From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The Princess Bride

William Goldman

Start date: September 1, 2023

Finish date: September 30, 2023

Discussion: Science Fiction and Fantasy

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Science Fiction and Fantasy

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What Members Thought

Dec 05, 2011 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, fantasy-or-paranormal, classics, children-fiction-young-adult, dangerous-or-bad-boy, books-to-movies

I saw the movie and loved it. I also loved this book. I'm not sure which one I liked better. The book went into a little more detail about the characters and had a few scenes not in the movies and yes, a few things were different. But there was enough that was the same that it kept true to the book and made it all the more endearing to me. Portions of the book where the author starts in about what was supposed to be in this or that chapter made the book lag a little for me but not enough to ruin ...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Douglas Beagley rated it it was amazing

I was far too young to read this.

William Goldman wrote The Princess Bride as a frame story, embedded in a rather terrible narrative about trying to redeem his (fictional) childhood memories of the (fictional) S. Morgenstern book. The use of that frame story is simultaneously what almost killed this book completely, making it inaccessible to the audience that would eventually embrace it, which of course allowed it to become a cult classic, and then a cult classic movie, perhaps even contributing I was far too young to read this.

William Goldman wrote The Princess Bride as a frame story, embedded in a rather terrible narrative about trying to redeem his (fictional) childhood memories of the (fictional) S. Morgenstern book. The use of that frame story is simultaneously what almost killed this book completely, making it inaccessible to the audience that would eventually embrace it, which of course allowed it to become a cult classic, and then a cult classic movie, perhaps even contributing to the invention of the idea of cult classic, and then, in the past few decades as Geekdom has become everything, just a plain, ordinary, well-known and well-loved classic.

I read The Princess Bride before I was old enough to understand most of what was going on in the frame narrative. The beat-up used paperback I found had, I think, one sentence of description including the now famous "fencing, fighting, true love, etc...." run on which I believe ended with "and a little sex." on my copy. I was probably 11? I was going to read the heck out of that book.

I proceeded to read Goldman's "Marathon Man" and "Magic" (which I later performed in a series of high school competitions), and a few others which I have forgotten. "Brothers", I think? Goldman is a pretty dark guy, sometimes, and that dark edginess is essential to what makes a good book. Don't give it to me easy. Even when you are being cute, hilarious, romantic, you've got to turn around and do something so dark that I almost look away.

Anyway, I read the book when I was far too young. My Aunt said, "I think they made a movie out of it," and I was excited to hear that, and eventually saw it. Both are very good, and for very different reasons, but it is clear that some of the magic of Goldman's inventiveness made it into the film, which is why it works.

For a long time, I recommended this book to everyone. It was the 80s, and then the 90s, and no one seemed to know about it. I just told them to skip the introduction. Eventually everyone knew about it and I could stop recommending it, but it was definitely my most "I knew you before you were cool, I don't know what you are anymore now that everyone else is dressing up as the man in black" experience.

Skip the introduction? Eh. Nah. Or maybe. I don't know. Peter Falk and Fred Savage, ultimately, were a better frame. ...more

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