I am currently writing this review, having stayed up all night with the beginnings of a cold, and being sick from something I ate yesterday.Unfortunately, I live on my own and both my male grandparents are no longer with us, so I didn't get to sit up in bed and listen to S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure – the 'good parts' version – being narrated by my grandfather, like the kid in the movie. Also, my dad is generally too busy, so that cuts William Goldman's own account out of the picture.No, my friends. I had to read this all by myself, whilst sat in bed nursing a nasty case of the rumbly tumbly and the drippy nose. But what the hey, I bet that's how most of us read it. Unless, of course, we happen to be of Florinese or Guilder lineage?Okay, enough about the movie, more about the book. This book is so damn happy. It clearly loves the fairytale tropes it pokes fun at, and there's never any sour feeling to the satire. As Mel Brooks once said, you've got to love the genre you're parodying. The Princess Bride has its tongue firmly placed in its cheek, and the humour it employs is absolutely delicious. I know the story basically inside out, because my brother used to make me watch the movie all the time when we were growing up. (We shared a room with bunk-beds for five years. Ain't that cute.) Of course, I do really like the movie, and reading the book is a nice little compliment. It follows the film pretty much exactly. Honestly, it's the most faithful book to movie adaptation you will ever see. ...Well, excepting Goldman's occasional commentary on the story, which was turned into the grandfather reading to his grandson in the movie.Goldman's commentary is hilarious. He satirises university professors who read way too much into what is a pretty simple story, how so many classics have a ridiculous amount of unnecessary information crammed into their pages (like the wardrobes and hat collections of the queen and the countess, if I remember correctly)... you get the idea. And it's true – we do skim to the 'best parts' of fairy tales, and perhaps sanitise them a little bit for the young audience. I have a pretty vivid memory of my mum reading me The Little Mermaid, and hastily adding 'and they lived happily ever after', which seemed a little suspect. I looked in the book some time later, and indeed, we had the edition in which the poor little mermaid dies by turning into sea foam.Speaking of this, though, both ways work wonderfully as a storytelling device. William Goldman's writing is a cross between a traditional fairy tale and a work of comedic genius. In fact, it mostly reminds me of the Discworld books, except with perhaps a little bit more knowing winks at the reader every now and again. That's a pretty good thing to be, in my book.The dialogue is also hilarious. I mean, come on. You have a master swordsman whose response to seeing his father murdered by a nobleman is to train around the continent for ten years and rehearse the famous line: 'My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.' And then when he does catch up to his father's murderer, the Count runs away squealing like a coward. In my head, the look on Inigo's face at that moment is absolutely priceless.Also, for a traditional fairy tale, it ends in a pretty silly way, but it fits the story absolutely perfectly. I also love how it's open to interpretation, enflaming the imaginations of children everywhere. Didn't anyone else ever imagine alternate endings to their favourite fairy tales? Clearly, seeing as there have been so many DAAARK fairy tale retellings in the cinemas recently. (Keep your greasy mitts off this one, though, Hollywood.)I adored this book and I'm really glad I read it after tracking down a copy on back-order. My cover is a little bit dorky – a sentiment felt by me and the lady at the book shop, but what the hey. I'm going to give this a 5/5. It's short, sweet, and an absolutely wonderful read.(Also, as I learned when I finished this book, William Goldman wrote Marathon Man, which has 'made him famous in dentists' offices all around the globe.' Pfft.)(This review is also available on my blog: http://book-wyrm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/...)
