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 More...

Review Temporarily Removed.

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 as 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 g More...

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 t More...

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 s More...

I'm probably spoiled because I have seen the movie version of "The Princess Bride" about a gazillion times. As I read, I just pictured Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patikin, et al. as the characters. I even heard their voices in the dialog. That said, "The Princess Bride" is a brilliantly executed concept. It's really a novel within a novel as Goldman tells a fiction story about his relationship with S. Morgenstern's "The Princess Bride" and his path to abridging it so it only has the "good pa More...

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 More...

I am currently writing this review, having stayed up all night with the beginnings of a cold, and being sick from something I ate yesterday.

Unfortunately, I live on my own and both my male grandparents are no longer with us, so I didn't get to sit up in bed and listen to S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure – the 'good parts' version – being narrated by my grandfather, like the kid in the movie. Also, my dad is generally too busy, so that cuts William Goldman's own accou More...

It’s incredibly hard for me to write a review for this book because I had such high expectations for it. At the same time though it was entertaining and had everything it promised: high action, revenge, miracles and most importantly true love. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that bothered me. What kept from loving it.
At first I thought maybe it was the fact that the main characters didn't always seem to do the noble and honorable thing (sometimes I questioned if Westley and Buttercup rea More...

Let me make it clear from the start that S. Morgenstern is a fictitious character created by William Goldman. I was confused about that at first because Goldman (the narrator) acts as if Morgenstern were real. In this 30th anniversary edition of the book, he even details his hassel from being sued by the Morgenstern Estate, so I just had to check it out.

I would give the original version of this book (the 1973 one) 4 stars because it has just 1 introduction and the story of The Princess Bride and More...

What a charming read. This is one of the few books where I saw the movie first then read the book. I think William Goldman's book was largely "unknown" until the movie came out.

Like Shawshank Redepmtion and Stand by Me (Based on the novella The Body) this is one of the most accurate book to screen apdaptations. It is almost verbatium from the book and the few variations (Zoo of Death rather than Pit of Despair) have no real impact on the story.

Being as I edit fantasy (visa-vie my husband's books More...

Sometimes you just want to pick up a book that will make you laugh out loud and will bring back childhood memories. Learning to read, finding a great fairy tale, and being drawn in by adventure. This book has it all - a princess, a hero, a jerky prince, love, adventure, a giant, pirates, a man with six fingers, torture, and loads of laughter. Love it mucho!!!

I can't believe I thought Morgenstern was real. Not for long, really. But still. When I discovered he wasn't I hated this book for a while. But then I reread it and it was awesome in an entirely new way. I'm still not a huge fan of the fake little tidbits that the "abridgment" offers, especially the allusions to Florin as a real place, but I generally just skip over those. Also, I find the story of Goldman and his fat kid vaguely depressing. And I didn't like the part about Westley wearing jeans More...

GOLDMAN, you GENIUS. You had me going there. :D Seriously, I wanted to write to his publishing company to read his version of the reunion scene.

Initial Thoughts:
1. "Wait a minute... I thought this was... Okay, maybe it isn't. WAIT. IS IT REALLY? Hmmm..." I was asking myself this while I was reading this book so many times! When I finished the book, and finally had to confirm or bust my questions, I was laughing. That's how awesome Goldman's writing is. :D And that's what I loved most about this More...

I loved this as a child, and one of things I love best, then and now, is the conceit of all the layers, Goldman's claim that Morgenstern was real, that M. wrote a socio-political satire that needed to be trimmed to the story G's father read to child Goldman....

I liked that this time I read it, as an adult, I realized that G himself was the satirist, and that one of the things he was digging at was fantasy stories with iconographic heroes and villains (note that the richer characters are the sid More...

This book has its moments, but I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. It's all very clever and playful and a little bit silly. But for all the originality in the telling, it really doesn't end up anywhere worth going. I did enjoy it on the whole, but I found my mind straying quite a bit thanks to a lot of "device" and not enough story. Said device being the premise that the story is an abridgment of a very old classic, with the "abridger" insinuating himself into the story to tell you about th More...

I possess the wherewithall to assert that this book is even better than the movie. I laughed out loud many times. I love his writing style.

