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The Princess Bride
What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it's about everything.
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it's about everything.
429 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1973
About the author
William Goldman
70 books2,488 followersGoldman grew up in a Jewish family in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and obtained a BA degree at Oberlin College in 1952 and an MA degree at Columbia University in 1956.His brother was the late James Goldman, author and playwright.
William Goldman had published five novels and had three plays produced on Broadway before he began to write screenplays. Several of his novels he later used as the foundation for his screenplays.
In the 1980s he wrote a series of memoirs looking at his professional life on Broadway and in Hollywood (in one of these he famously remarked that "Nobody knows anything"). He then returned to writing novels. He then adapted his novel The Princess Bride to the screen, which marked his re-entry into screenwriting.
Goldman won two Academy Awards: an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for All the President's Men. He also won two Edgar Awards, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay: for Harper in 1967, and for Magic (adapted from his own 1976 novel) in 1979.
Goldman died in New York City on November 16, 2018, due to complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. He was eighty-seven years old.
William Goldman had published five novels and had three plays produced on Broadway before he began to write screenplays. Several of his novels he later used as the foundation for his screenplays.
In the 1980s he wrote a series of memoirs looking at his professional life on Broadway and in Hollywood (in one of these he famously remarked that "Nobody knows anything"). He then returned to writing novels. He then adapted his novel The Princess Bride to the screen, which marked his re-entry into screenwriting.
Goldman won two Academy Awards: an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for All the President's Men. He also won two Edgar Awards, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay: for Harper in 1967, and for Magic (adapted from his own 1976 novel) in 1979.
Goldman died in New York City on November 16, 2018, due to complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. He was eighty-seven years old.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 26,248 reviews
February 26, 2009
If you haven't read this book, then all I can tell you is to go out, get it, and read it. Now. Don't bother with the rest of this review, you'll thank me later. It has:
Fencing.
Fighting.
Torture.
Poison.
True Love.
Hate.
Revenge.
Giants.
Hunters.
Good men.
Bad men.
Beautifulest ladies.
Snakes.
Spiders.
Beasts of all natures and descriptions.
Pain.
Death.
Brave men.
Coward men.
Strongest men.
Chases.
Escapes.
Lies.
Truths.
Passion.
Miracles.
For a start.
It's one of the greatest love/action/revenge stories ever abridged by a modern author. Well, it seems that Mr. Goldman felt that the original story, as written by the immortal S. Morganstern, was a little too dry for public consumption, as well as damaging to treasured childhood memories, so he went through it and put together this "good parts" version, and the world is a better place for it. [1:]
Of course, the big gag is that there never was an original version of the book. There never was an S. Morganstern, the greatest of the Florinese writers. Goldman's father may have read books to him as a child, but he never read this book to him. The entire thing is a fiction, beginning to end, but Goldman sells it really well. He tells the tale of how he blossomed as a boy - going from being a sports-obsessed disappointment to a ravenous bookworm, all thanks to this book. He talks about trying to give the same gift to his son, who manages to make it through one chapter before giving up in exhaustion. He talks about the great shock of discovering that his father had done something utterly brilliant - he had skipped the dull bits and left the exciting parts intact.
Knowing that all of this is false certainly doesn't detract from the story. It's a story about a story, and the effect that a story can have on a young mind. Or any mind, for that matter. It's about how stories can teach us lessons that only later we understand - such as how life is not fair - and how stories can change us in ways that we never expected. It's about our relationship with fiction, and with the world around us. In his fictional childhood, Goldman learned more about the world from the process of watching the story unfold than he did from the story itself. And so this book is a story about stories. The actual story is just bonus.
Which brings me, of course, to the film. Let me say that this is one of the very, very few instances where I will put the movie up on par with the book. 99.9999 repeating percent of the time, the book is better than the movie. This is one instance where they are equal in nearly every measure. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the fact that Goldman wrote the screenplay for the film, so not only is the story intact, but a great deal of the dialogue is almost verbatim from the book. It was gold in print and gold on the screen. The hardest part about reading the book is trying not to hear Andre the Giant, Christopher Guest, Robin Wright and all the other fine actors and actresses in your head as you read.
So, whether you read the book or see the movie, you're in for a treat. And as you read, just remember the books that molded you into who you are today. Think about the stories that taught you life's lessons before life got around to doing it. Think about them and appreciate them, and remember that every book is a lesson, one way or another....
[1:] This is a fun type of meta-fiction, writers writing autobiographically about writing about books that never existed. I find it interesting that The Princess Bride can sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder with House of Leaves.
Fencing.
Fighting.
Torture.
Poison.
True Love.
Hate.
Revenge.
Giants.
Hunters.
Good men.
Bad men.
Beautifulest ladies.
Snakes.
Spiders.
Beasts of all natures and descriptions.
Pain.
Death.
Brave men.
Coward men.
Strongest men.
Chases.
Escapes.
Lies.
Truths.
Passion.
Miracles.
For a start.
It's one of the greatest love/action/revenge stories ever abridged by a modern author. Well, it seems that Mr. Goldman felt that the original story, as written by the immortal S. Morganstern, was a little too dry for public consumption, as well as damaging to treasured childhood memories, so he went through it and put together this "good parts" version, and the world is a better place for it. [1:]
Of course, the big gag is that there never was an original version of the book. There never was an S. Morganstern, the greatest of the Florinese writers. Goldman's father may have read books to him as a child, but he never read this book to him. The entire thing is a fiction, beginning to end, but Goldman sells it really well. He tells the tale of how he blossomed as a boy - going from being a sports-obsessed disappointment to a ravenous bookworm, all thanks to this book. He talks about trying to give the same gift to his son, who manages to make it through one chapter before giving up in exhaustion. He talks about the great shock of discovering that his father had done something utterly brilliant - he had skipped the dull bits and left the exciting parts intact.
Knowing that all of this is false certainly doesn't detract from the story. It's a story about a story, and the effect that a story can have on a young mind. Or any mind, for that matter. It's about how stories can teach us lessons that only later we understand - such as how life is not fair - and how stories can change us in ways that we never expected. It's about our relationship with fiction, and with the world around us. In his fictional childhood, Goldman learned more about the world from the process of watching the story unfold than he did from the story itself. And so this book is a story about stories. The actual story is just bonus.
Which brings me, of course, to the film. Let me say that this is one of the very, very few instances where I will put the movie up on par with the book. 99.9999 repeating percent of the time, the book is better than the movie. This is one instance where they are equal in nearly every measure. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the fact that Goldman wrote the screenplay for the film, so not only is the story intact, but a great deal of the dialogue is almost verbatim from the book. It was gold in print and gold on the screen. The hardest part about reading the book is trying not to hear Andre the Giant, Christopher Guest, Robin Wright and all the other fine actors and actresses in your head as you read.
So, whether you read the book or see the movie, you're in for a treat. And as you read, just remember the books that molded you into who you are today. Think about the stories that taught you life's lessons before life got around to doing it. Think about them and appreciate them, and remember that every book is a lesson, one way or another....
[1:] This is a fun type of meta-fiction, writers writing autobiographically about writing about books that never existed. I find it interesting that The Princess Bride can sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder with House of Leaves.
May 20, 2014
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
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.
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October 19, 2023
This book has, as you may know:
Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
And if you like any of those things, or all of those things, or several of them or none of them, or if you find any of them exciting, or compelling, or curiosity-inducing at all, then you simply have to read it.
This is one of those extraordinarily rare cases when the film adaptation sometimes prompts people to say the uncommon phrase “The movie is better than the book.” Those people are wrong, but less wrong than those who usually say it.
The movie is funny, and exciting, and brilliantly casted, and truer to the book than anyone has any real right to expect (thank you, William Goldman, for adapting your own work).
But here’s a by no means exhaustive list of what it’s missing:
- the full extent of the author’s wit
- character backstories so rich you’ll feel their trials and tribulations intensely
- a fictional history so convincing that I spent most of my childhood (and some of my adolescence) believing that Europe included long-warring countries called Florin and Guilder
- masterful themes on the meaning of storytelling and truth in literature
- the chance to be awestruck by a book over and over and over again
So yes, you should watch the movie. Sure. It’s great.
But more than that, you should read the book.
(I’ll even say it’s okay if you’ve seen the movie already. Your fun won’t be spoiled in the slightest.)
Bottom line: I truly and sincerely pity anyone who has not read and has no intention of reading The Princess Bride.
It’s the best thing in the world, after cough drops.
-----------
this book is a dweam...wiffin a dweam......
(weview to come)
-----------
me, rereading this book? inconceivable
Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
And if you like any of those things, or all of those things, or several of them or none of them, or if you find any of them exciting, or compelling, or curiosity-inducing at all, then you simply have to read it.
This is one of those extraordinarily rare cases when the film adaptation sometimes prompts people to say the uncommon phrase “The movie is better than the book.” Those people are wrong, but less wrong than those who usually say it.
The movie is funny, and exciting, and brilliantly casted, and truer to the book than anyone has any real right to expect (thank you, William Goldman, for adapting your own work).
But here’s a by no means exhaustive list of what it’s missing:
- the full extent of the author’s wit
- character backstories so rich you’ll feel their trials and tribulations intensely
- a fictional history so convincing that I spent most of my childhood (and some of my adolescence) believing that Europe included long-warring countries called Florin and Guilder
- masterful themes on the meaning of storytelling and truth in literature
- the chance to be awestruck by a book over and over and over again
So yes, you should watch the movie. Sure. It’s great.
But more than that, you should read the book.
(I’ll even say it’s okay if you’ve seen the movie already. Your fun won’t be spoiled in the slightest.)
Bottom line: I truly and sincerely pity anyone who has not read and has no intention of reading The Princess Bride.
It’s the best thing in the world, after cough drops.
-----------
this book is a dweam...wiffin a dweam......
(weview to come)
-----------
me, rereading this book? inconceivable
November 16, 2021
Hey, I have a booktube channel (youtube for book reviews) and I do video reviews for books like this one, epic fantasy, science fiction, media related to them, and more. Please subscribe here!
First of all, anyone who's rated this less than 5 stars is just wrong, very wrong. I know this because I was recently instated "Master of all Opinions" where mine is the most rightest. :)
The Structure
I guess the real place to start with this book is with its structure. You may have noticed that the actual title is - The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure: The "Good Parts" Version Abridged by William Goldman.
Whew. That's a mouthful.
But that's also the genius of this book. You see, S. Morgenstern's "Classic" doesn't actually exist, only this abridged, "Good Parts" version, created wholly by William Goldman. This may not be the first time I expound upon the genius of this narrative.
The Princess Bride begins much like the movie. William Goldman gets sick and his father comes in to read him this story. Only in the book, we don't jump right into the story, we go to the future of Goldman's life where he talks about things that actually happened in his life, but also some thing's he's made up.
For instance, Goldman talks about writing for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which he did do. But he also talks about his fictional psychotherapist wife (that took some research).
Finally, about 40 or so pages in, we get to the actual story. And it's almost exactly like the movie, or at least I should say that nothing is left out of the book that's in the movie (except the performances, but I'll get there). And that's how it should be, Goldman did write the screenplay.
During this time, Goldman explains that the book is actually extremely boring in parts and while he was young, his father only read the "good parts." Instead he skipped the pages and pages of explanations of Florintine (the actual story taking place in the fictional Florin) ancestry, which is also explained as Morgenstern being satiric.
The story begins and just like in the movie, there are multiple interruptions, but in the book they're made as editorial notes. Again, this is where the genius of this setup comes in. He's able to comment on his own story, add things that the story alone cannot do, even point out things he finds odd...in his own story.
An example of Goldman pointing out what he finds odd is that throughout the story (not the editorial notes), there are always interruptions in the form of parentheticals. For instance:
"...she examined herself pore by pore in her mirror. (This was after mirrors.)"
"'I'll leave the lad an acre in my will,' Buttercup's father was fond of saying. (They had acres then.)"
"Then, rather than continue the argument (they had arguments then too), they would both turn on their daughter."
These were found throughout the book and always made me laugh, but Goldman has an editorial note explaining that if the parentheticals bother you, you should skip them.
The "Good Parts" and The Movie
If you're like me, you've seen the movie so many times that you can quote just about everything, and I'm terrible at quoting movies.
The movie itself follows the book excellently and even exceeds the book in many ways. It's so very rare, but the already excellent characters such as Fezzik and the Man in Black are almost across the board improved upon in the movie.
I mean, how do you get any better than Andre the Giant and Billy Crystal's performance of Miracle Max? I was reading the exact same words that Crystal says, but it was almost flat in the book, whereas in the film, Crystal makes them come alive.
But the benefit of the book is, as usual, the fact that you get inside the character's heads and backstory. Before each of the famous "fight" scenes between The Man in Black and Buttercup's three kidnappers, we are let in on the backstory of each. These are great.
We see what actually happened with Inigo and why he seeks revenge and becomes the greatest swordsman in the world...well,[Spoiler Alert] almost. We find out that Fezzik is even big for a Turk (who average 15 pound babies) and how he was a competitive fighter who had to learn how to lose to make the crowd like him. And best of all, it goes into his obsession with RHYMING!
Then there's Vizzini , the self-proclaimed genius and orchestrator of this most unstoppable team of the world's best.
Yet another thing I loved about this book, Goldman's obsessed with numbers and lists. Buttercup starts out as not even in the top 20 of the most beautiful women in the world, but quickly jumps to the top. Prince Humperdink is the best hunter in the world. Buttercup and Westley's kiss is better than the top 5 kisses ever had.