Choppy, but I suspect it was meant as such, considering it was written as mostly a screenplay and edited by a writer (If you can call him that) who had no concern whatsoever in preserving the sanctity of the original author's intent. A cut here, a slash there, S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale is ripped to pieces under William Goldman's butchering knife. He justifies it by the fact that he leaves a few chapters untouched, yet can't help but interject his unwanted thoughts upon his poor unsuspecting readers. Okay, perhaps I was a bit rough on Goldman, but it was choppy. And Morgenstern's brilliance makes him a hero. Which is easy to do when one doesn't exist. And maybe it was just because I didn't like Goldman much. The way he described his wife and his fat child, got under my skin. He seemed a bit self-absorbed to me, and the fact that he resolved the issue later on with his child really made no difference to me. That being said, the actual story was engaging and rather sort of brilliant, but I still found it a little too abrupt for real enjoyment. Every time I started to get into the story, I was interrupted. It wasn't as silly as the movie I had seen years ago, and even though it was pretty much the same story, reading it, it didn't seem as silly. I loved the politeness of the dialogue, the satire between characters, and unlike Goldman, the continual explanations of historical events in parenthesis throughout the story. (Knowing it was written way before parenthesis actually existed.) I was tickled by faulty logic and the made-up terrible beasts, R.O.U.S.'s. The characters were engaging and fun if not idiotic, and the book seemed to diminish Buttercup's intelligence to less than nothing. I love lighthearted stories but there was no depth to anything and so it was hard to get into any aspect of the story. For example how could I believe that their kiss was even better than the top five kisses ever to have been, if I can't even understand their love for each other? They spent time together for years, but what was it that drew them together? Shared interests? Invigorating conversation? Hardly possible (or perhaps inconceivable) if all he ever said was "As you wish." It made me feel as if their attraction was based solely on looks and I had a hard time buying into that kind of love. And then there was one of their first conversations where she made a comment and he said something like "Well, be both know you're not that bright." And she agreed! (I love you til the ends of the earth and I'm glad you know there won't be any stimulating conversation between us because I'm dumber than a box of rocks.) It's not that I don't appreciate silly, there are some stories that go beyond silly that I'm enraptured with. (The best example off the top of my head I can think of it the movie Crybaby with Johnny Depp) I just had a longing for more information from this book. When I finished reading it, I felt a strong desire to read the original book, to see if Goldman was lying about the tedious and unneeded chapters. Which is when I realized it didn't exist, and that's when the realization of Goldman's brilliance set in. It really was a rather clever ruse masquerading as a literary device. Overall, it was a fun read for me. Nothing really stood out as exceptional except maybe the style of writing, the politeness in combat, the Aha! moments, none of which had anything to do with Goldman's writing. It was all Morgenstern's. A recent rewatch of the movie that I had pretty much forgotten most of, considering I hadn't seen it for over ten years, yielded nothing extraordinary for me, except an extra added greatness of Fezznik's character, and once again, a silliness that was even more evident in the movie than the book. I understand the leaning toward cultdom for this story, and I recognize the originality that makes it great, but it just isn't my cup of proverbial tea. ClassicsDefined.com
What do You think about The Princess Bride (2003)?
It's amazing that I've never found time to read this book before. I have seen the movie, but it was years ago and I only really remember the one thing that everyone remembers:The real strength of this book is that is just ticks every box imaginable. It's a fairy tale, full of action, romance and revenge, and it has that timeless quality that the best fairy tales seem to carry. It was published in the 1970s but it feels like it should be a thousand years old, passed down from generation to generation. It's non-stop adventure, comedy gold and full of some of the most memorable characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading about.Goldman's writing style for this novel works so surprisingly well. For one, it's such an unusual idea to write a retelling of a story by a fictional author - Goldman claims his father read him the S. Morgenstern classic as a child and then proceeds to tell us the "abridged" version with all the good parts. It's strange how well his constant sidenotes actually add to the story, rather than take us out of it. I think maybe it's the little kids inside most readers who remember the magic of being read a story as a child. Because while this is a fantasy story with magic and princesses, it's also a bittersweet tale about how a father introduced his son to the world of stories.And I found it hilarious. I want you to know how rare it is for me to find a book that successfully combines silly humour with dramatic action and adventure. I've struggled with authors like Terry Pratchett because I felt the humour took away any serious investment I may have had in the story. But this book quietly mocks itself on every page and it works so well. At first I wondered if I would be rolling my eyes at the whole notion of Buttercup as "the most beautiful woman in the world", but Goldman rolls his eyes for us with the comic portrayal of obsession with beauty and true love. The characters here are so rich and vivid that it's hard to imagine that they don't exist somewhere in an alternate fantasy world. Everyone remembers and loves Inigo Montoya and the pretty-faced Westley, but I was surprised by Buttercup. My memory of the movie seems to have done her a disservice because I remembered her as a typical, beautiful princess. But no, Buttercup is fierce and brave. She might be silly and naive at the start but she grows and develops with age. She doesn't sit back and let things happen to her, which I like.Honestly, this was a delight to read. I can't believe I waited so long.Blog | Leafmarks | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
