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Summary: Goldman: The Mystery Writer
Review: We recommend this book to any adult with a craving to venture into their imagination, and at the same time looking for humor in an unorthodox fairy tale. Although there are few distasteful aspects of The Princess Bride, our love for this story exceedingly outweighs any bad feelings towards Goldman's work. Our only negative view of this book is what we can only describe as "over-characterization." Goldman sometimes developed his characters too fully. He produced such a vivid description of his characters that sometimes it is hard for one to use his own imagination. Although, for most readers, Goldman's ability to produce these vivid descriptions would probably be greatly appreciated! Other than over development of some characters, the book had all excellent qualities. Besides those few instances, Goldman's character development was superb. At one point, Goldman provided short side stories about each of the characters background and about how they became acquainted with the criminal mastermind Vizzini. The author also produced a vivid image of Buttercup's physical beauty, by describing all of the prettiest women before her, leading up to her life. Besides Goldman's in depth character description, he also had a great writing style. The author made it seem like he was editing an abridgment, not in truth actually writing a story. Throughout the novel, Goldman says things like how it took the Countess days to pack and Buttercup years to train in the "original copy" however he edited those things out. He also alluded many times to when his father read him the story when he was a child with pneumonia, how he got upset when his father quit reading, but this was impossible since Goldman wrote the book as an adult! Nonetheless, Goldman's comments throughout story are truly believable. The book also carries universal themes to be carried throughout the ages. He comes right out and says he wants people to learn that life is not fair. He also, not as directly, implies that unexpected things happen to good people and because of these unexpected happenings, things do not always go as planned. Goldman was also creative with his writing style. When Inigo was to get revenge against the Count, he did not just kill the royal man, he cut out his heart piece by piece until the Count died of horror, a truly unique idea. Goldman also did not add a traditional fairy tale ending when concluding his story. He wrote that things should have gone happily ever after, but they did not because of little mishaps along their route to escape. This separated the fairy from the rest. Overall, this book was a great piece of literature that was quite enjoyable to read.
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Summary: One of the Greatest
Review: 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. GREAT LITERATURE.There's not a whole lot that's not in this novel. It succeeds at being maybe the funniest, most exciting, and satisfying stories yet written. Plus, the novel contains startling depth. The writing of the novel is so superb. The prose is smooth and light. It is really conversational, and word-play abounds. The novel also (as the Amazon review pointed out) serves as a satire of adventure and fantasy novels of the past and comments on the differences between fantasy and reality. The structure of the novel (with the hilarious first chapter, the flashbacks, and the author-commentary) serves to frame those bits of insight Goldman is trying to get across. Consider the line "Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death, that's all." There's a lot in those words, and throughout the story, Goldman hammers home real truths about the nature of pain, death, and grief. And yet paradoxically, out of those truths The Princess Bride emerges as a story to give its reader reaffirmation in the greatness of life. As you may can tell, The Princess Bride is my favorite novel. I've read it numerous times, and each time I read it, the book is better. I know that everybody watches the movie, and yes, the movie is great. Even a masterpiece. But the novel goes far beyond that. Read it.
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Summary: If you've only seen the movie......
Review: If you've only seen the movie then you having really experience these Florinese masterpiece as edited by William Goldman. I saw the movie many years ago and finally decided to pick up the book. I was amazed how closely the movie followed the book in terms of dialogue and story line - very little was cut in the movie. Nonetheless, a movie can't capture everything. Goldman inserts a lot of his personal comments about editing the booking into italicized sections righ in the middle of the text. While annoying at first, I soon gained a better understanding of the work as a whole. Pole! (That's for the Fezik lovers out there.) This is a great book for adults to lose themselve in one weekend and it is better book for parents to share with their children. Don't just see the movie. I read the first chapter of Buttercup's Baby that is included with this reprint. I can't wait for Goldman to finish and release it!
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Summary: Morgenstern?
Review: This is a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone. For all those who have read it, do you think there even is an "S. Morgenstern"? Or maybe it's just Goldman being humble...
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: If you loved the movie then you cannot go without reading the book!
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Summary: Favorite book and movie
Review: While most people have only seen the movie version of this book, the book is definately worth reading, but is probably more suitable for adults than children. The basic story of the sick child who is being read to by his father/grandfather kicks off the story. The midevil love/adventure story of Buttercup and her farm boy, the princess, the pirate, and a cast of wonderfully crafted sidekicks is a story that can be enjoyed by everyone. After the farm boy leaves Buttercup to find his fortune so they can marry, he is killed in a pirate raid. Years later, Buttercup becomes betrothed to the prince; the princess is kidnapped by a giant, a spanish swordsman, and the ringleader of the kidnappers. The pirate appears on the scene following the kidnappers, and the real adventure begins. I read this book during my college years and was entertained by blatant anacronisms and the way the speaker in the book states that the anacronisms are intentional; i.e, when the farm boy is described wearing jeans and the speaker says something like "...and yes, they did have jeans back then!" Also, the introduction to this story must be read-- it reallys sets the tone for the rest of the book.
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Summary: Great book!
Review: This is a great book. Better than the movie; it goes into more detail.
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Summary: Like the Movie?
Review: I love the movie... the book puts it to shame. I read this book yearly! This and "The River Why" by David James Duncan. Read this.
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Summary: Really, really good (better than wood).
Review: Like many people, I never knew about THE PRINCESS BRIDE book until after seeing the movie several times. Recently, I finally sat down and read the book and was amazed. Goldman is amazing! The book gives a lot of insight into the charcters and why they do the things they do (why does Fezzik like rhymes; exactly how did Inigo's father die; etc.). However, the story is told in such a stylish and intriguing way that it is difficult to ever put the book down until you finish reading it (Goldman writes in a style that I can only hope to emulate).It has been over twenty-five years since THE PRINCESS BRIDE first appeared and it will continue to be read for years to come. Filled with such characters as Fezzik, Inigo, Miracle Max, Buttercup, and Wesley and places such as the Cliffs of Insanity and the Zoo of Death, THE PRINCESS BRIDE is a book of pure genius. It is a classic.
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Summary: Goldman gets my coveted putz award...
Review: Everything in the actual Morgenstern edition is quality prose; Goldman did a good job on picking and choosing what to put in and his inserts are amusing. I did find it annoying when he continually refers to his ex-wife and his son-negatively. I think, if you can find it-you would be better off getting the S. Morgenstern edition and skimming the boring parts yourself.
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