Rating: 
Summary: Delightful and Charming
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: INCONCEIVABLE!!
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: The only person in the western world to not like this book
Review: I bought this book based on my love of the movie and universal raves from everyone. I haven't been this disappointed since I bought The Natural, (another screenplay that out did the original). William Goldman wrote the screenplay so I have no fault with him but where the movie was sharp and crisp, the book was too wordy, and (apparently only to me) lacking in virtually all I found romantic and exciting in my pre-reading the book experiences of The Princess Bride. I'm sure no one will find this review helpful but atleast I know that Mr Goldman can write a damn good screenplay from a subpar original story.
Rating:
Summary: Hello my name is Inigo Montoya...
Review: While it can be accounted as the most repeated phrase throughout the book it is also my favorite. I was a little skeptical about reading the book since I had seen parts of the movie and found it stupid, but I was completely wrong. The book turned out to be a great adventure, full of hilarious characters with even more hilarious dialogue. And the movie does a great job at giving birth to the book even though the novel is still much better (that often happens with films based on books). I recommend this book (and movie) to anyone who is looking for something fresh to read (and see), it has everything "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....."
Rating:
Summary: Death cannot stop True Love-all it can do is delay it awhile
Review: And I'm taking this book with me when I go! I was a huge fan of the movie for years, before I came across the novel, and now my favorite film is far and away my favorite book as well.
(Unfortunately, I gave my blue copy to a guy that turned out to be a real jerk...but that's a different story all together...)
This fairy-tale is the perfect blend of romance, farce, adventure, fantasy, humor and character development. Indescribably wondermous.
I beg you in the name of all sacred books, *PLEASE* get yourself a copy of this book! Read it to yourself, read it to your significant other, read it to your children, read it to shut-ins, read it to strangers on the street! It doesn't matter...just read it! Share the joy that *is* the Princess Bride. Share the joy of Westley and Buttercup and Inigo and Fezzik and Vizzini and Prince Humperdink and Count Rugen and the Fire Swamp and Miracle Max and Valerie and the white horses and the Pit of Despair...
This is what people mean when they talk about wonderful stories. And after all, what girl isn't looking for her Farm Boy to simply answer "As you wish."?
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book that everyone should read
Review: This is a classic book. After you read it you want every book to be this exciting and fun and romantic. I have read this book more times then I can remember. If you read this book you will feel the same way. This is such a great classic that will forever remain in my library.
Rating:
Summary: The classic story of true love vs evil
Review: This book was gifted to me by my girlfriend, and at first I was skeptical about it. I had not seen the movie, and being an avid science fiction reader and writer, the fairy tale concept seemed like a bit of a "girl thing". However, once I delved into its pages, I discovered I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a fantastic novel for everyone, people of all ages. The delightful charm of the story, the epic saga it unfolds to tell, and the spontaneous hilarity covers a plethora of genres; Which guarantees a fast-paced, exciting and truly amazing book that will satisy all-comers. The Princess Bride tells the story of a common girl, who falls in love with an even commoner boy, but marries an exceptionally cruel Prince, without any choice. The boy, now grown into a dashing hero, comes to claim back his true love - but not without a vast adventure before him. This 25th Anniversary Collectors Edition in hard back is the best version to buy, and saves it as a story that you will read to your children, and them to theirs, as Goldman describes himself doing in the introduction. A timeless classic, and one that will remain as one of the greatest tales for generations to come.
Rating:
Summary: This book was a significant emotional event for me.
Review: I first read this book when I was fifteen. I've gone through four copies (mostly due to unreturned loans), and I've practically memorized it over the past fifteen years. The book has a great premise of being written by Morgenstern and read to the author as a child, and a wonderful message for anyone who wonders what happened to the fairy-tale endings they never found when they grew up. Goldman's conversational style gives the book an intimacy. The reader really feels like they *know* him. I've read almost all of his other books, and this seems, to me, to be the most polished and sensitive. It's very subtle and charming, and then--wham!--a line like "Life isn't fair; it's just fairer than death, that's all." That's one of my all-time favourite quotes. The movie did a good job of giving a cartoon-like, fun feeling to the story, but I thought the author's interjections and his cynical observations were quite moving, especially when contrasted with the happily-ever-after flavour of Westley & Buttercup's romance. The movie caught the basic "good parts" storyline, but the book has more to offer. I recommend it for anyone who's wondering "Hey...is this all there is??" Somehow, Goldman's book, The Princess Bride, makes you feel better about the answer. (P.S. - I've got the "alternative reunion scene" if anyone wants to read it...)