This just adds to the epic and fairytale feeling of the story, it can't get more noble than the best of the best, but at the same time, the whole numbering thing is just another comical aspect of Goldman's writing: the fact that people would even have a list or the ability to measure such things. I love it.
Do I need more examples of the genius of this work? The wit, the charm, the characters that are larger than life, this is easily one of my favorite books of all time.
5 out of 5 Stars (This wasn't even a debate)
Buttercup's Baby [The extra short story included in my edition of The Pricess Bride]
Non-spoiler, tl;dr review: skip it, don't mess with the classic story.
First of all, anyone who's rated this less than 5 stars is just wrong, very wrong. I know this because I was recently instated "Master of all Opinions" where mine is the most rightest. :)
The Structure
I guess the real place to start with this book is with its structure. You may have noticed that the actual title is - The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure: The "Good Parts" Version Abridged by William Goldman.
Whew. That's a mouthful.
But that's also the genius of this book. You see, S. Morgenstern's "Classic" doesn't actually exist, only this abridged, "Good Parts" version, created wholly by William Goldman. This may not be the first time I expound upon the genius of this narrative.
The Princess Bride begins much like the movie. William Goldman gets sick and his father comes in to read him this story. Only in the book, we don't jump right into the story, we go to the future of Goldman's life where he talks about things that actually happened in his life, but also some thing's he's made up.
For instance, Goldman talks about writing for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which he did do. But he also talks about his fictional psychotherapist wife (that took some research).
Finally, about 40 or so pages in, we get to the actual story. And it's almost exactly like the movie, or at least I should say that nothing is left out of the book that's in the movie (except the performances, but I'll get there). And that's how it should be, Goldman did write the screenplay.
During this time, Goldman explains that the book is actually extremely boring in parts and while he was young, his father only read the "good parts." Instead he skipped the pages and pages of explanations of Florintine (the actual story taking place in the fictional Florin) ancestry, which is also explained as Morgenstern being satiric.
The story begins and just like in the movie, there are multiple interruptions, but in the book they're made as editorial notes. Again, this is where the genius of this setup comes in. He's able to comment on his own story, add things that the story alone cannot do, even point out things he finds odd...in his own story.
An example of Goldman pointing out what he finds odd is that throughout the story (not the editorial notes), there are always interruptions in the form of parentheticals. For instance:
"...she examined herself pore by pore in her mirror. (This was after mirrors.)"
"'I'll leave the lad an acre in my will,' Buttercup's father was fond of saying. (They had acres then.)"
"Then, rather than continue the argument (they had arguments then too), they would both turn on their daughter."
These were found throughout the book and always made me laugh, but Goldman has an editorial note explaining that if the parentheticals bother you, you should skip them.
The "Good Parts" and The Movie
If you're like me, you've seen the movie so many times that you can quote just about everything, and I'm terrible at quoting movies.
The movie itself follows the book excellently and even exceeds the book in many ways. It's so very rare, but the already excellent characters such as Fezzik and the Man in Black are almost across the board improved upon in the movie.
I mean, how do you get any better than Andre the Giant and Billy Crystal's performance of Miracle Max? I was reading the exact same words that Crystal says, but it was almost flat in the book, whereas in the film, Crystal makes them come alive.
But the benefit of the book is, as usual, the fact that you get inside the character's heads and backstory. Before each of the famous "fight" scenes between The Man in Black and Buttercup's three kidnappers, we are let in on the backstory of each. These are great.
We see what actually happened with Inigo and why he seeks revenge and becomes the greatest swordsman in the world...well,[Spoiler Alert] almost. We find out that Fezzik is even big for a Turk (who average 15 pound babies) and how he was a competitive fighter who had to learn how to lose to make the crowd like him. And best of all, it goes into his obsession with RHYMING!
Then there's Vizzini , the self-proclaimed genius and orchestrator of this most unstoppable team of the world's best.
Yet another thing I loved about this book, Goldman's obsessed with numbers and lists. Buttercup starts out as not even in the top 20 of the most beautiful women in the world, but quickly jumps to the top. Prince Humperdink is the best hunter in the world. Buttercup and Westley's kiss is better than the top 5 kisses ever had.
This just adds to the epic and fairytale feeling of the story, it can't get more noble than the best of the best, but at the same time, the whole numbering thing is just another comical aspect of Goldman's writing: the fact that people would even have a list or the ability to measure such things. I love it.
Do I need more examples of the genius of this work? The wit, the charm, the characters that are larger than life, this is easily one of my favorite books of all time.
5 out of 5 Stars (This wasn't even a debate)
Buttercup's Baby [The extra short story included in my edition of The Pricess Bride]
Non-spoiler, tl;dr review: skip it, don't mess with the classic story.
February 10, 2024
I was introduced to The Princess Bride through the movie.
And I cannot be the only one.
Here's the thing: it's basically exactly like the movie but with one notable difference.
It's not Grandpa Columbo reading the book to his sick grandson, it's narrated by the author who is editing a book by "S. Morgenstern" to take out all the boring parts so his son will read it.
See, this was his favorite book as a child because his father read it to him. But what he didn't realize at the time was that his father had skipped over all the dull political satire that Morgenstern had written about his native land, Florin.
And it's Goldman's running dialogue throughout the book that really makes this the classic that it is, as he fully immerses himself in Morgenstern's tale.
The rest (minus a few minor things) you already know. Or I would assume you already know because WHO HASN’T seen The Princess Bride movie?!
Recommended for anyone who loves adventure, swordfights, villains, revenge, friendship, magic, and of course…true love.
The End.
And I cannot be the only one.
Here's the thing: it's basically exactly like the movie but with one notable difference.
It's not Grandpa Columbo reading the book to his sick grandson, it's narrated by the author who is editing a book by "S. Morgenstern" to take out all the boring parts so his son will read it.
See, this was his favorite book as a child because his father read it to him. But what he didn't realize at the time was that his father had skipped over all the dull political satire that Morgenstern had written about his native land, Florin.
And it's Goldman's running dialogue throughout the book that really makes this the classic that it is, as he fully immerses himself in Morgenstern's tale.
The rest (minus a few minor things) you already know. Or I would assume you already know because WHO HASN’T seen The Princess Bride movie?!
Recommended for anyone who loves adventure, swordfights, villains, revenge, friendship, magic, and of course…true love.
The End.
July 24, 2007
I am one of the few people in the world who does not think the book is better than the movie here. There is an undercurrent of bitterness in this book that I find off-putting. I am given to understand by a friend that those elements--i.e., the autobiographical stuff in Goldman's own persona--are actually fictional. But I found that they soured my enjoyment of the story they framed. I couldn't enjoy the writing of a writer who seemed as misanthropic and hateful as Goldman came off to me. TPB is still a great book--better than three stars, but I couldn't quite bring myself to give it four.
Stick to the movie. It has the opposite problem, but you can always fast forward through the saccharine Fred Savage bits.
Stick to the movie. It has the opposite problem, but you can always fast forward through the saccharine Fred Savage bits.
November 30, 2022
To help recuperate the sick child (Author William Goldman), the old father reads out the story of “The Princess Bride” by S. Morgenstern to him. Years later, obsessed with the book, determined to procure a copy of it, extensively rummaging through bookshops, William Goldman finally ends up finding an ancient copy of it.
He eventually realizes that his father read out only the “good parts of the story”, and resorts to opting for the fictional route of writing the abridged story of “The Princess Bride”.
Well going through the extended introduction was wee tedious and boring for me, so I skimmed through it.
I was assiduously seeking to whet my appetite for fantasy by seizing the main adventure story of Buttercup and not the story of the rhyme and reason for abridgment by the author.
Additionally, the author kept barging with his POV throughout the story, giving a feel of a book within a book, which kept distracting me from my dreamland sporadically, which I didn’t hold in high regard. So, docked 1.5 stars!
The main plot summary of the adventure story (without spoilers)-
Not considering herself as one of the most beautiful females, Buttercup, is sluggish to comb her hair and isn’t concerned about her image. This comes across as her most salient feature as she is not proud and haughty about her beauty like most of the other females. In short, she wears the image of a tomboy. No matter what Buttercup commands the Farm Boy, Westley, to do, he simply answers, "As you wish." Buttercup develops feelings for him and eventually, both are in love in no time. Both are extremely simple, and the love that bridges the two is based on the purest of intentions and not on money or beauty!
Westley leaves on a quest to seek better fortune, while promising Buttercup of his return to marry her.
Buttercup swears to be faithful but is devastated to learn that Wesley's ship has been attacked by the infamous Dread Pirate Roberts, who presumes him dead. After 5 years, she agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck even though she still loves Wesley. Prince Humperdinck is the inverse of Buttercup and Westley. He is arrogant and narcissistic. Concerned with appearances, Buttercup is just a mere possession for him!
Before the wedding, Buttercup is kidnaped by three bandits- a Sicilian boss named Vizzini, a giant named Fezzik, and a Spanish swordsman named Inigo who is seeking to avenge his father's murder, what follows ahead is a fast-paced thrilling adventure. Read it for yourself and explore! 😊
I agree with William’s father's decision to close the book on a “happily ever after”, by offering a conclusive rest to the readers after traversing through an action-packed adventure!
The story professes the power of love that is pure, honest and true, untouched with malice and is unadulterated.
Despite many years apart, Buttercup and Westley remain connected through the bonds of love. Even death cannot separate those who experience true love!
I would have given 5-stars to this adventure laden taut fairy-tale story but docked 1.5 stars due to the intermittent sporadic appearance of the parallel pragmatic story by Willian Goldman and his POV, which muted my fantasy-reading experience.
The characters are well-fleshed out and are bound to stay with the readers for a long time! An adventure and action-packed 3.5 stars drizzled to this wonderful story inundated with the power of true love and innocence, which starts with “as you wish” and closes with “so do I” 😊
NB-I haven’t watched the movie adaptation of “The Princess Bride” and have only read the book, so not aware of the differences in the execution of the plot-line!
The exposition of the theme of the trials and tribulations of true love came as a welcome lull for me.
Buttercup and Westley proved that love is not idealized, but is lasting. Buttercup never ceases to love Westley even while fearing him dead and even though she bickers with him after finding out he is alive. Westley stays loyal to Buttercup throughout! Their love for each other was overtly-cute!
He eventually realizes that his father read out only the “good parts of the story”, and resorts to opting for the fictional route of writing the abridged story of “The Princess Bride”.
Well going through the extended introduction was wee tedious and boring for me, so I skimmed through it.
I was assiduously seeking to whet my appetite for fantasy by seizing the main adventure story of Buttercup and not the story of the rhyme and reason for abridgment by the author.
Additionally, the author kept barging with his POV throughout the story, giving a feel of a book within a book, which kept distracting me from my dreamland sporadically, which I didn’t hold in high regard. So, docked 1.5 stars!
The main plot summary of the adventure story (without spoilers)-
Not considering herself as one of the most beautiful females, Buttercup, is sluggish to comb her hair and isn’t concerned about her image. This comes across as her most salient feature as she is not proud and haughty about her beauty like most of the other females. In short, she wears the image of a tomboy. No matter what Buttercup commands the Farm Boy, Westley, to do, he simply answers, "As you wish." Buttercup develops feelings for him and eventually, both are in love in no time. Both are extremely simple, and the love that bridges the two is based on the purest of intentions and not on money or beauty!
Westley leaves on a quest to seek better fortune, while promising Buttercup of his return to marry her.
Buttercup swears to be faithful but is devastated to learn that Wesley's ship has been attacked by the infamous Dread Pirate Roberts, who presumes him dead. After 5 years, she agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck even though she still loves Wesley. Prince Humperdinck is the inverse of Buttercup and Westley. He is arrogant and narcissistic. Concerned with appearances, Buttercup is just a mere possession for him!
Before the wedding, Buttercup is kidnaped by three bandits- a Sicilian boss named Vizzini, a giant named Fezzik, and a Spanish swordsman named Inigo who is seeking to avenge his father's murder, what follows ahead is a fast-paced thrilling adventure. Read it for yourself and explore! 😊
I agree with William’s father's decision to close the book on a “happily ever after”, by offering a conclusive rest to the readers after traversing through an action-packed adventure!
The story professes the power of love that is pure, honest and true, untouched with malice and is unadulterated.
Despite many years apart, Buttercup and Westley remain connected through the bonds of love. Even death cannot separate those who experience true love!
I would have given 5-stars to this adventure laden taut fairy-tale story but docked 1.5 stars due to the intermittent sporadic appearance of the parallel pragmatic story by Willian Goldman and his POV, which muted my fantasy-reading experience.
The characters are well-fleshed out and are bound to stay with the readers for a long time! An adventure and action-packed 3.5 stars drizzled to this wonderful story inundated with the power of true love and innocence, which starts with “as you wish” and closes with “so do I” 😊
NB-I haven’t watched the movie adaptation of “The Princess Bride” and have only read the book, so not aware of the differences in the execution of the plot-line!
The exposition of the theme of the trials and tribulations of true love came as a welcome lull for me.
Buttercup and Westley proved that love is not idealized, but is lasting. Buttercup never ceases to love Westley even while fearing him dead and even though she bickers with him after finding out he is alive. Westley stays loyal to Buttercup throughout! Their love for each other was overtly-cute!
July 1, 2021
Vlog coming... 👀
October 6, 2021
Oh boy! I needed to brighten my darker than ink mood ASAP!So choosing this book was the best decision I had lately!
Some books might be sold at the drugstores as antidepressants to soothe your anxiety, heal your soul!
This is truly one of them! A brilliant satire! An epic, heart pounding romance! Story in another story premise! An exciting, deliciously riveting action packed adventure! And one of the most brilliant movie adaptation of mid-80’s ! And please listen to its audiobook because sweetest, amazing director of the movie Rob Reiner is the narrator of the book and his acting skills help a lot to savor each moment perfectly!