So this is the second book that I've read on my roommate's recommendation, the first being Jurassic Park. With both of these, he told me that the book was better than the movie. With Jurassic Park, I just flat-out disagree. With this, I am much more on his side.

Most of the really funny lines in the movie are taken verbatim from the book (yes, even down to Peter O'Toole's charmingly impedimental wedding ceremony). The only alterations made to the actual story are slightly better in the book (Viz More...

The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies. But I resisted watching it when it first came out. I thought the title was dumb (still do, actually) and hadn't heard or seen anything about it that really piqued my interest. My best friend, knowing my interests and convinced I'd like the movie if I tried it, invited me over for some other reason and had the video waiting for me. So I watched. And I liked it, aside from thinking Buttercup was too mean to Westley on the farm. My friend thought I' More...

If you only know THE PRINCESS BRIDE from the film, turn off your computer immediately and find a copy of the book. The film is a thing unto itself and enchanting on its own terms, but because it's a movie Goldman had to redesign his novel in a way that de-emphasized one of its most compelling themes: why books matter, what we learn from them about life and about being human, and why certain books stay with us in the way that they do -- why, in fact, we are all on this website.

Most of this takes More...

Very enjoyable. If you've seen the movie (and who hasn't seen the movie?) you already know eighty-five percent of what occurs in the book. Westley's just as dashing (and somewhat prickish), Buttercup's just as dull and self-absorbed, and Inigo and Fezzik are just as lovable and engaging (their characters make the book in the same way they make the movie). I liked it even better than the author's other major work, The Lord of the Flies*. The central conceit that this is an abridgment of an early- More...

Warning: Any forthcoming review is resultant from necessary tidying of read and as of yet not reviewed books.

Basically this is every bit as good as the film. I suspect that the brilliance of the film may have altered some perspectives of this as a work of fiction but the book was the original. And the film basically sticks identically to the book. I know the fact that the title includes both 'Princess' and 'Bride' may also have discouraged some potential readers. However it's a trap. The book fo More...

LOVE this story and I just dig that William Goldman put all the ridiculous backstory in just to cater to his own humor! That man put the smart in smartarse!! Hilariously written as an instant classic, it has everything that a fairytale should have and I love, love, love it! Didn't get a chance to read the Buttercups Baby story before I had to take it back, but I was only after the story from the movie that has been a favorite for years. I officially have a crush on William Goldman even though he More...

Wow! A beautiful read. I would highly recommend this book to all. It left me speechless. I'm not so good at reviewing, and I am not worthy reviewing this masterpiece - I can just say, if you still haven't read it, do it - NOW! :)

Without a shred of doubt; one of the best books I've ever read. If you happen to enjoy the act of picking up and reading a dead tree containing words then, I think, these words are about as good as you are likely to find. A masterpiece.

Har har har har har har har I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I did not like this book. It was EXTREMELY discrimintaing in my opinion, and I don't think it teaches good values to people who read it. It made me just mad, especially because it bashed-

A. Who I am.
B. What I want to become, and what I love.

It was very just wrong how discriminating he was against women. He made sure we all understood just how stupid women are, and that they can't do anything themselves. Also, according to him, we're all unloyal, backstabing prats, who are flippant, and immature More...

Before an actual (short) review, here's my own Instruction Manual for reading this 30th Anniversary Edition of The Princess Bride:
1. An original introduction to The Princess Bride
2. The Princess Bride itself
3. An Introduction to the 25th Anniversary Edition
4. An Introduction (Explanation) to The Buttercup's Baby
5. The Buttercup's Baby
6. An Introduction to the 30th Anniversary Edition

The above mentioned Reading Sequence is important if you wish to maximize your reading pleasure. Otherwise you wil More...

I grew up loving, adoring, obsessing over The Princess Bride movie, and I'm not afraid to share the fact that I would go around quoting during my youth, and maybe now - so what of it? - in my best Castilian accent, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." I thought I was über cool and still do. Anyway, when I read this book (I was clueless to the fact that the amazing movie was actually based on a novel of the same name) I couldn't put it down. William Goldman is hysteri More...