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Delightful and Charming Jul 28, 2000 (186 of 195 found this helpful)
"Wait a minute, wait a minute....Is this a kissing book?" Well, yes and no...you'll just have to read it to find out for yourself.
William Goldman is a legend in the world of screenwriting, known for his clever, crisp dialogue and engrossing narrative, so why should his novels be any different?
Utterly charming, 'The Princess Bride' combines action, adventure, plenty of swordplay, and yes, some kissing....Those of you who only saw the movie (also writen by Goldman -- see my DVD review) are missing out on many of the delights of the book, notably on the developed backstory of the characters and the clean, wry prose.
Here's a bit of trivia: First, there is NO S. Morgenstern -- he is made up, fictitious, a red herring...accept it and move on. Second, Mr. Goldman will send you a lost section if you write to his address and request it (the one of mentions in the book)! When I first read that 10 years ago, I wrote to the company mentioned in the book and was delighted to receive my bonus section! (Hey, Mr Goldman if you are reading this, I lost my copy 3 years ago when I moved to LA! Could you please send me another one? ) :)
Cherish this book and keep it to share with your children.
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Loverley book and this is not an abridgement Jun 11, 2001 (117 of 124 found this helpful)
I have loved this book for years (I think it may be my favorite) William Goldman is a talented author especially with dialogue. This is a wonderful spoof/homage to old fashioned swashbuckling romance.
I noticed that a lot of people believe this book is an abridged version of the "original" S. Morgenstern book. Actually, Morgenstern does not exist, just try looking him up on the library of congress. He was just made up as part of the joke. Think about it, isn't a bit ironic that Morgenstern and William Goldman write EXACTLY the same way. This is supposed to be abridged, not rewritten. Plus, if Morgenstern existed, then Florin must too. Actually, Florin and Guilder were coins, the names were just borrowed. You'll never find the countries in your history book.
This is the Spinal Tap thing, the joke is done with a totally straight face so that there are always people who aren't exactly sure if it's the real deal. That was the reason Rob Reiner was chosen to direct the movie version.
Read this book, enjoy it, it is one of the best you will ever experience. The diaglogue is unforgetable (every sylabub!)
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INCONCEIVABLE!! Mar 1, 2002 (52 of 54 found this helpful)
The greatness of this book is truly, in the word's of Vizzini "INCONCEIVABLE!" What's this book about? Fencing, fighting, true love, strong hate, harsh revenge, a few giants, lots of bad men, lots of good men, pain, death, brave men, coward men, escapes, lies, truth, passion, miracles. It's hilarious, heart breaking, and terrifying all at the same time. If none of that sounds good to you, or if you've seen the movie and didn't like it, don't read the book. If you liked the movie, the book is twice as good!
Who's the genius behind this incredible book? The answer is simple, William Goldman (which is another whole story in its self). If you look at the book you'll read: "S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. The "good parts version" abriged by William Goldman." In Goldman's introduction he explains how when he was a ten years old and was home sick with pneumonia, his father read him the book. (Sound farmiliar? If you're remembering the scene between the grandfather and the boy in the book you're right.) His father was a poor, English struggling immigrant from Florin, the setting of the Princess Bride. His father explains how Morgenstern was a great writer in his country and that there it is a very famous book. Goldman obviously loves the book.
As a man, Goldman decides to give the book to his son, Jason for his tenth birthday. After putting in an enormous amount of time and money to track down the book, to his shock the son hates it. In turn, he decides to re-read the book for himself. What he discovers is that his father didn't actually read him the whole book, he only read him the good parts. The book in fact was not even really focussing on the story he heard, it's actually all about the history of Florin. Goldman decides to abridge the book with only the "good parts."
Everything I have just told you is a lie and it will drive you crazy the whole book! William Goldman did not in fact "abridge" the book he wrote the book. He invents Florin, he invents Jason, he invents everything! Why such a brilliant writer would completely give all the credit to another writer who never existed I will never understand. The book is filled with clever and hilarious "abridgement notes" from Goldman. Not only are they funny to read, they keep you on top of things so you never are confused or find yourself searching back for explanations. If you don't like this sort of thing, don't worry they're written in a way that can be easily skipped.
You can read about all of the plot in any other review, but in a couple of sentences: Buttercup falls in love with the gorgeous Farm Boy. He goes off to America to seek their fortune. Buttercup learns that he dies. She is forced to marry the awful Prince even though she vows never to love again. Buttercup gets kidnapped... this is just the beginning! If I go any farther I'll give it away! If this sounds like a stupid fairy tale to you TRUST ME its not! Sure, it's about love, but in between revenge, poison, a man obsessed with human pain, death, duels, well I think you get the idea.
As if all of this isn't enough! There is something special about this addition you can't find anywhere else.
If you want to read a great story about true love, victory, defeat, pain and if you want a book that will make you laugh out loud, cry, or tremble with fear this is THE book. I truly think I can honestly say there is no other book like it. I would would put it against any of the great fantasty story writer, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis anyday! It goes ten times faster than any of the Lord of the Rings and is in my opinion just as exciting if not more. One tip, if you haven't watched the movie READ THE BOOK FIRST! It's got so many exciting turns and such an incredible ending, don't ruin it for yourself like I did.
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One of the Greatest Jan 3, 2002 (27 of 28 found this helpful)
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. GREAT LITERATURE.
There's not a whole lot that's not in this novel. It succeeds at being maybe the funniest, most exciting, and satisfying stories yet written. Plus, the novel contains startling depth.
The writing of the novel is so superb. The prose is smooth and light. It is really conversational, and word-play abounds. The novel also (as the Amazon review pointed out) serves as a satire of adventure and fantasy novels of the past and comments on the differences between fantasy and reality. The structure of the novel (with the hilarious first chapter, the flashbacks, and the author-commentary) serves to frame those bits of insight Goldman is trying to get across. Consider the line "Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death, that's all." There's a lot in those words, and throughout the story, Goldman hammers home real truths about the nature of pain, death, and grief. And yet paradoxically, out of those truths The Princess Bride emerges as a story to give its reader reaffirmation in the greatness of life.
As you may can tell, The Princess Bride is my favorite novel. I've read it numerous times, and each time I read it, the book is better. I know that everybody watches the movie, and yes, the movie is great. Even a masterpiece. But the novel goes far beyond that. Read it.
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Oh, man... Jul 14, 1999 (31 of 35 found this helpful)
OK, I really liked this book. There's really nothing I can say that hasn't been mentioned already, but having scrolled through the one- and two-star reviews, I'd like to throw my 2 cents in:A) There IS NO original PRINCESS BRIDE. There is no "pre-Goldman" version. Goldman made the whole shebang up. B) Therefore, there is no S. Morgenstern. Did you think it was coincedence that their writing styles were exactly the same?C) There is no Florin & Guilder--that's what makes it a fantasy novel. Didn't you notice that the historical quips all contradicted each other?D) For those of you who were upset by the first 30 pages where Goldman rips his family--they too are made up. The author has no overweight son; I believe he has two daughters. He has a wife, but I assume (for Goldman's sake) that she isn't as bad as the novel suggests.Naysayers--read this novel for all its different levels...The fairy tale...And the larger theme of a Romantic coming to terms with a world where happy endings don't always happen.