I’m giving five gazillion stars! I Keep smiling,smiling and smiling!
Some of my favorite quotes:
“Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.”
“I love you,' Buttercup said. 'I know this must come as something of a surprise to you, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm.”
“Who says life is fair, where is that written?”
“I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
"I am you Prince and you cannot refuse."
"I am your loyal servant and I just did."
"Refusal means death."
"Kill me then.”
“You seem a decent fellow," Inigo said. "I hate to kill you."
You seem a decent fellow," answered the man in black. "I hate to die.”
“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it. “
Some books might be sold at the drugstores as antidepressants to soothe your anxiety, heal your soul!
This is truly one of them! A brilliant satire! An epic, heart pounding romance! Story in another story premise! An exciting, deliciously riveting action packed adventure! And one of the most brilliant movie adaptation of mid-80’s ! And please listen to its audiobook because sweetest, amazing director of the movie Rob Reiner is the narrator of the book and his acting skills help a lot to savor each moment perfectly!
I’m giving five gazillion stars! I Keep smiling,smiling and smiling!
Some of my favorite quotes:
“Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.”
“I love you,' Buttercup said. 'I know this must come as something of a surprise to you, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm.”
“Who says life is fair, where is that written?”
“I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
"I am you Prince and you cannot refuse."
"I am your loyal servant and I just did."
"Refusal means death."
"Kill me then.”
“You seem a decent fellow," Inigo said. "I hate to kill you."
You seem a decent fellow," answered the man in black. "I hate to die.”
“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it. “
April 5, 2011
5.0 stars. HOW AMAZINGLY GOOD IS THIS BOOK YOU ASK?....so good it is almost
This is a literary treasure and one that I can not recommend more highly. Let me start by saying that prior to reading this book I had probably seen the movie version a dozen times or so and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! I only mention this so that you know where I'm coming from in case you are not a fan of the movie as I think if you like one you will like the other and, conversely, if you didn’t like the movie, the book may not appeal to you as much.
As for the book, I was AMAZED at what a superb adaptation of the novel the movie was. Along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and No Country for Old Men, this may be the best adaptation of a classic novel that I have ever come across. This may lead you to ask whether it is even worth it to read the book given that much of what is in the book is on the screen. My answer to that would be a resounding YES!!
First of all, the book is as much fun as the movie and the tone of the writing is unique, playful and very funny. Despite knowing the plot of the book intimately, I found the reading experience to be fresh and new.
I am going to assume that people reading this have seen the movie, read the book or at least have an understanding of the basic plot. If not, the book description and other reviews do a very good job of explaining it. Instead, I thought it might be helpful to mention those parts of the book that were not included in the movie or that I thought the book’s treatment was superior (i.e. Book is Better) and those aspects of the movie that I thought were superior to the source material (i.e. Movie is Better).
BOOK IS BETTER:
1. Prince Humperdinck’s Zoo of Death (not mentioned in the movie and I thought it was interesting and gave great insight into the character).
2. The Book does a much better job than the movie in describing Prince Humperdinck as a truly evil person and thus a top notch villain.
3. The book contains a whole Chapter on Inigo Montoya that provides details of his childhood and his Father’s original encounter with the Six Fingered Man (this is dealt with in a very brief conversation in the movie). I really enjoyed the expanded version.
4. The book also contains a whole chapter on Fezzik and shows his childhood and early years. This was excellent and I really liked learning about his trouble in adapting to deal with his enormous size.
5. The beginning of the book describes how Buttercup becomes the “most beautiful woman in the world” and the fate of the women in front of her. This is absolutely HYSTERICAL. I wish they would have found a way to incorporate this into the movie because it was very enjoyable.
6. All of the interruptions in the Narrative where the author is explaining why he cut out whole sections of the original Morgenstern novel (the fictional novel of which this novel was supposedly the abridged “good parts”) were very funny and made the book a unique experience.
MOVIE IS BETTER:
1. I must begin with Miracle Max. The book is really good, but Billy Crystal was absolutely AMAZING (as was Carol Kane who played Miracle Max's wife). Crystal’s dialogue in the movie was better than the book and is a great example of making the original even better without messing with the feel of the story.
2. Wallace Shawn as Vizzini (pictured above) gives a truly great comic performance and made the Movie version of the character even more fun then the book version. All I kept hearing in my head whenever he was on stage in the book was him shouting INCONCEIVABLE!!
3. Similarly, Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya is another example of amazing casting that made the on screen version of the character even more fun than the book version.
4. The final scene between Westley and Prince Humperdinck was more fun in the movie than in the book.
Bottom-line, if you have enjoyed the movie but have not read the book, I strongly recommend it. Similarly, if you have read the book and have not seen the movie, I strongly recommend that as well. Both are terrific.
This is a literary treasure and one that I can not recommend more highly. Let me start by saying that prior to reading this book I had probably seen the movie version a dozen times or so and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! I only mention this so that you know where I'm coming from in case you are not a fan of the movie as I think if you like one you will like the other and, conversely, if you didn’t like the movie, the book may not appeal to you as much.
As for the book, I was AMAZED at what a superb adaptation of the novel the movie was. Along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and No Country for Old Men, this may be the best adaptation of a classic novel that I have ever come across. This may lead you to ask whether it is even worth it to read the book given that much of what is in the book is on the screen. My answer to that would be a resounding YES!!
First of all, the book is as much fun as the movie and the tone of the writing is unique, playful and very funny. Despite knowing the plot of the book intimately, I found the reading experience to be fresh and new.
I am going to assume that people reading this have seen the movie, read the book or at least have an understanding of the basic plot. If not, the book description and other reviews do a very good job of explaining it. Instead, I thought it might be helpful to mention those parts of the book that were not included in the movie or that I thought the book’s treatment was superior (i.e. Book is Better) and those aspects of the movie that I thought were superior to the source material (i.e. Movie is Better).
BOOK IS BETTER:
1. Prince Humperdinck’s Zoo of Death (not mentioned in the movie and I thought it was interesting and gave great insight into the character).
2. The Book does a much better job than the movie in describing Prince Humperdinck as a truly evil person and thus a top notch villain.
3. The book contains a whole Chapter on Inigo Montoya that provides details of his childhood and his Father’s original encounter with the Six Fingered Man (this is dealt with in a very brief conversation in the movie). I really enjoyed the expanded version.
4. The book also contains a whole chapter on Fezzik and shows his childhood and early years. This was excellent and I really liked learning about his trouble in adapting to deal with his enormous size.
5. The beginning of the book describes how Buttercup becomes the “most beautiful woman in the world” and the fate of the women in front of her. This is absolutely HYSTERICAL. I wish they would have found a way to incorporate this into the movie because it was very enjoyable.
6. All of the interruptions in the Narrative where the author is explaining why he cut out whole sections of the original Morgenstern novel (the fictional novel of which this novel was supposedly the abridged “good parts”) were very funny and made the book a unique experience.
MOVIE IS BETTER:
1. I must begin with Miracle Max. The book is really good, but Billy Crystal was absolutely AMAZING (as was Carol Kane who played Miracle Max's wife). Crystal’s dialogue in the movie was better than the book and is a great example of making the original even better without messing with the feel of the story.
2. Wallace Shawn as Vizzini (pictured above) gives a truly great comic performance and made the Movie version of the character even more fun then the book version. All I kept hearing in my head whenever he was on stage in the book was him shouting INCONCEIVABLE!!
3. Similarly, Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya is another example of amazing casting that made the on screen version of the character even more fun than the book version.
4. The final scene between Westley and Prince Humperdinck was more fun in the movie than in the book.
Bottom-line, if you have enjoyed the movie but have not read the book, I strongly recommend it. Similarly, if you have read the book and have not seen the movie, I strongly recommend that as well. Both are terrific.
March 10, 2018
Okay, I like the movie better than the book. I mean I love watching all of my characters! So There!
Anyhoo, I'm adding some pictures from the book. There are a lot of them but I'm just going to add a few. I thought they were wonderful. On the inside front and back pages there is a map but I only added one part of the map so you can get the idea =)
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Anyhoo, I'm adding some pictures from the book. There are a lot of them but I'm just going to add a few. I thought they were wonderful. On the inside front and back pages there is a map but I only added one part of the map so you can get the idea =)
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
April 27, 2021
Buttercup spent her entire life on a farm with her mom, dad and the farm boy who lived outside in the hovel.
“We’ll never survive!”
“Nonsense. You’re only saying that because no one ever has.”
But then, one day, all that changed.
She became beautiful.
Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death, that's all.And soon she learns that with great beauty comes great tragedy.
For soon after she learns that the Farm By (now known as Westley) loves her, he sails off to make a fortune and is seemingly lost forever.
Meanwhile Prince Humperdinck learns that the most beautiful woman in all the land is of marrying age and demands her to become his wife and she agrees, deciding early that she will kill herself when the time comes (which is actually quite convenient, considering Humperdinck was planning on killing her too)
But then, Buttercup is kidnapped by a quirky trio of characters (A Sicilian, a giant and a master swordsman), is then pursued by a mysterious masked man, must fight her way through man-eating eels, giant swamp rats and so much more.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“As you wish...”As always, I am ABSOLUTELY in love with this book.
This time I read the 30th edition - where I learned of the story of the author's first encounter with S. Morgenstern's classic tale.
Just a quick note - skip the introduction. It goes on and on and on and honestly really put a damper on my enjoyment of this book. Very frustrating that it ended up being .
“Inconceivable!"Essentially, it's suffice to know that the Princess Bride is based on a longer story that Goldman edited down into a more manageable book.
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
I do absolutely LOVE the satire and the characters in this book. The plot is ever the exciting whirlwind and every time I finish reading it, I just want to go back in again.
The 30th edition is beautifully illustrated and really gives the book that extra lift.
Highly, highly recommended!
“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!”
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June 9, 2020
One of my all-time favorites! Long before the movie existed, I stumbled across this book in my college bookstore. This cover spoke to my YA fairy-tale-loving heart:
So I bought it, without knowing a thing about the story. And the book was NOT what I was expecting.
It was way, WAY better.
If you love the movie, read the book ... and don't let yourself get bogged down in the long, offbeat intro. (Skim it if you need to.) You'll get a lot of background history on the various characters, which can be extremely funny, and a little poignant. The movie is in large part very true to the book, but William Goldman has a dry, satirical sense of humor that doesn't entirely come through in the movie. (The part about the Greatest Kisses Ever cracks me up every time.)
But it's still about "Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions."
And it's wonderful.
So I bought it, without knowing a thing about the story. And the book was NOT what I was expecting.
It was way, WAY better.
If you love the movie, read the book ... and don't let yourself get bogged down in the long, offbeat intro. (Skim it if you need to.) You'll get a lot of background history on the various characters, which can be extremely funny, and a little poignant. The movie is in large part very true to the book, but William Goldman has a dry, satirical sense of humor that doesn't entirely come through in the movie. (The part about the Greatest Kisses Ever cracks me up every time.)
But it's still about "Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions."
And it's wonderful.
December 24, 2021
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant and Christopher Guest.
Adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name, it tells the story of a farmhand named Westley, accompanied by companions befriended along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the odious Prince Humperdinck.
The film effectively preserves the novel's narrative style by presenting the story as a book being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage).
