From the Bookshelf of The Sword and Laser…

The Princess Bride

William Goldman

Start date: September 29, 2010

Finish date: November 24, 2010

Discussion: 2010 Reads

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2010 Reads

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What Members Thought

Sep 26, 2011 Eric rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic, fantasy

I've always been an advocate of reading the book first, but when the movie came out in 1987, I was six and had no idea it was based on a book (and shame on my Dad for not finding it and reading it to me). I loved the movie, and my familiarity with it (having watched it dozens of times) did not dampen my love for the book one bit.

The movie is one of the most faithful adaptations of a book I have ever read. Most of it is lifted directly from the book, which is wonderful, and I wish could be said ...more

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Dec 04, 2008 Carla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, not-own

This story takes place in Florin, that beautiful land from where comes the original author of the book, Simon Morgenstern, since the book by Goldman is nothing more than an abridged version; and where still lives family of the author Stephen King, who is in charge of abridging the next volume, Buttercup's Baby.

Did you believe it? Yeah, it's all a lie. (Does anybody really know a country named Florin?) But that is why this book is exceptional.

William Goldman starts by telling his story with this This story takes place in Florin, that beautiful land from where comes the original author of the book, Simon Morgenstern, since the book by Goldman is nothing more than an abridged version; and where still lives family of the author Stephen King, who is in charge of abridging the next volume, Buttercup's Baby.

Did you believe it? Yeah, it's all a lie. (Does anybody really know a country named Florin?) But that is why this book is exceptional.

William Goldman starts by telling his story with this book. Fascinated by the book since his father, supposedly, read it to him, he decides to abridge the book, to do a version with only the "good parts", as only as an adult, after giving the book to his son and being told his son didn't liked it, does Goldman fully learns the size and the true contents of the book. And it's in this way that we come around to the text by Morgenstern, but only the good parts!

This book is great when it comes to imagination, as in the way the story is told to the reader. The story is cute, it's also ridicule and has many ridicule and improbable situations, the characters are stereotypes from fairy tales; but the narration gives it all something more and you can't help but laugh. We have two narrators who, here and there, put their own thoughts to the text. I love these parts, namely the ones by Morgenstern as in the first chapter when he tries to set a chronological time for the story, giving us quotes such as:

(This was before Europe.)

(this was after Paris)

(This was after taste too, but only just. And since it was such a new thing, and since the Countess was the only one in Florin to possess it, is it any wonder she was the leading hostess of the land?)

(This was before glamour, but if it hadn't been for ladies like the Countess, there would never have been a need for its invention.)

(This was after stew, but so is everything. When the first man first clambered from the slime and made his first home on land, what he had for supper that first night was stew.)

(This was after taxes. But everything is after taxes. Taxes were here even before stew.)

The parts by Goldman I didn't like as much since they cut the rhythm of the story. I know he does it on propose, but it distracts as he does it exactly in the climax of the story. That's why I prefer the movie.

As the title says, it's a tale about true love and adventure. It has some ridicule parts; two authors who here and there mess with the story, but you can stop but smile while reading this book. Great read for those days you feel down. ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 StacyM rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction-favorites

I saw the movie when I was young and the movie was an absolute favorite. But I loved it so much that I didn't want to read the book - that's rare, okay? But this - this is a rare case altogether...YOU HAVE TO READ THIS. YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT. I can't promise you'll love it, but you have to find out for yourself.

I was blown away by what I did not know. I was blown away by how much I could enjoy reading the book. Anyway, it's a favorite, just like the movie, for so many reasons, including just the ...more

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