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The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman
elly_young's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the movie so was ecstatic to find it was also a book, the narrative style takes a little getting used to but I loved it from beginning to end!
aotales's review against another edition
3.0
Probably one of the most sarcastic novels I have ever read, still not sure why Goldman goes to all the trouble of writing the first 31 pages or inventing S.Morgenstern, but after watching Butch Cassidy ... this kind of humour makes a bit more sense. For me the constant Morgenstern reference interruptions were annoying. But it is an entertaining read, very whimsical.
thaurisil's review against another edition
3.0
I read this five years ago, when I was 17, and I gave it 5 stars. I just finished reading it for the second time, and I am completely underwhelmed by it.
In this book, Goldman pretends to be abridging a story by S. Morgenstern, a fictional author from the fictional country of Florin. Morgenstern, according to Goldman, wrote an excellent action-fairy tale, but destroyed it by making it satirical, and Goldman's aim is to abridge the story so only the "good parts" are left. What we get is a story of beautiful but brainless Buttercup and multitalented but poor Westley. Westley goes missing out at sea and Buttercup is forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, ruler of Florin. Of course, this being a fairy tale, Buttercup and Westley end up together in the end, but not before we meet Inigo, a Spaniard and master swordsman on a quest to avenge his father, Fezzik, a dumb but strong strong Turkish giant, and Count Rugen, the prince's sidekick with an obsession over torture. Interspersed in the narrative are Goldman's comments in italics, in which he talks about the parts he has cut out and his reactions when his father first read the story to him as a kid.
I can see why I liked this the first time I read it. The main story itself is entertaining, with fast-packed action, plenty of suspense, and the promise that everything will work out well at the end. But the cherry on top is the back story that Goldman creates for it, and his italicised comments that make you feel that you are reading something for adults, especially when he rants about publishing houses in America. Fezzik and Inigo are endearing characters, and I particularly like how Fezzik is a giant who loves rhymes.
This second time round though, I saw the flaws in the book. Buttercup though beautiful is dumb, and the Prince was probably more deserving of her than Westley was. And what is up with Westley? He's perfect, so perfect that he defeats death, whereas I like characters to have some weaknesses. Then there's the back story, which though it adds an extra dimension to the story, is too unbelievable to fulfill the purpose of grounding the story in reality. And although it is fictional, it is essentially Goldman's autobiography, which makes him come off a bit full of himself.
The book is still entertaining, but it's probably most suited to teenagers.
In this book, Goldman pretends to be abridging a story by S. Morgenstern, a fictional author from the fictional country of Florin. Morgenstern, according to Goldman, wrote an excellent action-fairy tale, but destroyed it by making it satirical, and Goldman's aim is to abridge the story so only the "good parts" are left. What we get is a story of beautiful but brainless Buttercup and multitalented but poor Westley. Westley goes missing out at sea and Buttercup is forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, ruler of Florin. Of course, this being a fairy tale, Buttercup and Westley end up together in the end, but not before we meet Inigo, a Spaniard and master swordsman on a quest to avenge his father, Fezzik, a dumb but strong strong Turkish giant, and Count Rugen, the prince's sidekick with an obsession over torture. Interspersed in the narrative are Goldman's comments in italics, in which he talks about the parts he has cut out and his reactions when his father first read the story to him as a kid.
I can see why I liked this the first time I read it. The main story itself is entertaining, with fast-packed action, plenty of suspense, and the promise that everything will work out well at the end. But the cherry on top is the back story that Goldman creates for it, and his italicised comments that make you feel that you are reading something for adults, especially when he rants about publishing houses in America. Fezzik and Inigo are endearing characters, and I particularly like how Fezzik is a giant who loves rhymes.
This second time round though, I saw the flaws in the book. Buttercup though beautiful is dumb, and the Prince was probably more deserving of her than Westley was. And what is up with Westley? He's perfect, so perfect that he defeats death, whereas I like characters to have some weaknesses. Then there's the back story, which though it adds an extra dimension to the story, is too unbelievable to fulfill the purpose of grounding the story in reality. And although it is fictional, it is essentially Goldman's autobiography, which makes him come off a bit full of himself.
The book is still entertaining, but it's probably most suited to teenagers.
kessler21's review against another edition
4.0
The movie is one of my all time favorites and after reading [b:As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride|21412202|As You Wish Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride|Cary Elwes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418103917l/21412202._SY75_.jpg|27029851], I felt it was time to tackle the book.
I am impressed at how closely the book and movie are and the majority of my favorite lines in the movie are also found in the book. It gives so much credit to Goldman as a superb author.
The narrator of the book caught me off guard and it took a while to become comfortable with him. After finishing the book, it does make the book better. The abridged version of The Princess Bride. ;)
I am impressed at how closely the book and movie are and the majority of my favorite lines in the movie are also found in the book. It gives so much credit to Goldman as a superb author.
The narrator of the book caught me off guard and it took a while to become comfortable with him. After finishing the book, it does make the book better. The abridged version of The Princess Bride. ;)
saige's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
5.0
tarsharks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I always loved the movie so I finally decided to read the book. I loved it but could have done without Goldman's interruptions
hathly's review against another edition
5.0
As You Wish
I'm pretty sure everyone fell as hard as I did the first moment Wesley said those three little words.
I can't believe it took me this long to grab a copy an read this book. I think I committed a book worm crime for not reading this until now.
And no I haven't seen the movie.
I'm actually speechless, can't say anything than I loved it so much!
I'm pretty sure everyone fell as hard as I did the first moment Wesley said those three little words.
I can't believe it took me this long to grab a copy an read this book. I think I committed a book worm crime for not reading this until now.
And no I haven't seen the movie.
I'm actually speechless, can't say anything than I loved it so much!
viviette's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I read this in 2 days. Love the book, love the movie just the same—except maybe even better. Just some parts of the novel were annoying like the entire Buttercups Baby part which made me groan. My favorite parts are when Buttercup and Westley bicker and honestly I feel there’s more in the movie for them while the book is about Fezzek and Montoya… Either way, a masterpiece!
jujudepamplemousse's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely entertaining! I had already seem the movie but it was my first time reading the book. It is both very classic and quite unique. That being said I didn’t really liked the introduction to the story that was quite long. I preferred the narrative style of the movie. Also The Princess Bride is the perfect image of everyday sexism. If one pay attention, one realizes that the only female representation in the story is Buttercup. Her beauty attracts every men but she is a bit dumb and can’t do much by herself. All other characters are male and are strong and powerful in one or several ways. This is the reason why while this book is a classic I would not recommend it for younger people.