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «شاهزاده خانم تازه عروس»؛ «عروسی شاهدخت»؛ نویسنده: ویلیام گولدمن؛ تاریخ نخستین بینش فیلم سالها پیش و سپس خوانش کتاب روز یازدهم ماه آوریل سال2017میلادی
عنوان کتاب: شاهزاده خانم تازه عروس؛ نویسنده: ویلیام گولدمن؛ مترجم: لیلا طاهری؛ تهران، فرهنگ نشر نو، سال1395؛ در391ص؛ شابک9786008547020؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م
عنوان: عروسی شاهدخت: داستان کلاسیک یک عشق واقعی و ماجراجوییهای جذاب به قلم اصلی اس مورگنسترن نسخه قسمتهای خوب؛ تلخیص از ویلیام گولدمن؛ ترجمه ليلا طاهری؛ ویراستار امیرحسین مهدیزاده؛ تهران: نشر همان، سال1398؛ در464ص؛ شابک9786009822720؛
عنوان فیلم: عروس شاهزاده؛ کارگردان: راب ینر؛ تهیه کننده: اندرو شینمن؛ فیلمنامه نویس: ویلیام گولدمن؛ بر پایه: عروس شاهزاده؛ اثر: ویلیام گولدمن؛ بازیگران: کری الویس؛ رابین رایت؛ مندی پتینکین؛ آندری جیانت؛ کریس ساراندون؛ کریستوفر گست؛ والاس شاون؛ فرد سویج؛ پیتر فالک؛ بیلی کریستال؛ کارول کین؛ مل اسمیت؛ آن دایسن؛ پیتر کوک؛ راوی: پیتر فالک؛ موسیقی: مارک نافلر؛ فیلم برداری: ایدرین بیدل؛ تدوین: رابرت لیتان؛ شرکت تولید؛ آ.سی.تی تری کامینیکیشن؛ توزیع کننده: فاکس سده بیستم؛ و ...؛
کتاب «عروسی شاهدخت» اثری از «ویلیام گولدمن» با ترجمه خانم «لیلا طاهری» و چاپ انتشارات «همدان» است؛ این کتاب روایتگر داستانی حماسی، عاشقانه و پر ماجرا، به قلم نویسنده ی «آمریکایی» است، که فیلمی با اقتباس از آن ساخته شده است؛ داستانی شبیه به قصه های پریان با شخصیت های گوناگون، از شاهزاده گرفته تا غول و دزدان دریایی؛ «باترکاپ» شخصیت اصلی کتاب است، دختری بسیار زیبا، که توجه مردان فراوانی را به خویش جلب کرده، او درست آنگاه که پی میبرد، عاشق خدمتکار خانواده شده، مجبور میشود، دوری اش را پذیرا گردد، و در همین هجران است، که دزدیده میشود، نجات مییابد، و به رغم علاقه ی پیشین خویش، همسر شاهزاده «هامپردینک» میگردد؛ اینبار هم با یاری گروهی که پیش از این نجاتش داده بودند، از دست شاهزاده رها، و با جنایتکاران و انسانهایی پلید، آشنا میشود، و در همین گیر و دار، و پشت سر گذاشتن رویدادهای گوناگون، بار دیگر «وستلی» را دیدار میکند؛ عشق راستین و نخستین خویش، که اکنون دوست صمیمی دزدان دریایی است
گزیده ای از کتاب: («وستلی»، مرا دوست داری؟ موضوع همین است؟؛ «وستلی» نمیتوانست باور کند؛ «دوستت دارم؟ خدای من، اگر عشق تو یک دانه شن باشد، عشق من یک دنیا ساحل است؛ اگر عشق تو…»؛ «باترکاپ» حرفش را قطع کرد؛ «من هنوز اولی را نفهمیدم.» داشت خیلی هیجان زده میشد؛ «بگذار اول این را روشن کنیم؛ تو میگویی اگر عشق من به اندازه یک دانه شن است، عشق تو اینی است که میگویی؟ تصویرها مرا گیج میکنند، یعنی یک دنیا ساحل تو از شن من بزرگتر است؟ یاریم کن، وستلی؛ حس میکنم در آستانه چیز بی اندازه مهمی ام.»؛ «به خاطر تو همه ی این سالها تو کلبه ام ماندم؛ به خاطر تو خودم زبانهای مختلف یاد گرفتم؛ بدنم را قوی کردم چون فکر کردم ممکن است از بدن قوی خوشت بیاید؛ یک عمر با این آرزو زندگی کردم که اگر برای یک لحظه کوتاه هم شده، نگاهم کنی؛ در همه ی این سالها لحظه ای نبوده که دیدنت باعث نشود قلبم خودش را دیوانه وار به قفسه سینه ام بکوبد؛ شبی را یادم نمیآید که چهره ات مرا تا خواب همراهی نکرده باشد؛ صبحی وجود نداشته که چشمهایم را با خیال تو باز نکنم…؛ هیچ کدام از اینها را درک میکنی، باترکاپ یا میخواهی باز هم ادامه بدهم؟»)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 27/02/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 02/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant and Christopher Guest.
Adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name, it tells the story of a farmhand named Westley, accompanied by companions befriended along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the odious Prince Humperdinck.
The film effectively preserves the novel's narrative style by presenting the story as a book being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage).
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «شاهزاده خانم تازه عروس»؛ «عروسی شاهدخت»؛ نویسنده: ویلیام گولدمن؛ تاریخ نخستین بینش فیلم سالها پیش و سپس خوانش کتاب روز یازدهم ماه آوریل سال2017میلادی
عنوان کتاب: شاهزاده خانم تازه عروس؛ نویسنده: ویلیام گولدمن؛ مترجم: لیلا طاهری؛ تهران، فرهنگ نشر نو، سال1395؛ در391ص؛ شابک9786008547020؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م
عنوان: عروسی شاهدخت: داستان کلاسیک یک عشق واقعی و ماجراجوییهای جذاب به قلم اصلی اس مورگنسترن نسخه قسمتهای خوب؛ تلخیص از ویلیام گولدمن؛ ترجمه ليلا طاهری؛ ویراستار امیرحسین مهدیزاده؛ تهران: نشر همان، سال1398؛ در464ص؛ شابک9786009822720؛
عنوان فیلم: عروس شاهزاده؛ کارگردان: راب ینر؛ تهیه کننده: اندرو شینمن؛ فیلمنامه نویس: ویلیام گولدمن؛ بر پایه: عروس شاهزاده؛ اثر: ویلیام گولدمن؛ بازیگران: کری الویس؛ رابین رایت؛ مندی پتینکین؛ آندری جیانت؛ کریس ساراندون؛ کریستوفر گست؛ والاس شاون؛ فرد سویج؛ پیتر فالک؛ بیلی کریستال؛ کارول کین؛ مل اسمیت؛ آن دایسن؛ پیتر کوک؛ راوی: پیتر فالک؛ موسیقی: مارک نافلر؛ فیلم برداری: ایدرین بیدل؛ تدوین: رابرت لیتان؛ شرکت تولید؛ آ.سی.تی تری کامینیکیشن؛ توزیع کننده: فاکس سده بیستم؛ و ...؛
کتاب «عروسی شاهدخت» اثری از «ویلیام گولدمن» با ترجمه خانم «لیلا طاهری» و چاپ انتشارات «همدان» است؛ این کتاب روایتگر داستانی حماسی، عاشقانه و پر ماجرا، به قلم نویسنده ی «آمریکایی» است، که فیلمی با اقتباس از آن ساخته شده است؛ داستانی شبیه به قصه های پریان با شخصیت های گوناگون، از شاهزاده گرفته تا غول و دزدان دریایی؛ «باترکاپ» شخصیت اصلی کتاب است، دختری بسیار زیبا، که توجه مردان فراوانی را به خویش جلب کرده، او درست آنگاه که پی میبرد، عاشق خدمتکار خانواده شده، مجبور میشود، دوری اش را پذیرا گردد، و در همین هجران است، که دزدیده میشود، نجات مییابد، و به رغم علاقه ی پیشین خویش، همسر شاهزاده «هامپردینک» میگردد؛ اینبار هم با یاری گروهی که پیش از این نجاتش داده بودند، از دست شاهزاده رها، و با جنایتکاران و انسانهایی پلید، آشنا میشود، و در همین گیر و دار، و پشت سر گذاشتن رویدادهای گوناگون، بار دیگر «وستلی» را دیدار میکند؛ عشق راستین و نخستین خویش، که اکنون دوست صمیمی دزدان دریایی است
گزیده ای از کتاب: («وستلی»، مرا دوست داری؟ موضوع همین است؟؛ «وستلی» نمیتوانست باور کند؛ «دوستت دارم؟ خدای من، اگر عشق تو یک دانه شن باشد، عشق من یک دنیا ساحل است؛ اگر عشق تو…»؛ «باترکاپ» حرفش را قطع کرد؛ «من هنوز اولی را نفهمیدم.» داشت خیلی هیجان زده میشد؛ «بگذار اول این را روشن کنیم؛ تو میگویی اگر عشق من به اندازه یک دانه شن است، عشق تو اینی است که میگویی؟ تصویرها مرا گیج میکنند، یعنی یک دنیا ساحل تو از شن من بزرگتر است؟ یاریم کن، وستلی؛ حس میکنم در آستانه چیز بی اندازه مهمی ام.»؛ «به خاطر تو همه ی این سالها تو کلبه ام ماندم؛ به خاطر تو خودم زبانهای مختلف یاد گرفتم؛ بدنم را قوی کردم چون فکر کردم ممکن است از بدن قوی خوشت بیاید؛ یک عمر با این آرزو زندگی کردم که اگر برای یک لحظه کوتاه هم شده، نگاهم کنی؛ در همه ی این سالها لحظه ای نبوده که دیدنت باعث نشود قلبم خودش را دیوانه وار به قفسه سینه ام بکوبد؛ شبی را یادم نمیآید که چهره ات مرا تا خواب همراهی نکرده باشد؛ صبحی وجود نداشته که چشمهایم را با خیال تو باز نکنم…؛ هیچ کدام از اینها را درک میکنی، باترکاپ یا میخواهی باز هم ادامه بدهم؟»)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 27/02/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 02/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
January 28, 2024
If you are a person who grew up in the US or UK or in any part of the world or I dunno a spaceship, you would probably know what someone means when they say “Inconceivable!” but for me, a person who grew in Pakistan where the most popular thing was Justin Bieber singing “Baby” while the children tried to copy whatever the heck that dude was saying, life was not so generous. I didn’t know what Harry Potter was. He was a jadoogar ki aulad (son of a magician) as my mother likes to say.
A few months ago I was looking at a list of the best “book to film” adaptations and this baby was on the top. I immediately googled it and I thought what the heck? This gets the top spot. Of course then I watched the film and then I bought the book and then I read it and the rest is history.
This has been said so many times and I will sound like a broken record but that film is amazing. In this case, I don’t believe it’s a case of either/or; both mediums of telling this story are delightful, and I love them both for different reasons. First off, that film is fantastic. The casting, the direction … it’s pure perfection. Yes the effects are cheesy but that was 1987 so *shrugs*. Yes, the film does exclude some points and there some itty bitty changes but HAVE YOU SEEN THAT FILM? Plus it gets bonus points for *ahem ahem* Cary Elwes. I don’t even need to explain myself.
Now onto the review. You know some people might tell you that the plot of this book is pathetic/dumb/over done/nothing special. But i would strongly disagree with them. Why? Well because for me Goldman took the itty bitty pieces that everyone uses and he created something new from it. I mean isn't this a stereotype? Poor boy. Pretty girl. But Goldman has included so much more elements into this tale. First off, that beginning line is everything.
Next off, the concept is so novel. You rarely come across something like this. It's fast paced and it can tick every box you can think of. As the author says, this book has:
He used the word "beautifulest" and the only thing that isn't there is magical realism and ice-cream but everything else is there. That's a winner for me dude.
Secondly, i am a horribly sarcastic person in real life. So for me (one of) the strength of this book lies in the narration from Goldman himself. The way he pokes fun, his satire, his commentary ... throughout the book it's hilarious. From the very beginning, the reader is introduced to the story through the witty voice of Goldman. For me this outside narration feels like an entirely different story in itself.
And then we have the characters. The characters in "The Princess Bride" are phenomenal from all angles. No matter what kinds of characters you prefer reading about, there’s bound to be one that you end up rooting for.
👑 Westley:
Let's cut the crap and get to the real point. Westley. Now and forever. I love everything about him: his remarkable bravery, his unfailing loyalty to Buttercup, and even his constant reply of “As you wish.” If you’re looking for a dashing hero that will make your heart flutter, then look no further than this farm boy!
👑 Inigo:
I was astounded by the amount of information we learn in this novel about Inigo’s past compared to the what background the movie provides. A better understanding of his past allowed me to appreciate Inigo so much more, and it made that one famous line infinitely more satisfying.
👑 Fezzik:
Oh, Fezzik. I love his clever rhymes, his sensitive side, and his faithful courage. I prefer his portrayal in the novel rather than that of the movie because the reader can see more of his inner personality beyond the outward stereotype of his bulky size.
👑 Prince Humperdinck:
I mean, he has a Zoo of Death in which he methodically keeps deadly animals in carefully organized levels in order to hunt and kill them for fun. If that doesn’t scream “evil psychotic prince,” then I don’t know what does.
👑 Buttercup:
I loved Buttercup. Yes she is a 'damsel in distress' but dude chill. She is kind and caring although a bit vain. She doesn't bear grudges and goes with Humperdinck to save Westley.
A gem. A true gem. A masterpiece. Please dear person read this.
Plus, I took the job out of Nina's hands for the time being and decided to explain Hogwarts Houses with Princess Bride quotes:
Gryffindor:
Hufflepuff:
Ravenclaw:
Slytherin:
Thank you for attending the Sorting Ceremony. Nina take your job back
A few months ago I was looking at a list of the best “book to film” adaptations and this baby was on the top. I immediately googled it and I thought what the heck? This gets the top spot. Of course then I watched the film and then I bought the book and then I read it and the rest is history.
This has been said so many times and I will sound like a broken record but that film is amazing. In this case, I don’t believe it’s a case of either/or; both mediums of telling this story are delightful, and I love them both for different reasons. First off, that film is fantastic. The casting, the direction … it’s pure perfection. Yes the effects are cheesy but that was 1987 so *shrugs*. Yes, the film does exclude some points and there some itty bitty changes but HAVE YOU SEEN THAT FILM? Plus it gets bonus points for *ahem ahem* Cary Elwes. I don’t even need to explain myself.
Now onto the review. You know some people might tell you that the plot of this book is pathetic/dumb/over done/nothing special. But i would strongly disagree with them. Why? Well because for me Goldman took the itty bitty pieces that everyone uses and he created something new from it. I mean isn't this a stereotype? Poor boy. Pretty girl. But Goldman has included so much more elements into this tale. First off, that beginning line is everything.
“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.”
Next off, the concept is so novel. You rarely come across something like this. It's fast paced and it can tick every box you can think of. As the author says, this book has:
“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.”
He used the word "beautifulest" and the only thing that isn't there is magical realism and ice-cream but everything else is there. That's a winner for me dude.
Secondly, i am a horribly sarcastic person in real life. So for me (one of) the strength of this book lies in the narration from Goldman himself. The way he pokes fun, his satire, his commentary ... throughout the book it's hilarious. From the very beginning, the reader is introduced to the story through the witty voice of Goldman. For me this outside narration feels like an entirely different story in itself.
And then we have the characters. The characters in "The Princess Bride" are phenomenal from all angles. No matter what kinds of characters you prefer reading about, there’s bound to be one that you end up rooting for.
👑 Westley:
Let's cut the crap and get to the real point. Westley. Now and forever. I love everything about him: his remarkable bravery, his unfailing loyalty to Buttercup, and even his constant reply of “As you wish.” If you’re looking for a dashing hero that will make your heart flutter, then look no further than this farm boy!
