye Gibbons

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Sign up to be notified by email when the next Oprah's Book Club® pick is announced and available for pre-order.


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Life All Around Me By Ellen Foster

The Life All Around Me By Ellen Foster

by Kaye Gibbons
2.8 out of 5 stars (32)  $5.19
A Virtuous Woman (Oprah's Book Club)

A Virtuous Woman (Oprah's Book Club)

by Kaye Gibbons
3.5 out of 5 stars (113)  $10.36
A Cure for Dreams

A Cure for Dreams

by Kaye Gibbons
4.1 out of 5 stars (17)  $14.49
Divining Women (P.S.)

Divining Women (P.S.)

by Kaye Gibbons
4.0 out of 5 stars (24)  $11.86
On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon: A Novel (P.S.)

On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon: A Novel (P.S.)

by Kaye Gibbons
3.8 out of 5 stars (61)  $12.55
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Oprah Book Club® Selection, October 1997: Kaye Gibbons is a writer who brings a short story sensibility to her novels. Rather than take advantage of the novel's longer form to paint her visions in broad, sweeping strokes, Gibbons prefers to concentrate on just one corner of the canvas and only a few colors to produce her small masterpieces. In Gibbons's case, her canvas is the American South and her colors are all the shades of gray.

In Ellen Foster, the title character is an 11-year-old orphan who refers to herself as "old Ellen," an appellation that is disturbingly apt. Ellen is an old woman in a child's body; her frail, unhappy mother dies, her abusive father alternately neglects her and makes advances on her, and she is shuttled from one uncaring relative's home to another before she finally takes matters into her own hands and finds herself a place to belong. There is something almost Dickensian about Ellen's tribulations; like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or a host of other literary child heroes, Ellen is at the mercy of predatory adults, with only her own wit and courage--and the occasional kindness of others--to help her through. That she does, in fact, survive her childhood and even rise above it is the book's bittersweet victory.



From Publishers Weekly

The appealing, eponymous, 11-year-old orphan heroine of this Southern-focused debut survives appalling situations until she finds safe harbor in a good foster home. "Some readers will find the recital of Ellen's woes mawkishly sentimental," PW remarked, "but for others it may be a perfect summer read."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; 1st edition (November 5, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375703055
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375703058
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (316 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,610 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #1 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( G ) > Gibbons, Kaye

More About the Author

Kaye Gibbons
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Kaye Gibbons Page

Inside This Book (learn more)


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Ellen Foster
94% buy the item featured on this page:
Ellen Foster 4.0 out of 5 stars (316)
$8.60
The Help
2% buy
The Help 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,118)
$12.00
A Virtuous Woman (Oprah's Book Club)
2% buy
A Virtuous Woman (Oprah's Book Club) 3.5 out of 5 stars (113)
$10.36
Olive Kitteridge: Fiction
1% buy
Olive Kitteridge: Fiction 4.0 out of 5 stars (275)
$8.40

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

316 Reviews
5 star:
 (137)
4 star:
 (107)
3 star:
 (36)
2 star:
 (19)
1 star:
 (17)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (316 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and Gripping..., October 17, 2001
By "bookboarder" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
Ellen Foster is a work of great magnitude. Kaye Gibbons has a real talent for telling this story through the eyes for poor Ellen Foster. Nothing is said very deliberately, however, the message is received. Ellen's life is a sad twist of one tragedy to the next. This is definitely not a light-hearted Southern novel. It is a gritty, tough read, but it is so well done, it is worthwhile.

You will be unable to put this book down, however difficult it may be to read.

This book definitely deserves your attention, and at the discounted price [it] is selling it for, I would highly recommend it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Strength and Determination, June 14, 2000
By S. Bishop "bookworm" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
While reading this book, I saw a very strong, clear thinking, determined and self sufficient child. Her motto of doing it her 'own self' reminded me of my independence as a child.

Yet, when I saw the movie, I didn't see an empowered child. I saw a sad story of an abused and abandoned child. I laughed through the book because you couldn't tell Ellen that she wasn't in control. The girl had a plan. Yet the movie left me so choked up that I almost felt bad that I hadn't realized how alone this child was before.

I am glad I read the book first. I think the author intended to show this from Ellen's perspective and not the department of children and family services.

Oft times, people write off childrens' spirit's and strength and turn them into mindless/feelingless being who need their lives to be decided upon by not so informed adults.

Yes, Ellen Foster was a tragic story. But it was also a story of great courage a thinking mind.

It was this book that made me a Kaye Gibbons fan !

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping, compelling read, June 27, 2003
Eleven-year-old Ellen Foster is an orphan, abused and neglected by her parents and finally abandoned (after her mother's death)to a series of cold or uncaring relatives. With courage, wit, and native intelligence, she finds her own path to salvation.
Sound familiar? - Like lots of other comtemporary books about child abuse? Yes, but there's a difference: the understated, matter-of-fact telling of the story that makes this book so special. In Ellen Foster, Gibbons uses her beautiful language, literary acumen, and attention to detail to craft a clean, small spare portrait, a gift to all readers.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
A couple of years ago, I was channel surfing and found a movie by the same name. I didnt watch much, but I distinctly remember a hot chocolate cup with tiny white marshmellows... Read more
Published 1 month ago by N. M

5.0 out of 5 stars Southern Cooking on Literary Paper
Quite accidentally, I read this novel after completing The Education of Little Tree. Unknown to me, each deals with the first person singular account of a displaced child. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Miami Bob

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellen Foster
Returned this item because it was "cassette's" and not CD's. Seller made that v. easy for me. I have read the book -- it was really good. Read more
Published 2 months ago by F. E. Wise

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book; superbly written
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I was bowled over by the expert way in which Gibbons conveyed, through the naive & simple eloquence of Ellen's authorship, the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by bdbdgmd

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
The book was depressing.....we never know what children live through. This being told through the eyes of a child made it even more sad. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Elizabeth

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books of the Century
There are books that grip your mind; they seize your intellect and they shake it raw with new ideas and inspirations; propellations that do not extinguish. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Yasmin H. McEwen

5.0 out of 5 stars Received in excellent condition
I received this book in brand new condition. It was timely and well worth it!
Published 4 months ago by Laura C. Lisicki

4.0 out of 5 stars Ellen Foster Has an Indomitable and Resilient Spirit
This is a first novel about a spunky and high-spirited girl who marches ahead in life despite
the terrible circumstances which befall her. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bonnie Brody

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Kaye Gibbons classic
Our Book Club read this as one of our selections and we enjoyed it. We has also read Gibbon's On The Occasion of My Last Afternoon. Read more
Published 5 months ago by T. Varshawsky

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Club
Great used book. Good shape, good value. Reading for our monthly book club and it appears to be a great choice.
Published 5 months ago by Sheila P., Martin

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   



So You'd Like to...


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.