Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you’ll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old … centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that’s home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”
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I usually think movies are never as good as the books, but one adaptation that does everything right is The Princess Bride. The narrative structure of the story-within-a-story is executed wonderfully and all the characters are totally captivating. If you haven’t read the book yet, what are you waiting for?
One of my all time favorite books. One of the few i have ready more than once. It has the humor of satire while at the same time the heart and adventure of an excellent fantasy.
I’ve watched the movie for years and years, but was intrigued as to what the book would be like. I finally decided to give it a try and am happy I did! It is quite different and packs in so much more information behind each character and why they are the way they are.
Chases, escapes, true love, shrieking eels, the Cliffs of Insanity, the Pit of Despair, holocaust cloaks, revenge, the Dread Pirate Roberts, duels, ROUS, what’s not to love?
What’s to write. Everyone loves the Princess Bride… well except those who unfathomably have an antipathy for it.
Question of the week wanted books to re-read – this is one of my favorites for that, and I come back to it when I need a little bit of comfort reading… The writing is snarky and clever, the story is a delight, and the characters are “inconceivable” in their originality (a nod to one of the more famous quotations). If you only know this one …
How does a lover of books arrive at even ten favorites? (Tell me. I need to know.) This one is such a favorite that I can’t believe I have not reviewed it here before now. The book is SO good, the author’s sixteen page forward even better, and the three page ravine scene one must write to the publisher to acquire is more of the same …
Love this book! What more is there to say! There aren’t enough stars to give this one. If you’ve only seen the movie, you must must must read the book.
I LOVE this book! Already, I’m looking forward to rereading it. The insight into Fezzik and Inigo’s backgrounds as well as the author’s notes (which were great fun) added to my enjoyment of this wonderful tale.
I read this as a teenager. Then, when my kids were small I read this chapter by chapter at bed time. This is the one story I read to them that held both of their attentions the whole way through. I do love the movie, but the book is so much better.
“The Princess Bride,” by William Goldman, was first published in 1973. It has since become a beloved story, better known as the movie by the same name that is now a Cult Classic. Before I go further, it is only fair to state that I love the movie. What’s not to love? A handsome young man, a beautiful maiden; a story of true love. Add to that the …
One of the best stories I’ve ever read. It combines pirates, princesses, giants, witches, goodguys,badguys, swordfighting, action, along with humor, and incredible wit. It’s a wonderful read, intelligently written, and very clever. It has twists and turns, and never leaves you bored…
I watched the movie, and then read the book when I was a teen. Still one of my all time favorites.
If you loved the movie (who doesn’t?), you should love the book, too. Some might find the construction a little off-putting after having the seamless and easy enjoyment of the movie, but it is well worth reading.
Classic of epic proportions. It’s full of wit, adventure, and hilarious characters. If you’re a fan of the movie, you’ll love the book.
It took me years to first decide to read this book. The edition the library had said it was “the good parts version”, which is usually code for ripping out scores of perfectly good pages from a novel and leaving a plot that barely coheres. In this case, however, it’s part of the story: S. Morgenstern does not exist, and the author is pretending to …
This book was a very different read than I was expecting. The added details and the commentary made me giggle. I enjoyed how all of the pieces worked together.
I was impressed with the strength of the women characters even though they did not say much. At first I was worried but Buttercup followed through and wasn’t afraid to follow thru.
Great read
A true love story and original tale.
I read this book in October of 2020 and am reviewing it in January 2021. I took a month off from reading in September of 2020 to cope with all the was 2020 and got back into this book as a means of pure escape.
I adored the movie for years and always wanted to read the book, but had no idea how much drama was involved with this story. I can’t …