👑 Inigo:
I was astounded by the amount of information we learn in this novel about Inigo’s past compared to the what background the movie provides. A better understanding of his past allowed me to appreciate Inigo so much more, and it made that one famous line infinitely more satisfying.
👑 Fezzik:
Oh, Fezzik. I love his clever rhymes, his sensitive side, and his faithful courage. I prefer his portrayal in the novel rather than that of the movie because the reader can see more of his inner personality beyond the outward stereotype of his bulky size.
👑 Prince Humperdinck:
I mean, he has a Zoo of Death in which he methodically keeps deadly animals in carefully organized levels in order to hunt and kill them for fun. If that doesn’t scream “evil psychotic prince,” then I don’t know what does.
👑 Buttercup:
I loved Buttercup. Yes she is a 'damsel in distress' but dude chill. She is kind and caring although a bit vain. She doesn't bear grudges and goes with Humperdinck to save Westley.
A gem. A true gem. A masterpiece. Please dear person read this.
Plus, I took the job out of Nina's hands for the time being and decided to explain Hogwarts Houses with Princess Bride quotes:
Gryffindor:
Hufflepuff:
Ravenclaw:
Slytherin:
Thank you for attending the Sorting Ceremony. Nina take your job back
December 21, 2021
I smiled at him. How could he not like it? Passion. Duels. Miracles. Giants. True love.I am assuming you have seen this movie. If you somehow haven’t yet, stop reading this review right now, go watch the movie (I’ll lend you my copy) and then come back. Seriously. I’ll wait.
The list of books that are not as good as the movie is really short. I can think of eleven (I keep a running list on my profile page). A Clockwork Orange, The Devil Wears Prada and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are flawed books that were turned into good movies. Searching for Bobby Fischer, Starship Troopers, Jaws, and The Hunt for Red October are solid books that were turned into great movies. And four— The Martian, The Godfather, The Silence of the Lambs, and this book, The Princess Bride—are great books that were turned into all-time masterpiece-level movies.
Mr. Goldman wrote the screenplay as well as the novel. In the movie, he used the framing device of the grandfather reading the story to his sick grandson. For a fairy tale, I think it’s better than the device in the book, which is more meta. William Goldman is a character in the novel, at first explaining how it came to be that he had published a “good parts” abridgment of the (completely fictitious) Florinese classic book by S. Morgenstern. He then appears in fourth-wall-breaking notes that pop up throughout the remainder of the book, making comments and explaining sections that he had edited out.
But the core of the novel The Princess Bride—the fairy tale—is almost exactly as it is in the movie, and it’s wonderful. Westley and Buttercup. Fezzik, Inigo, and Vezzini. Humperdinck and Count Rugen. “As you wish.” “Inconceivable.” “I’m not left-handed.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.” William Goldman was a brilliant writer. He wrote a great, inventive, sarcastic fairy tale novel. He then took the “good parts” of the novel and wrote a absolutely classic movie. A must-read.
June 11, 2023
“‘Look: we can’t go back and we certainly don’t want to stay here, so we must keep on going as we were before these little things happened. Down. Down is our direction, Fezzik, but I can tell you’re a bit edgy about all this, so, out of the goodness of my heart, I will let you walk down not behind me, and not in front of me, but right next to me, on the same step, stride for stride, and you put an arm around my shoulder because this will probably make you feel better, and I, so as not to make you feel foolish, will put an arm around your shoulder, and thus, safe, protected, together, we will descend.’
‘Will you draw your sword with your free hand?’ [Fezzik asked].
‘I already have. Will you make a fist with yours?’
‘It’s clenched.’
‘Then let's look on the bright side: we're having an adventure, Fezzik, and most people live and die without being as lucky as we are.’”
- William Goldman, The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
The first time I sat down to watch to Rob Reiner’s 1987 film classic The Princess Bride, it was introduced to me with the sort of hushed awe usually reserved for biblical prophets receiving stone tablets. You have to watch this, I was told. You have to.
The experience was, in a word, mesmerizing.
I was far too young to catch all the sly nuances in a movie that both precisely deconstructs and joyously celebrates the fantasy-adventure genre, but I loved it nonetheless. The broadness of the comedy. The snappiness of its action scenes. The climbing-race up the Cliffs of Insanity. The “I am not lefthanded” swordfight. The fire swamp, the rodents of unusual size, “I am Inigo Montoya,” and freaking Andre the Giant. All of it landed perfectly.
Watch it only once? Inconceivable!
I’ve seen the movie dozens and dozens of times over the years. In the basement of friends; on my couch in the morning; in college dorm rooms; in the theater; drunk and hungover and sober; on my couch in the afternoon; with my kids; with extended family; on holidays; and on my couch late at night. It is endlessly rewatchable, and whenever I catch it, I usually sit down until it gets to one of my five or six or seven favorite scenes.
For all the glee I’ve taken in Cary Elwes’ smirk, and Christopher Guest’s six-fingered man, and Billy Crystal’s zany miracle worker, it probably took me ten or fifteen years to realize that the film was based on William Goldman’s 1973 novel of the same name. It had never occurred to me that something so purely cinematic started off on the page.
As a completist, I had to read it. But once I got it, I delayed, and let it linger on the shelf. The film, after all, is nearly perfect, at least in the sense that I couldn’t imagine changing a single scene. What, exactly, could the book add to my experience?
Honestly, not that much. The Princess Bride is a good book by a great writer, and it has its share of mic-drop lines. But at the end of the day, I mostly read it for comparison’s sake.
***
Like the movie, the novel has its tongue firmly planted in-cheek. The conceit of The Princess Bride is that it is actually an abridgement of a much-longer book by the impeccably-named S. Morgenstern. Goldman – playing the role of “Goldman” – writes the introduction, and also provides a running commentary throughout. He plays this joke right to the end, and my 25th anniversary edition has an epilogue that acts as an excerpt to a sequel that – unfortunately – never got written.
***
Given its ubiquity, it seems a waste of space to set out the plot. But wasting space is what I do.
In short, it is the tale of Westley, the farm boy who loves Buttercup; and of Inigo, the Spanish sword master sworn to wreak vengeance on the evil Count Rugen; and of Vizzini, the clever Sicilian plotting war; and of Fezzik, the gentle, slow-witted giant. All of them are thrown together by fate, as Westley tries to keep his beloved from marrying the evil Prince Humperdinck.
The best description – unsurprisingly – comes from Goldman himself:
If this doesn’t sell you on it, what more can I say?
***
Goldman, who died in 2018, had one heck of a career, especially in the realm of screenplays. Both Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men are widely recognized for the skill of the wordsmithing, with lines so well-crafted they’ve become part of the culture at large. Even his lesser-tier films, such as the Stephen King adaptation Hearts in Atlantis, contain lines that belong inimitably to him.
In The Princess Bride, Goldman does a nifty balancing act, shifting between the broad and the narrowly-focused, from silly humor to deep emotion.
All the famous movie scenes are here, such as the “Battle of Wits,” where the world learned one of life’s important lessons: “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.” But there are also scenes excised from the film, such as the strangely heartfelt sequence where Inigo and Fezzik venture into the Zoo of Death.
***
Having marinated in the film for so long, reading the book-version of The Princess Bride felt a bit academic. I did not read with any sense of wonder at what might come; I knew exactly – for the most part – what lay ahead. Instead, I read it mostly to see what got left out, what got changed, and how well Goldman made the transition from words to moving pictures.
One of the great nothing-arguments of our time on earth is the debate over which is better: the book or the movie. It’s a wholly subjective query that is treated in an entirely objective manner, as though it’s a mathematical equation with a single right answer. People get really heated about it.
Generally speaking, I’m more of a book guy, because I like the expansiveness and depth of a novel as opposed to the streamlining of a commercial film. But there are some major exceptions, usually when a so-so piece of fiction gets picked up by a really talented filmmaker. The best example I can think of is Jaws, which is an all-time movie sharply excised from a plodding, weirdly-paced aquatic potboiler, which has one of the cringiest sex scenes I’ve ever had the dubious honor of reading.
In the case of The Princess Bride, the movie is clearly superior to me, if only because I fell in love with it first. It is impossible, at this point, to absorb Goldman’s lines without hearing them read aloud by Mandy Patinkin or Wallace Shawn.
The book ain’t half bad; it just so happens that the movie is twice as good as just about anything else you can watch.
‘Will you draw your sword with your free hand?’ [Fezzik asked].
‘I already have. Will you make a fist with yours?’
‘It’s clenched.’
‘Then let's look on the bright side: we're having an adventure, Fezzik, and most people live and die without being as lucky as we are.’”
- William Goldman, The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
The first time I sat down to watch to Rob Reiner’s 1987 film classic The Princess Bride, it was introduced to me with the sort of hushed awe usually reserved for biblical prophets receiving stone tablets. You have to watch this, I was told. You have to.
The experience was, in a word, mesmerizing.
I was far too young to catch all the sly nuances in a movie that both precisely deconstructs and joyously celebrates the fantasy-adventure genre, but I loved it nonetheless. The broadness of the comedy. The snappiness of its action scenes. The climbing-race up the Cliffs of Insanity. The “I am not lefthanded” swordfight. The fire swamp, the rodents of unusual size, “I am Inigo Montoya,” and freaking Andre the Giant. All of it landed perfectly.
Watch it only once? Inconceivable!
I’ve seen the movie dozens and dozens of times over the years. In the basement of friends; on my couch in the morning; in college dorm rooms; in the theater; drunk and hungover and sober; on my couch in the afternoon; with my kids; with extended family; on holidays; and on my couch late at night. It is endlessly rewatchable, and whenever I catch it, I usually sit down until it gets to one of my five or six or seven favorite scenes.
For all the glee I’ve taken in Cary Elwes’ smirk, and Christopher Guest’s six-fingered man, and Billy Crystal’s zany miracle worker, it probably took me ten or fifteen years to realize that the film was based on William Goldman’s 1973 novel of the same name. It had never occurred to me that something so purely cinematic started off on the page.
As a completist, I had to read it. But once I got it, I delayed, and let it linger on the shelf. The film, after all, is nearly perfect, at least in the sense that I couldn’t imagine changing a single scene. What, exactly, could the book add to my experience?
Honestly, not that much. The Princess Bride is a good book by a great writer, and it has its share of mic-drop lines. But at the end of the day, I mostly read it for comparison’s sake.
***
Like the movie, the novel has its tongue firmly planted in-cheek. The conceit of The Princess Bride is that it is actually an abridgement of a much-longer book by the impeccably-named S. Morgenstern. Goldman – playing the role of “Goldman” – writes the introduction, and also provides a running commentary throughout. He plays this joke right to the end, and my 25th anniversary edition has an epilogue that acts as an excerpt to a sequel that – unfortunately – never got written.
***
Given its ubiquity, it seems a waste of space to set out the plot. But wasting space is what I do.
In short, it is the tale of Westley, the farm boy who loves Buttercup; and of Inigo, the Spanish sword master sworn to wreak vengeance on the evil Count Rugen; and of Vizzini, the clever Sicilian plotting war; and of Fezzik, the gentle, slow-witted giant. All of them are thrown together by fate, as Westley tries to keep his beloved from marrying the evil Prince Humperdinck.
The best description – unsurprisingly – comes from Goldman himself:
Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles.
If this doesn’t sell you on it, what more can I say?
***
Goldman, who died in 2018, had one heck of a career, especially in the realm of screenplays. Both Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men are widely recognized for the skill of the wordsmithing, with lines so well-crafted they’ve become part of the culture at large. Even his lesser-tier films, such as the Stephen King adaptation Hearts in Atlantis, contain lines that belong inimitably to him.
In The Princess Bride, Goldman does a nifty balancing act, shifting between the broad and the narrowly-focused, from silly humor to deep emotion.
All the famous movie scenes are here, such as the “Battle of Wits,” where the world learned one of life’s important lessons: “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.” But there are also scenes excised from the film, such as the strangely heartfelt sequence where Inigo and Fezzik venture into the Zoo of Death.
***
Having marinated in the film for so long, reading the book-version of The Princess Bride felt a bit academic. I did not read with any sense of wonder at what might come; I knew exactly – for the most part – what lay ahead. Instead, I read it mostly to see what got left out, what got changed, and how well Goldman made the transition from words to moving pictures.
One of the great nothing-arguments of our time on earth is the debate over which is better: the book or the movie. It’s a wholly subjective query that is treated in an entirely objective manner, as though it’s a mathematical equation with a single right answer. People get really heated about it.
Generally speaking, I’m more of a book guy, because I like the expansiveness and depth of a novel as opposed to the streamlining of a commercial film. But there are some major exceptions, usually when a so-so piece of fiction gets picked up by a really talented filmmaker. The best example I can think of is Jaws, which is an all-time movie sharply excised from a plodding, weirdly-paced aquatic potboiler, which has one of the cringiest sex scenes I’ve ever had the dubious honor of reading.
In the case of The Princess Bride, the movie is clearly superior to me, if only because I fell in love with it first. It is impossible, at this point, to absorb Goldman’s lines without hearing them read aloud by Mandy Patinkin or Wallace Shawn.
The book ain’t half bad; it just so happens that the movie is twice as good as just about anything else you can watch.
February 28, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
EVERY STAR THERE IS TO STAR!!!!!!
Yeah, a little bit. It’s also the best book in the history of ever.
Sure it has a little kissing
but it also has pirates
and bad guys
and swordsmen
and giants
and R.O.U.S.es
I’m not writing a synopsis. I’m not writing a review. I’m just telling you if you have not already read it, read it now.