—Emily May
What a charming read. This is one of the few books where I saw the movie first then read the book. I think William Goldman's book was largely "unknown" until the movie came out.Like Shawshank Redepmtion and Stand by Me (Based on the novella The Body) this is one of the most accurate book to screen apdaptations. It is almost verbatium from the book and the few variations (Zoo of Death rather than Pit of Despair) have no real impact on the story.Being as I edit fantasy (visa-vie my husband's books) I do often look for and find "plot holes" and there is a big one in this story. When Inago hears the torment cry of Westley he assumes it this the man in black because he was enganged to Buttercup but of course he had no reason to suspect anything between the two of them them. Even so I see this as just a kind of "cool thing I saw" it did not diminish the book for me in anyway.Now for the big difference between the book and the movie. The book is littered with "asides" from William Goldman where he discusses parts in the original Simon Morgenstern version that he omitted to "keep only the good parts". He presents his book as an "abridgement" of Morgenstern's original and both praises and condems Morgensterns original work. He goes on to give tidbits such as a "reunion scene" that he wrote but could not include because his editor felt it was wrong for someone abridging someones elses work to add anything.If you have any of the "aniversary editions" (I read the 30th) there are other bonus materials such as recounts of the numerous law suits between the Morgenstern Estate and Goldman and a dispute where they were trying to get Stephen King to write the Sequel "Buttercup's Baby" instead of Goldman. Goldman even gives us glimpses into his personal life talking about both his failed marriage and his son (and how much he had to go thorugh to get him a copy of Morgenstern's Princess Bride for his 10th bithday).I'm sorry to say that I fell for Goldman's farce hook, line and sinker. It was only after I tried to find Morgenstern's original work that I discovered that everything in The Princess Bride is fiction including all the asides. That made me appreciate the work even more. The lengths to which Goldman went - (even inventing a familiy and various other characters, editors, lawyers, agents, etc was great. I particularly liked that he told people to write into the publisher to receive a copy of the "missing reunion scene" only to take the farce further by sending them letters that he could not comply due to pending litigation!The one and only disappointment in this "farce in the bonus material" is the horror which is "Buttercup's Baby". This is presented as yet another abridgement of Morgenstern;'s work but only the first chapter as the estate debates whether he or King will "get the job". BTW I'm sure King is "in" on this whole farse and loves it as Goldman and King have worked on several projects together such as Misery. The story is terrible and certainly comes no where near the brillance of The Princess Bride. I can see why Goldman never wrote the sequel and to be honest I hope he never does. The Princess Bride was so sublime and perfect we should be left with this and nothing more.
—Robin
Buddy read with Annette, Athena, Cathryn, and Michael. Initial thoughts: What a glorious book!!! I loved every second of it!! The intros were fun, the story amazing, the excerpt at the end fantastic, and a taste of the sequel even better!!! I will attempt a short review some time in the near future. Just know I loved it, and this is definitely a must read!!!!Actual rating: 4.5 stars. No spoilers!!Review: What to say about this book...?! Wow!!! What a story!!! So many giggles, smiles, tears, angst, anger, pain, and swelling of my heart!! An epic love story for sure!! Yes!!! But it's not just that. They encounter a lot of bumps along the way, but ultimately the heart of this book is a love story!! Ahhhh...Westley!!!! He never gives up on Buttercup, despite how horrendous she is to him!! There's absolutely zero point in me rehashing this story for you. Whether you like the movie or not, we are all aware of what The Princess Bride is about. What I would like to comment on is all the backstory I learned while reading this. I picked up the 30th anniversary edition. There were like a million introductions. This set up how Goldman came to be a part of abridging Morgenstern's story. I had no idea about any of this. At the end of the book, he provides more behind the scenes type of stuff about the sequel (I had noooo idea this even existed!!!) to The Princess Bride. He then gives us his abridged version of the first chapter of Buttercup's Baby. I would really loooove to see the full length edition come out so we he can get more of the story!!!The book was glorious!!! I hated the ending though!!! It's been years since I saw the movie, but I don't remember despising the ending the way I despised the book's ending. I was also pretty impressed with how close to the book the movie stayed. A definite must read!!!
—Shandra
