Cassandra answers “I'm torn about reading this because I...”

Layne asked this question about The Princess Bride:

I'm torn about reading this because I pretty much always like the book better than the movie. And in this case, I am such a huge fan of the movie I couldn't bear for the book to ruin it for me! Help?

Cassandra If you loved the movie, there's a very good chance that you will LOATHE the book. It could even ruin the movie for you.

The book is a mean-spirited sto…moreIf you loved the movie, there's a very good chance that you will LOATHE the book. It could even ruin the movie for you.

The book is a mean-spirited story about a greedy, selfish, unfaithful author who is cold-hearted towards his only son, aside from an obsessive search for a fairytale that the author decides he should foist onto his son. Goldman populated that fairytale with extreme caricatures so he could indirectly sneer at the very concept of fairytales. This is the fairytale that he wrote for his young daughters: a book that I would not read to a young girl.

The movie is a light-hearted romp with some funny lines, a scene-stealing performance by Mandy Patinkin, and a wonderful lesson on the nature of real love.

Don't listen to the people here. The movie and book are so different in tone and content, that I don't know how to explain the fact that the same man wrote both without assuming that the studio heads had a lot of influence on the changes. (less)

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Roger He was married to a woman named Ilene and had two daughters so ....
Aug 26, 2021 07:35PM · flag

Cassandra Roger, if you're talking to me, you aren't making your point clear. I said in my initial post that Goldman had daughters. I have zero interest in disc ...more
May 01, 2022 09:23AM · flag

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The Princess Bride

by William Goldman

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