You ask: “What if I don’t like it????” INCONCEIVABLE!
If you read it, hate it, and have the desire to 1 Star it or say bad things, you should probably unfriend me first. I might be inclined to light your ass up. Just kidding. Maybe.
©Mark Knopfler
EVERY STAR THERE IS TO STAR!!!!!!
Yeah, a little bit. It’s also the best book in the history of ever.
Sure it has a little kissing
but it also has pirates
and bad guys
and swordsmen
and giants
and R.O.U.S.es
I’m not writing a synopsis. I’m not writing a review. I’m just telling you if you have not already read it, read it now.
You ask: “What if I don’t like it????” INCONCEIVABLE!
If you read it, hate it, and have the desire to 1 Star it or say bad things, you should probably unfriend me first. I might be inclined to light your ass up. Just kidding. Maybe.
“Come my love, I'll tell you a tale
Of a boy and girl and their love story
And how he loved her oh so much
And all the charms she did possess
Now this did happen once upon a time
When things were not so complex
And how he worshipped the ground she walked
And when he looked in her eyes he became obsessed
This love was stronger than the powers so dark
A prince could have within his kingdom
His spells to weak and steal a heart
Within her breast but only sleeping
He said "Don't you know I love you oh so much
And lay my heart at the foot of your dress?"
She said "Don't you know that storybook love's
Always have a happy ending?"
Then he swooped her up just like in the books
And on his stallion they rode away
My love is like a storybook story
But it's as real as the feelings I feel
My love is like a storybook story
But it's as real as the feelings I feel"
©Mark Knopfler
August 19, 2023
Summary: The book opens with author William Goldman explaining how his father would read to him as a young child. One story he would read was titled The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern, a man from Florin. Goldman loved the story so much as a child, so he decides to give a copy to his ten-year-old son on his tenth birthday. Jason, his son, can’t seem to get into the story at all, and Goldman soon realizes that this isn’t the same story his father told him. This book has incredibly uninteresting parts that Goldman doesn’t recall. So, he begins to retell the story by creating a whole new book with only the good stuff.
Now we begin to read The Princess Bride— a story about a girl named Buttercup, one of the most beautiful women in the world. Buttercup loves demanding the farm boy, Westley, to complete tasks. At one point, she realizes she might even love him. Soon the two admit their love for each other, and Westley sets off to seek his fortune so they can begin their life. Buttercup’s heart drops not long after when she hears that Westley was killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts–a pirate who murders all. Buttercup vows that she will never love again, but she agrees to marry a prince for convenience. Was this a wise choice to make? Is Westley dead after all? There’s no telling what adventure awaits for Buttercup and the other characters in this story.
Story: I’ve always loved fairy tales, and this story is a good one. The Princess Bride wasn’t as fairytale-like this time around like it was the first time I read it as a younger reader. It’s very similar to the movie but much more descriptive. It’s exciting, comical at times, and full of action. This time around, I wasn’t feeling the ‘true love’ between Buttercup and Westley, and I also forgot how adventurous and comical it is. The film seems to do a much better job on the love story than the book–among other things. The cliffhanger ending had my jaw on the floor—no joke. I’m still not sure how to feel about it because there are multiple possibilities of what could’ve happened, and it niggles me. It’s interesting how what you expect to happen in the story isn’t what happens at all. This is a fantasy, and you must suspend disbelief at times. But there are also constant reminders that life isn’t perfect, and things aren’t always going to be okay.
Characters: The characters are lacking. We don’t learn that much about Buttercup other than the fact that she isn’t perfect. She may be beautiful, but she has some self-consciousness and jealousy, which is very different from the brave character portrayed in the movie. Book Buttercup is different and not as likable, in my opinion; she even annoyed me at times. Westley’s a bit more aggressive in the book, and he even strikes Buttercup, which was a mere raise of the hand in the film. Maybe it was meant to be funny? Other characters were more richly drawn, including Fezzik, Inigo, and Prince Humperdinck. Fezzik turned out to be my favorite character after all, and if you want to learn more about this gentle giant, you won’t want to miss out on reading this book. The illustrations turned out to be few and far between, but it was still neat to visualize the characters.
Writing: The writing is smooth and easy to read, but the format takes some getting used to. You could technically skip the author’s commentary altogether and just read the story of Buttercup and Westley. I took the time to read the author’s thoughts when it was interesting. Some people may love the going back and forth, but the commentary—albeit infrequent—can be distracting.
Should you read it? It’s hard to say. The Princess Bride was a reread for me, and I forgot some of the content. I had a love/hate relationship with the commentary by the author. It essentially is a fictional story about a fictional story, and the author puts his two cents in by talking about what he took out (when he wrote it) and why. Goldman shares opinions on what’s happening in the story written by S. Morgenstern (who’s fictional as well, by the way). He also shares stories about his family, although that may be fictional too. I found myself skimming over the first half of his excerpts, but then parts of the second half felt necessary, especially in the end. Even though the movie does follow the book fairly closely with plot and characters, the film has more of a fairy tale feel to it, and cannot be compared. With that said, the book has more on the characters and more depth that the movie doesn’t, including detailed histories for Fezzik and Inigo and a continuation of the story into Buttercup’s and Westley’s future together. So, therefore, I say true fans of the film should probably read the book!
*Includes mention of suicide, crude language, and multiple racial slurs*
4****
Now we begin to read The Princess Bride— a story about a girl named Buttercup, one of the most beautiful women in the world. Buttercup loves demanding the farm boy, Westley, to complete tasks. At one point, she realizes she might even love him. Soon the two admit their love for each other, and Westley sets off to seek his fortune so they can begin their life. Buttercup’s heart drops not long after when she hears that Westley was killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts–a pirate who murders all. Buttercup vows that she will never love again, but she agrees to marry a prince for convenience. Was this a wise choice to make? Is Westley dead after all? There’s no telling what adventure awaits for Buttercup and the other characters in this story.
Story: I’ve always loved fairy tales, and this story is a good one. The Princess Bride wasn’t as fairytale-like this time around like it was the first time I read it as a younger reader. It’s very similar to the movie but much more descriptive. It’s exciting, comical at times, and full of action. This time around, I wasn’t feeling the ‘true love’ between Buttercup and Westley, and I also forgot how adventurous and comical it is. The film seems to do a much better job on the love story than the book–among other things. The cliffhanger ending had my jaw on the floor—no joke. I’m still not sure how to feel about it because there are multiple possibilities of what could’ve happened, and it niggles me. It’s interesting how what you expect to happen in the story isn’t what happens at all. This is a fantasy, and you must suspend disbelief at times. But there are also constant reminders that life isn’t perfect, and things aren’t always going to be okay.
Characters: The characters are lacking. We don’t learn that much about Buttercup other than the fact that she isn’t perfect. She may be beautiful, but she has some self-consciousness and jealousy, which is very different from the brave character portrayed in the movie. Book Buttercup is different and not as likable, in my opinion; she even annoyed me at times. Westley’s a bit more aggressive in the book, and he even strikes Buttercup, which was a mere raise of the hand in the film. Maybe it was meant to be funny? Other characters were more richly drawn, including Fezzik, Inigo, and Prince Humperdinck. Fezzik turned out to be my favorite character after all, and if you want to learn more about this gentle giant, you won’t want to miss out on reading this book. The illustrations turned out to be few and far between, but it was still neat to visualize the characters.
Writing: The writing is smooth and easy to read, but the format takes some getting used to. You could technically skip the author’s commentary altogether and just read the story of Buttercup and Westley. I took the time to read the author’s thoughts when it was interesting. Some people may love the going back and forth, but the commentary—albeit infrequent—can be distracting.
Should you read it? It’s hard to say. The Princess Bride was a reread for me, and I forgot some of the content. I had a love/hate relationship with the commentary by the author. It essentially is a fictional story about a fictional story, and the author puts his two cents in by talking about what he took out (when he wrote it) and why. Goldman shares opinions on what’s happening in the story written by S. Morgenstern (who’s fictional as well, by the way). He also shares stories about his family, although that may be fictional too. I found myself skimming over the first half of his excerpts, but then parts of the second half felt necessary, especially in the end. Even though the movie does follow the book fairly closely with plot and characters, the film has more of a fairy tale feel to it, and cannot be compared. With that said, the book has more on the characters and more depth that the movie doesn’t, including detailed histories for Fezzik and Inigo and a continuation of the story into Buttercup’s and Westley’s future together. So, therefore, I say true fans of the film should probably read the book!
*Includes mention of suicide, crude language, and multiple racial slurs*
4****
August 6, 2008
I know there are people who LOOOOOOOVE the film, "The Princess Bride." While I thoroughly enjoy the movie, I think I may only LOOVE it. I mean, Inigo Montoya is FABULOUS and I really really dug Westley, and the pwiest was vewwy vewwy funny!!!! So, when someone was kind enough to lend me the book, I had relatively high expectations. Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't disappointed in The Princess Bride, but I just wasn't thrilled or moved to laugh till I cry (which the movie sometimes can).
First of all, let's get all English-major on this, and talk about the meta-layered frame narratives going on in this novel. Holy cow! First of all, keep in mind that the book's title is The Princess Bride, S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. Basically, what Goldman does is this -- he tells his readers that the book they are holding in their hand (his book) is actually the abridgment of the original PB written by this invented author, Morgenstern. As a child, says Goldman (within the novel, not in the introduction or anything), his father read PB to him aloud, and the boy fell in love with the book. When, as a father himself, he attempted to pass on this beloved childhood novel to his very fat and very spoiled son, he is shocked to find out that the boy can't get into the book -- because it is too long and too boring! It turns out that Goldman's father, when reading to the boy, had skipped hundreds of pages of political and historical satire! So, when Goldman's own son attempted to read the book, he found it overly dry and long. This leads Goldman to undertake the task of abridging PB and basically re-publish the book as his father had read it to him -- just the adventure plot and the romance.
While bearing this in mind, you must remember that Goldman is making all of this up. There is no Morgenstern, no original PB. The project in itself is quite interesting and it had me excited at reading a book that really messed with the reader's perception of narrator, of what's real and what isn't. Goldman often includes long parenthesis in which he bitches about his frigid wife or his snotty son, or over some of the stunted romantic liaisons that he failed at. All in all, I must say, that the actual narrator of PB comes off as an ego maniacal and pathetic loser who happens to have been the screenwriter for some awesome movies (think "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Misery." (One interesting aside is the confrontation between Goldman and Stephen King over supposedly abridging the sequel to PB, called Buttercup's Baby, a conversation in which they discuss Kathy Bates' performance in "Misery.")
Once you get over the self-loathing and self-loving that the narrator is indulging in while writing this book, you get to the actual storyline. Westley hearts Buttercup, but she is to be married to Prince Humperdink. Meanwhile, Inigo Montoya searches for his father's six-fingered murderer, Fezzik plods along like a dumb giant, and about 300 pages into the novel, these 2 team up with Westley in an attempt to steal Buttercup away from Humperdink.
The good news is that some of the movie's best scenes are taken verbatim from the book. Inigo Montoya is as fabulous here as he is in the movie. Actually, even more so, because you get a pretty in depth history of his childhood, his training, his thought process. He is by far the most interesting character in the novel.
The scene with Miracle Max is also as rewarding as it is in the movie, and the funniest scene in the book is the marriage (mawwiage) scene.
Still, a couple interesting scenes do not a great novel make, and for once, I may have found a book that I enjoyed less than its film adaptation! Ring the bells and sound the alarms!!
Ah, and I see God is agreeing with me! I have just looked out of our great scenic window, and the most BEAUTIFUL rainbow has just appeared.
To wrap up, I must say that I was left a bit deflated by The Princess Bride. It has a little zing, a little sappy romance, and a little adventure, but overall, I think I approached it about 15 years too late. Had I read it when I was 10, I'm sure it would still to this day be one of my favorites.
P.S. Take one "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Repeat until it becomes unnerving. Result -- the best scene in the novel and the film, by a landslide. Oh, Inigo. I love you. And in this book, only you. I should pull a Goldman and abridge The Princess Bride and leave in only Inigo's part, and add on to his story line. Food for thought!
First of all, let's get all English-major on this, and talk about the meta-layered frame narratives going on in this novel. Holy cow! First of all, keep in mind that the book's title is The Princess Bride, S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. Basically, what Goldman does is this -- he tells his readers that the book they are holding in their hand (his book) is actually the abridgment of the original PB written by this invented author, Morgenstern. As a child, says Goldman (within the novel, not in the introduction or anything), his father read PB to him aloud, and the boy fell in love with the book. When, as a father himself, he attempted to pass on this beloved childhood novel to his very fat and very spoiled son, he is shocked to find out that the boy can't get into the book -- because it is too long and too boring! It turns out that Goldman's father, when reading to the boy, had skipped hundreds of pages of political and historical satire! So, when Goldman's own son attempted to read the book, he found it overly dry and long. This leads Goldman to undertake the task of abridging PB and basically re-publish the book as his father had read it to him -- just the adventure plot and the romance.
While bearing this in mind, you must remember that Goldman is making all of this up. There is no Morgenstern, no original PB. The project in itself is quite interesting and it had me excited at reading a book that really messed with the reader's perception of narrator, of what's real and what isn't. Goldman often includes long parenthesis in which he bitches about his frigid wife or his snotty son, or over some of the stunted romantic liaisons that he failed at. All in all, I must say, that the actual narrator of PB comes off as an ego maniacal and pathetic loser who happens to have been the screenwriter for some awesome movies (think "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Misery." (One interesting aside is the confrontation between Goldman and Stephen King over supposedly abridging the sequel to PB, called Buttercup's Baby, a conversation in which they discuss Kathy Bates' performance in "Misery.")