Rating:
Summary: Definitely deserves its status as a classic!
Review: A lot of people have seen the film The Princess Bride and would know of the book from the film. The movie has for long possessed a cult-like status, being seen as funny, warm, irreverent and full of classic "love and adventure". All these things are true about the book, only more so. Like the film, the story follows the strife of the love between Westle and Buttercup, as Buttercup is set to marry the prince of Florin and all the circumstances in the world seem to be set against the true lovers from being reunited. The book has all the adventure elements of the movie such as the Cliffs of Insanity and the Rodents Of Unusual Size. It has more detail though and adds much more to the story, sepcially in the Zoo section of which the movie only took bits from as well as the backstories of the characters. The other major difference is that the wrapper story, instead of a grandfather reading to a sick grandson, is that the book is Goldman's abridgement of a classic Florinese work. The Princess Bride can be looked at from some kind of post-modern tribute to adventure stories, full of deliberate and often humorous anachronisms. But I think it's so much more than that. It seems to be the only book I've read that's both a great member of a genre (the cloack and dagger, adventure-filled, swashbuckling romance) as well as a parody of the same genre. It's amazing how it's pulled off - on the one hand it's cynical about happy endings and the classic elements of adventure stories and sends them up in an amazingly funny way and yet reading it, you still feel a part of you yearning for those classic elements and finding them marvelously present in the book. And of course, the characters are truly larger than life, from Inigo the Spanish swordsman who has dedicated his life to finding the man who killed his father to Fezzik, the slightly-slow-witted giant with a brand heart, sense of humour and love of rhymes. Many readers in the reviews were annoyed by Goldman's whole wrapper of the book being written by Morgenstern as well as the 30 page intros and digressions into his fictional struggles to get the book published. An unbelievably high number of people fell for the whole thing and are currently hunting for the "unabridged" Princess Bride by Morgenstern! Personally, I enjoyed the digressions very much. I think without them it might have just ended up as a more conventional adventure story and not the cult classic it is. There's something about the whole appeal to an older/"greater" writer as well as some mockery of the world of publishing and manuscripts (and Morgenstern's digressions!) that adds to the cynical-yet-not-cynical nature of the book. I think the reason is that the book is a story and it's also about stories and storytelling and because it has so many layers, all of them warm and filled with Goldman's quirky visions, that everyone can get a lot out of it. So don't expect a regular, uninterrupted narrative! Finally, this edition has Goldman's recent and brief return to the book, the first chapter of Buttercup's Baby (as Goldman was only allowed to do one chapter due to legal reasons, read the book!). In it, he picks up (sort of...) where the story left off and presents some fragmented visions of the characters from both past and present. I guess it's understandable that some fans wouldn't be happy as they might feel emotionally attached to the classic, which also feels like a complete-in-itself work. However, I read the whole thing for the first time (including Buttercup's Baby) over two days recently and it was actually quite good to get that little bit extra about the characters. I think if people saw the book as the classic but the supplement as quite a meaningful addition to our knowledge of the characters (especially Inigo) then it wouldn't seem so "sacriligeous". This is the favourite book of many people and while it's not my absolute favourite, I think it's beyond superficial rank claims - just a really special novel.
Rating:
Summary: S. Morgenstern, take a bow
Review: I grew up on the movie The Princess Bride, and so naturally I couldn't wait to be completely blown away by the novel. After having read it, I can now truthfully say that the movie, however exceptional it is, does not do the book justice. How could anyone ever make a movie based on a masterpiece? Don't get me wrong-I love the movie, but the book is simply a triumph.
The story tells of Buttercup, the milkmaid destined to become the most beautiful woman in the world, and her love, the farm boy Wesley, who will defy all logic, reasoning, and even death to find her. S. Morgenstern tells their story with wit, humor and charm. William Goldman' abridgment comments allow a brief understanding of Morgenstern's comments and thoughts, a breath of air, before the reader plunges back into the book.
This is a tale that anyone, young or old, can enjoy. It is stories like these that the soul thrives on.
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