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The Princess Bride

William Goldman

4.47

William Goldman’s beloved story of Buttercup, Westley, and their fellow adventurers.

This tale of true love, high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts was unforgettably depicted in the 1987 film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Fred Savage, Robin Wright, and others. But, rich in character and satire, the novel boasts even more layers of ingenious storytelling. Set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin, home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”

William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is an exceptional story about quests—for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love—that's thrilling and timeless for readers of all ages.

Adult
Pages
91
First published
1973
Language
English
Edition
Ebook

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Shelved by 9 Litcadians

Reviews

  • Finished September 12, 2013

    5★♥ Some Spoilers "The Princess Bride: S.Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure" is nothing more than a satire. And if you've forgotten that it's a satire, then William Goldman's commentary throughout the story and Morgenstern and the country Florin, etc., etc. His comments, which pauses the story throughout, can be a bit confusing at times. Sometimes I find the comments helpful, other times (especially when he was going on and on about he was finally able yo right the "abridged" tale Buttercup's baby) I found those comments to be worthless. Goldman himself would lose track of what he was discussing at times. And I'm sure that was supposed to be another satire but I didn't care for it. I have seen the movie countless times. It's unclear which came first because (according to Wikipedia) Century Fox paid Goldman for film rights and for him to write the screenplay the same year of the book's release (1973). Goldman mention the movie a lot in the anniversary introductions. I liked that added bit of insight but of course Goldman had to mention Morgenstern and this fictional museum. And I did picture a lot of the actors throughout the story because there was some scenes that was almost verbatim to the movie. But I still loved it. Goldman's satire added more character development than the movie did. I enjoyed that a lot. Getting to delve deeper into who these characters were was fun. Getting to know Inigo more was good. It brought more character I thought, than just a man seeking vengeance for his father. There was also more details about how evil Humperdinck and Count Rugen was. I did find some of the satire to be funny. Like the way he described Buttercup's jealousy when she first became aware of her love for Westley. I thought her tantrum was quite funny. My favorite character is still Inigo Montoya. Since reading the book, I like Westley and Fezzik as well. I really liked Fezzik's life story the most I think. And Inigo's added life story. I think I liked the part of Fezzik and Inigo going through Prince Humperdinck's "Zoo of Death" the most. I couldn't stop reading at that point. Just... wow... The suspense of going through each of the five levels of the Zoo and not knowing what they'll find - even when sometimes Goldman or "Morgenstern" told us what was coming. It was still suspenseful. I really think that should've been added to the movie. It was really good. I'm also glad Goldman added the story Buttercup's Baby even though it ended with a cliffhanger. Not a big one but it still did leave questions. Questions that Goldman even asked in his comments about the story, in which some were thankfully answered but some had added mystery was added. So obviously you can tell that I loved this book (save some of Goldman's comments). Now I want to watch the movie again.

  • Started February 10, 2023 · Finished February 11, 2023

  • Finished April 30, 2022

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