Once you get over the self-loathing and self-loving that the narrator is indulging in while writing this book, you get to the actual storyline. Westley hearts Buttercup, but she is to be married to Prince Humperdink. Meanwhile, Inigo Montoya searches for his father's six-fingered murderer, Fezzik plods along like a dumb giant, and about 300 pages into the novel, these 2 team up with Westley in an attempt to steal Buttercup away from Humperdink.
The good news is that some of the movie's best scenes are taken verbatim from the book. Inigo Montoya is as fabulous here as he is in the movie. Actually, even more so, because you get a pretty in depth history of his childhood, his training, his thought process. He is by far the most interesting character in the novel.
The scene with Miracle Max is also as rewarding as it is in the movie, and the funniest scene in the book is the marriage (mawwiage) scene.
Still, a couple interesting scenes do not a great novel make, and for once, I may have found a book that I enjoyed less than its film adaptation! Ring the bells and sound the alarms!!
Ah, and I see God is agreeing with me! I have just looked out of our great scenic window, and the most BEAUTIFUL rainbow has just appeared.
To wrap up, I must say that I was left a bit deflated by The Princess Bride. It has a little zing, a little sappy romance, and a little adventure, but overall, I think I approached it about 15 years too late. Had I read it when I was 10, I'm sure it would still to this day be one of my favorites.
P.S. Take one "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Repeat until it becomes unnerving. Result -- the best scene in the novel and the film, by a landslide. Oh, Inigo. I love you. And in this book, only you. I should pull a Goldman and abridge The Princess Bride and leave in only Inigo's part, and add on to his story line. Food for thought!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2020
I hate saying this but the movie is legitimately better. This book at times felt like an odd first draft of my favorite movie to me—quotes that I loved in the movie are somehow delivered in a manner that is rather oddly unfunny. I think this might be a case of the movie ruining it a bit for me... but also, I doubt I would've ever loved the movie as much if I had read this first.
I read this from someone who’s read the book before: do not read the 20th-anniversary introduction. As someone who read it unwittingly I can confirm it’s fifty pages long and not good. Also, and I wish I had something better to say about this--the framing device is so obsessed with the fact that his son is fat and it gets really distasteful. It’s not even funny in the first place. I feel the same way about the Buttercup's Baby outro, which just felt like it ruined my childhood a bit (it kills off a character? I think temporarily? But it still kills off a character? It's also just still not funny?)
I genuinely think without the intro and outro making me feel like I wanted to kill William Goldman I probably would've liked this a lot more. As it was, they just made me feel a weird sort of animosity towards the author, not for ruining his book but for thinking he's funny enough for me to read a 50-page backstory about him finding this book and reading to his son (who is fat, I don't know if you heard. did you know that?).
Here are some things I did enjoy about this book:
→The timeless feeling to the story
→The feeling of the story within a story, the edited version of an obsessed-with-beauty fairy tale, is fun
→Inigo Montoya you killed my father prepare to die is still iconic
→Fezzik’s backstory!! I liked that a lot!!
→Westley is way more useless at the beginning of this book and I thought that was funny
→Humperdink is a little different from the movie but equally amusing
→Buttercup has some character development! Not a lot but some fun stuff!
→I love you so much more now than twenty minutes ago that there cannot be comparison. I love you so much more now than when you opened your hovel door, there cannot be comparison. There is no room in my body for anything but you. My arms love you, my ears adore you, my knees shake with blind affection. My mind begs you to ask it something so it can obey.
I have mixed feelings on this and I really wish I hadn't read the intro now.
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I read this from someone who’s read the book before: do not read the 20th-anniversary introduction. As someone who read it unwittingly I can confirm it’s fifty pages long and not good. Also, and I wish I had something better to say about this--the framing device is so obsessed with the fact that his son is fat and it gets really distasteful. It’s not even funny in the first place. I feel the same way about the Buttercup's Baby outro, which just felt like it ruined my childhood a bit (it kills off a character? I think temporarily? But it still kills off a character? It's also just still not funny?)
I genuinely think without the intro and outro making me feel like I wanted to kill William Goldman I probably would've liked this a lot more. As it was, they just made me feel a weird sort of animosity towards the author, not for ruining his book but for thinking he's funny enough for me to read a 50-page backstory about him finding this book and reading to his son (who is fat, I don't know if you heard. did you know that?).
Here are some things I did enjoy about this book:
→The timeless feeling to the story
→The feeling of the story within a story, the edited version of an obsessed-with-beauty fairy tale, is fun
→Inigo Montoya you killed my father prepare to die is still iconic
→Fezzik’s backstory!! I liked that a lot!!
→Westley is way more useless at the beginning of this book and I thought that was funny
→Humperdink is a little different from the movie but equally amusing
→Buttercup has some character development! Not a lot but some fun stuff!
→I love you so much more now than twenty minutes ago that there cannot be comparison. I love you so much more now than when you opened your hovel door, there cannot be comparison. There is no room in my body for anything but you. My arms love you, my ears adore you, my knees shake with blind affection. My mind begs you to ask it something so it can obey.
I have mixed feelings on this and I really wish I hadn't read the intro now.
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January 12, 2021
I absolutely loved The Silent Gondoliers. It was just a perfect gem in every way, 5 stars was not enough reward for it's brilliance. With that in mind I was hyped to read The Princess Bride and not ready at all for the experience.
When I lived in Jerusalem I used to leave the snowy heights in winter for the perpetual summer of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, about an hour away. Swimming was impossible, the water buoyed you up, rejected you even so that body parts were impossible to keep submerged. It was such fun, an amazing experience, something really special. After that I would run for the deep pools of fresh spring water to wash the salt off my skin. You jump in and sink to the bottom. It is a shock to the brain after the floating on the Dead Sea. You can't prepare yourself for the sinking, it is like an optical illusion, but a sensory one instead. And so it was with the Princess Bride.
For me, it just sank like a stone beneath the consciousness of the fun and perfection of the Silent Gondoliers. There you go. Maybe I will watch the film one day, I hear it is better.
When I lived in Jerusalem I used to leave the snowy heights in winter for the perpetual summer of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, about an hour away. Swimming was impossible, the water buoyed you up, rejected you even so that body parts were impossible to keep submerged. It was such fun, an amazing experience, something really special. After that I would run for the deep pools of fresh spring water to wash the salt off my skin. You jump in and sink to the bottom. It is a shock to the brain after the floating on the Dead Sea. You can't prepare yourself for the sinking, it is like an optical illusion, but a sensory one instead. And so it was with the Princess Bride.
For me, it just sank like a stone beneath the consciousness of the fun and perfection of the Silent Gondoliers. There you go. Maybe I will watch the film one day, I hear it is better.
April 26, 2018
Prince Humperdinck of Florin, an adept hunter but terrible human being, wants to start a war with the neighboring, equally tiny, kingdom of Guilder. To this end he schemes to marry a beautiful peasant lass named Buttercup, market her as Florin’s sweetheart, have her assassinated, and frame Guilder. In these machinations he is assisted by Count Rugen, a sadist obsessed with measuring pain.
A trio of mercenaries—Vizzini thedelusional windbag “dizzying intellect” from Sicily, Iñigo the master Spanish swordsman, and Fezzik the giant Turkish wrestler—are recruited to stage Buttercup’s abduction and dispose of her in the general neighborhood of Guilder. But as they traverse the Cliffs of Insanity, they are pursued by the Dread Pirate Roberts, a black-clad masked man whom no giant fist, well-wielded blade, or pompous brilliant mind can stop.
Why is Buttercup so important to Roberts? Is he connected to Westley, Buttercup’s farm-boy sweetheart who sailed away years ago to seek his fortune?
William Goldman’s novel, which satirizes old-fashioned swashbucklers and merrily bulldozes the fourth wall every other page, was published in 1975, but largely overshadowed by the 1987 film adaptation, wherein Goldman wrote the screenplay of his own novel. A central conceit of the story is that Goldman’s work is a mere abridged version of a longwinded epic by the fictitious S. Morgenstern. The layers of meta-commentary can feel a bit stifling; luckily the film dispenses with Goldman’s “scholarly” digressions, using a grandpa reading to his grandson as a framing device instead.
The book is not quite as family-friendly as the movie. In one of the many forewords—this book has as many forewords as The Return of the King had endings—Goldman finds himself chatting up a bikini-clad woman one-third his age while he’s supposed to be buying his young son a birthday present (both the woman and the son are fictional).
Then in the epilogue, “Buttercup’s Baby,” we see Buttercup teasing Westley into bed with her. It’s not graphic or salacious at all—quite tame by adult fiction standards, and substantially less horny than many a modern YA—but stuff like this is intrusive and weird when you remember that people show the movie to six-year-olds.
Finally, while I thoroughly enjoyed Goldman’s asides at first, they can seriously disrupt the story’s flow at some points and become a chore to slog through. The multiple forwards are too long, especially combined. The Hollywood secrets and Morgenstern gags are hilarious in moderation, but I think he overused them.
The funniest material by far is in the story proper, almost all of which made it into the film:
"True love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. Everyone knows that" ~Miracle Max (GIF unavailable)
Also, Buttercup’s horse is named Horse. Goldman tells us she wasn’t very creative.
The book I recommend for people who love the movie and are very patient.
The movie I recommend for everyone. The jokes work beautifully on screen, and every character is perfectly cast. Watch it today!
A trio of mercenaries—Vizzini the
Why is Buttercup so important to Roberts? Is he connected to Westley, Buttercup’s farm-boy sweetheart who sailed away years ago to seek his fortune?
William Goldman’s novel, which satirizes old-fashioned swashbucklers and merrily bulldozes the fourth wall every other page, was published in 1975, but largely overshadowed by the 1987 film adaptation, wherein Goldman wrote the screenplay of his own novel. A central conceit of the story is that Goldman’s work is a mere abridged version of a longwinded epic by the fictitious S. Morgenstern. The layers of meta-commentary can feel a bit stifling; luckily the film dispenses with Goldman’s “scholarly” digressions, using a grandpa reading to his grandson as a framing device instead.
The book is not quite as family-friendly as the movie. In one of the many forewords—this book has as many forewords as The Return of the King had endings—Goldman finds himself chatting up a bikini-clad woman one-third his age while he’s supposed to be buying his young son a birthday present (both the woman and the son are fictional).
Then in the epilogue, “Buttercup’s Baby,” we see Buttercup teasing Westley into bed with her. It’s not graphic or salacious at all—quite tame by adult fiction standards, and substantially less horny than many a modern YA—but stuff like this is intrusive and weird when you remember that people show the movie to six-year-olds.
Finally, while I thoroughly enjoyed Goldman’s asides at first, they can seriously disrupt the story’s flow at some points and become a chore to slog through. The multiple forwards are too long, especially combined. The Hollywood secrets and Morgenstern gags are hilarious in moderation, but I think he overused them.
The funniest material by far is in the story proper, almost all of which made it into the film:
"True love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. Everyone knows that" ~Miracle Max (GIF unavailable)
Also, Buttercup’s horse is named Horse. Goldman tells us she wasn’t very creative.
The book I recommend for people who love the movie and are very patient.
The movie I recommend for everyone. The jokes work beautifully on screen, and every character is perfectly cast. Watch it today!
May 31, 2015
The book was good, but I think the movie is better. They are very close to each other, but I think the movie cleaned it up quite a bit.
December 22, 2018
DNF at 60%.
How do you even begin to review a much-loved classic when you didn’t even manage to finish it? I tried. I really tried to like this book. But no, it just wouldn’t happen. To think this is Kate Daniels’ favourite book! To think the Beast Lord himself tells her “as you wish” at the end of Magic Burns! Why oh why couldn’t I like this book?! Oh well, I guess it can’t be helped.
So, let’s start from the beginning. I had a problem with this particular edition from the very first pages. First we have the introduction to the 30th edition: I read it and thought “wow that was tedious, this Goldman is pretty full of himself isn’t he?” Okay, so here I am ready to enjoy the story. But no, not happening. First you have to read the introduction to the 25th edition. Seriously? The first introduction wasn’t annoying enough so the publishers decided to add a second one? Oookay… I know I should have skipped it but I didn’t: more presumptuous blabbering courtesy of Goldman. Who does this guy think he is anyway?! I must admit, I wasn’t in the best disposition when I started reading the actual story, which probably didn’t help. Soooo, I finally get to the story, yay! Except not. Before you read the story you have to suffer through Goldman’s explanation as to why he supposedly decided to retell Morgenstern's tale. I understand this is part of the story too and it’s not completely uninteresting but at this point I just wanted to read to the freaking Princess Bride! No more Goldman talking about Goldman!
And so the story begins! Surprising as it may sound, I loved it at first. Well, I loved the first chapter. Then it all went downhill pretty fast, or, as we French put it, it collapsed like a soufflé. To put it plainly: I was bored to death (I said that already didn’t I?) and I didn’t like the characters at all. Buttercup: beautiful (yes I got that the first time you wrote it, no need to re-hash every two seconds) and utterly useless. I like my heroines badass and butt-kicking (too much UF I’m afraid) so Buttercup and I were on a collision course from the start. Westley: is this guy for real? Doesn’t he have a single flaw? I mean, how perfect can you get? Boring, boring, boring. Come to think of it, what bothered me most here is that the whole thing was so completely, absolutely cliché from beginning to end (which is quite ironic when you think of it, since the story is supposed to be a parody of the genre). I guess I should have thought twice about reading the book because it is, after all, a fairytale. Strangely enough, I was expecting a fairytale with a twist, something that would make it less… fairytale-y I guess. Don’t know why. I did see the movie when it first came out and enjoyed it (as far as I can remember). Then again, I was only a teenager at the time and the whole damsel in distress thing might have appealed to me then.
