Originally posted on my blog, With Her Head in a Book. 
 Ella Minnow Pea takes place on an island named after Nevin Nollop, the supposed creator of the famous pangram "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." The islanders praises Nollop for his contribution to society, but some more so than others as readers immediately learn about new legislation outlawing certain letters as they fall from a statue. Slips of the tongue including the forbidden letters are first given a public oral reprimanding. Continued use requires choosing between flogging or public humiliation. A third use means banishment - unless you refuse and therefore are put to death. A bit extreme, but at least readers understand instantly the type of government they have. 
 The beginning is a little slow going and mostly about setting the stage. What intrigued me within a few pages is that following the banning of the first letter, Z, all written sources containing it are also forbidden, meaning cereal boxes, post letters, and reading materials are to be removed and burned. As uncommon as the letter Z is, how many pieces of writing do not include it? This leaves very few, if any, books left in their country. Without books, there are no libraries. As Ray Bradbury said, "Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future." Even the law books including how to undo this maddening law are removed. Citizens are left unable to combat the growing power of their Council. This conflict is given a very mediocre but fitting solution that I won't spoil for future readers. 
 The novel is filled with numerous changes to the Nollopian society as they enter a police state. Names must be changes. New words are to be invented to make up for those that were removed. All forms of public communication slowly die. Radios end their broadcasts for fear of their livelihood. Reporters for the newspapers remove certain keys to lessen their chances of illegal word usage. Bees are even outlawed for their insistent use of "buzz" and "bizz!" And like any good totalitarian society, neighbors cannot trust one another. They cannot even trust the safe passage of their private letters to one another without prying eyes invading. 
 "You were right about the fallout from this most absurd law. Not only does it cripple communication between islanders, it builds rock walls between hearts." 
 There are quite a few quotable one liners (mostly about how society is being altered), but the overall story falls flat. The characters report to one another about the on-goings of their towns - what letter is next to be outlawed and who has recently taken the plunge. 
 The characters are also flat. They are who they say they are because the author said so versus the characters showing us. The novel is told through letters between friends and family, so perhaps this isn't the best method for depicting some events but that doesn't excuse the author for neglecting critical elements. Characters are hard to distinguish due to their speech patterns an writing styles in their letters being the exact same and they do not experience any personal developments. 
 "They push us all to the point where we say things, operate in ways that are not at all as we really are." 
 Ella Minnow Pea is essentially a poor combination of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. The author's use of removing letters was interesting enough until about 80% in when true words are swapped for phonetics only. I would like to add that the use of phonetics is the actual reason I picked up the book. It was just weakly executed. 
 If you're looking for a novel with similar social issues as the previously mentioned classics, pick up Ella Minnow Pea. Take note that it is a much lighter read without the same level of depth. But if you're mainly interested in Ella Minnow Pea for the lipogrammatic epistolary writing style (that it's advertised for having), there are other books more worth your time. 
 Plot: 1/5 
 Characters: 1/5 
 Writing Style: 2/5 
 All Around Idea: 3/5 
 Total: 2/5