So there you have it. I didn’t like it. I don’t even know why I’m giving it two stars since I didn’t even finish it. Oh well, I might not be a fairytale kind of girl but I too have a heart. Make of it what you will.
How do you even begin to review a much-loved classic when you didn’t even manage to finish it? I tried. I really tried to like this book. But no, it just wouldn’t happen. To think this is Kate Daniels’ favourite book! To think the Beast Lord himself tells her “as you wish” at the end of Magic Burns! Why oh why couldn’t I like this book?! Oh well, I guess it can’t be helped.
So, let’s start from the beginning. I had a problem with this particular edition from the very first pages. First we have the introduction to the 30th edition: I read it and thought “wow that was tedious, this Goldman is pretty full of himself isn’t he?” Okay, so here I am ready to enjoy the story. But no, not happening. First you have to read the introduction to the 25th edition. Seriously? The first introduction wasn’t annoying enough so the publishers decided to add a second one? Oookay… I know I should have skipped it but I didn’t: more presumptuous blabbering courtesy of Goldman. Who does this guy think he is anyway?! I must admit, I wasn’t in the best disposition when I started reading the actual story, which probably didn’t help. Soooo, I finally get to the story, yay! Except not. Before you read the story you have to suffer through Goldman’s explanation as to why he supposedly decided to retell Morgenstern's tale. I understand this is part of the story too and it’s not completely uninteresting but at this point I just wanted to read to the freaking Princess Bride! No more Goldman talking about Goldman!
And so the story begins! Surprising as it may sound, I loved it at first. Well, I loved the first chapter. Then it all went downhill pretty fast, or, as we French put it, it collapsed like a soufflé. To put it plainly: I was bored to death (I said that already didn’t I?) and I didn’t like the characters at all. Buttercup: beautiful (yes I got that the first time you wrote it, no need to re-hash every two seconds) and utterly useless. I like my heroines badass and butt-kicking (too much UF I’m afraid) so Buttercup and I were on a collision course from the start. Westley: is this guy for real? Doesn’t he have a single flaw? I mean, how perfect can you get? Boring, boring, boring. Come to think of it, what bothered me most here is that the whole thing was so completely, absolutely cliché from beginning to end (which is quite ironic when you think of it, since the story is supposed to be a parody of the genre). I guess I should have thought twice about reading the book because it is, after all, a fairytale. Strangely enough, I was expecting a fairytale with a twist, something that would make it less… fairytale-y I guess. Don’t know why. I did see the movie when it first came out and enjoyed it (as far as I can remember). Then again, I was only a teenager at the time and the whole damsel in distress thing might have appealed to me then.
So there you have it. I didn’t like it. I don’t even know why I’m giving it two stars since I didn’t even finish it. Oh well, I might not be a fairytale kind of girl but I too have a heart. Make of it what you will.
March 24, 2021
This book was so fun!! I actually believed it's an abridged book, Goldman totally got me! I liked the way he wrote The Princess Birde. The silly humor, the amazing characters, the wonderful story, everything was so damn entertaining!!
January 12, 2020
My kind of book:
He held up a book then. “I'm going to read it to you for relax.”
“Does it have any sports in it?”
“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders... Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.”
“Sounds okay,” I said.
My kind of love:
‘I love you,’ Buttercup said. ‘I know this must come as something of a surprise to you, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm.’
My kind of sacrifice and humbleness:
“I've been saying it so long to you, you just wouldn't listen. Every time you said 'Farm Boy do this' you thought I was answering 'As you wish' but that's only because you were hearing wrong. 'I love you' was what it was, but you never heard.”
My kind of heroes:
“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!”
And this book is definitely one of my favourite romantic books of all times!
This is true love — you think this happens every day?
He held up a book then. “I'm going to read it to you for relax.”
“Does it have any sports in it?”
“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders... Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.”
“Sounds okay,” I said.
My kind of love:
‘I love you,’ Buttercup said. ‘I know this must come as something of a surprise to you, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm.’
My kind of sacrifice and humbleness:
“I've been saying it so long to you, you just wouldn't listen. Every time you said 'Farm Boy do this' you thought I was answering 'As you wish' but that's only because you were hearing wrong. 'I love you' was what it was, but you never heard.”
My kind of heroes:
“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!”
And this book is definitely one of my favourite romantic books of all times!
This is true love — you think this happens every day?
March 5, 2017
“Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning.”Just a glimpse of The Princess Bride to wet your appetite. Wow, I loved it! The book is about true love and adventure. It has everything, as William Goldman describes in the beginning:
“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders... Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles”.Despite setbacks and misfortune along the way, there is a feeling that everything will turn out all right in the end, and it does. But it’s also about friendship. Inigo, the greatest swordsman in the world, and Fezzik, the gentle giant that loved rhymes, are great! The scene when they go down the Zoo of Death together is memorable and shows how superb a writer Goldman is.
“Two things happened:So yes, read The Princess Bride and see the movie. Maybe even better than the book, hard to tell, as I saw it a long time ago. But it’s worth a rerun!
(1) The door, quite clearly, locked.
(2) Out went the candles on the high walls.
"DON'T BE FRIGHTENED!" Inigo screamed.
"I'M NOT, I'M NOT!" Fezzik screamed.”
Some other quotes I loved:
“Now what happens?" asked the man in black.
"We face each other as God intended," Fezzik said. "No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone."
"You mean you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll try to kill each other like civilized people, is that it?”
“People don't remember me. Really. It's not a paranoid thing; I just have this habit of slipping through memories. It doesn't bother me all that much, except I guess that's a lie; it does. For some reason, I test very high on forgettability.”
And some more:
“Love is many things none of them logical.”___
“Look. (Grow-ups skip this paragraph.) I'm not about to tell you this book has a tragic ending. I already said in the very first line how it is my favorite in all the world. But there's a lot of bad stuff coming up, torture you've already been prepared for, but there's worse. There's death coming up, and you better understand this: Some of the wrong people die. Be ready for it. This isn't Curious George Uses the Potty. Nobody warned me and it was my own fault (you'll see what I mean in a little) and that was my mistake, so I'm not letting it happen to you. The wrong people die, some of them, and the reason is this: life is not fair. Forget all the garbage your parents put out.”
October 10, 2015
I feel the need to gush. I've set aside the many books I want to read for the moment in favor of rereading this one. I loved it when I read it way back in about the sixth grade, so I thought it was time I give it another shot.
As much as I loved it as a kid, I love it more now. Maybe because I can appreciate it on different levels. I'm only about halfway through on my reread, but I've come to the conclusion that Goldman is a genius. The story, characters, and dialogue are impressive enough, but then you add in the whole bit about Morgernstern. I mean, here Goldman wrote this amazing story, and then he makes up a story about another man who wrote the story. Then he makes up a fictional story about his father reading him this story written by someone else, and later about his process of "abridging" the story. He even makes up a fictional wife and son who play their own parts in this. He throws in asides written by himself, and asides written by Mogernstern, and asides written by himself about the asides written by Morgernstern. He claims to have written a reunion scene that readers can request to have sent to them by the publisher, and when people did write in for it, Goldman sent them back a letter all about the legal reasons he could not send them the scene - all fictional, of course. (The man had me going for years. I read this thing when I was in sixth grade, mind you. I didn't realize there was no S. Morgernstern until I was in college.)
Anyway, while I was absolutely enthralled with this book, it occured to me today that I would put it on par with some of the greats, like Twain. The literary devices, the story, the wit, the satire (I think he's even satiric regarding satire itself) - I don't care if it got turned into a silly movie with a cult following*, I think this one of the few modern books I've read that I'd call Literature.
Plus, you know, it's also an amazing story. Zoo of Death, the most beautiful woman in the world, the Dread Pirate Roberts, a prince plotting murder to start a war, a hunchback criminal mastermind, a giant, the greatest swordfighter on the planet, true love, revenge . . . who doesn't love that sort of thing? The man is a genius.
* No disrespect of the movie intended. It's good. Mind you, it was the first movie I'd watched that I'd read the book first, and it devastated me. I mean it absolutely broke my heart. None of the charactes looked right. Everything was changed. The sharks were turned into eels. This person spoke a line meant for that person. Things were left out. It was all wrong. It just wasn't the book and I didn't like it. I've resigned myself to it since then, and admitted that yes, the movie is good and I forgive it it's shortcomings. It did the best it could. The movie can't help it it's not as amazing as the book. There are so many things that just can't be translated to film, and there's no help for it.
As much as I loved it as a kid, I love it more now. Maybe because I can appreciate it on different levels. I'm only about halfway through on my reread, but I've come to the conclusion that Goldman is a genius. The story, characters, and dialogue are impressive enough, but then you add in the whole bit about Morgernstern. I mean, here Goldman wrote this amazing story, and then he makes up a story about another man who wrote the story. Then he makes up a fictional story about his father reading him this story written by someone else, and later about his process of "abridging" the story. He even makes up a fictional wife and son who play their own parts in this. He throws in asides written by himself, and asides written by Mogernstern, and asides written by himself about the asides written by Morgernstern. He claims to have written a reunion scene that readers can request to have sent to them by the publisher, and when people did write in for it, Goldman sent them back a letter all about the legal reasons he could not send them the scene - all fictional, of course. (The man had me going for years. I read this thing when I was in sixth grade, mind you. I didn't realize there was no S. Morgernstern until I was in college.)
Anyway, while I was absolutely enthralled with this book, it occured to me today that I would put it on par with some of the greats, like Twain. The literary devices, the story, the wit, the satire (I think he's even satiric regarding satire itself) - I don't care if it got turned into a silly movie with a cult following*, I think this one of the few modern books I've read that I'd call Literature.
Plus, you know, it's also an amazing story. Zoo of Death, the most beautiful woman in the world, the Dread Pirate Roberts, a prince plotting murder to start a war, a hunchback criminal mastermind, a giant, the greatest swordfighter on the planet, true love, revenge . . . who doesn't love that sort of thing? The man is a genius.
* No disrespect of the movie intended. It's good. Mind you, it was the first movie I'd watched that I'd read the book first, and it devastated me. I mean it absolutely broke my heart. None of the charactes looked right. Everything was changed. The sharks were turned into eels. This person spoke a line meant for that person. Things were left out. It was all wrong. It just wasn't the book and I didn't like it. I've resigned myself to it since then, and admitted that yes, the movie is good and I forgive it it's shortcomings. It did the best it could. The movie can't help it it's not as amazing as the book. There are so many things that just can't be translated to film, and there's no help for it.
May 26, 2008
I'm a little biased when it comes to this book. Yes, I saw the movie first and it made me happier than anything I've ever seen before or since. Yes, I do consider how much a person likes The Princess Bride before determining how good a friend to be with them. (I don't insist on it, but it can queer a good friendship)
I'm not alone in this, but I do share a similar affinity for the book, despite discrepancies that may make others blanche. And even for me Fezzik will always be a Frenchman and not a Turk, and Goldman's "Zoo of Death" will be forever confused with "The Pits of Despair" but these are minor points.
The fact is that Goldman is a hell of a writer. The movie is great because it uses his screenplay wonderfully. The book is fantastic becasue he employs all his talents. He is a master of dialogue (what else would you expect from a man with two screenplay Oscars?), he details setting and character with a few quick flashes of his pen, and he has enough acerbic wit to have created what is, at once, both a brilliant satire of fairy tales and a compellingly readable fairy tale in its own right.
One of the surprising things is that Goldman sticks so doggedly to the conceit that there is an S. Mogenstern, a country called Florin, and that the novel is at once really "abridged" rather than written by him, and that everything actually does happen.
That becomes a trifle irritating, you almost want the man to admit that: "yes, I am the man, I did write something that is beloved and adored and will be passed down from generation to generation, just as I claimed this book was passed down to me. Only, it is all me. My imagination, my genius, bow down and praise me!"
But he doesn't. And that, though irritating, is actually one of the best things about the book. Goldman himself suspends his disbelief and forces us to do the same. Imagination takes hold at the beginning and our immersion in it makes every page, every quip tantalizing to behold and easy to savor.
I'm not alone in this, but I do share a similar affinity for the book, despite discrepancies that may make others blanche. And even for me Fezzik will always be a Frenchman and not a Turk, and Goldman's "Zoo of Death" will be forever confused with "The Pits of Despair" but these are minor points.
The fact is that Goldman is a hell of a writer. The movie is great because it uses his screenplay wonderfully. The book is fantastic becasue he employs all his talents. He is a master of dialogue (what else would you expect from a man with two screenplay Oscars?), he details setting and character with a few quick flashes of his pen, and he has enough acerbic wit to have created what is, at once, both a brilliant satire of fairy tales and a compellingly readable fairy tale in its own right.
One of the surprising things is that Goldman sticks so doggedly to the conceit that there is an S. Mogenstern, a country called Florin, and that the novel is at once really "abridged" rather than written by him, and that everything actually does happen.
That becomes a trifle irritating, you almost want the man to admit that: "yes, I am the man, I did write something that is beloved and adored and will be passed down from generation to generation, just as I claimed this book was passed down to me. Only, it is all me. My imagination, my genius, bow down and praise me!"
But he doesn't. And that, though irritating, is actually one of the best things about the book. Goldman himself suspends his disbelief and forces us to do the same. Imagination takes hold at the beginning and our immersion in it makes every page, every quip tantalizing to behold and easy to savor.
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