Originally published in 1972, William Goldman's delightful, so-called "abridgement" of S. Morgenstern's classic swashbuckling tale of true love and epic adventure, The Princess Bride, has reached an enormous audience, thanks greatly to Rob Reiner's wonderful film version featuring Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Billy Crystal, Andre the Giant, and William Goldman's sharp and vivacious screenplay. If you enjoyed the movie -- and I've never met a person who didn't -- you're certain to treasure this 25th-anniversary edition for many years to come. If you haven't yet delved into its enchanting pages, you'll find it utterly delightful, romantic, and entertaining read. GOODREADS
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I, like many people, have seen the titular movie. Although, I saw it when I was a kid on tv. Much like the child who heard a retelling, I too was exposed to only the movie version. I remembered bits and pieces and for a while, I was under the impression that Inigo Montoya was the man in black. Inconceivable, I know.
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| Insta @bibliopunker |
I was very excited when I found the book at a book market. I snatched it right away. It was a second-hand copy, some of the pages were glued together. I didn't mind, however, while reading the book it broke in half. I was very saddened by this, but I eventually used the half I finished as a bookmark and kept reading.
From start to finish, it was very much a journey. Nowadays I think reading a book is a bit more predictable; you know what's gonna happen and can recognise the formula in a story. I went in this thinking I already knew what would happen and who the bad guys were and I was pleasantly surprised at the end.
Of course, all the characters were awesome. I would even go so far as to say that even the villain was intriguing. Definitely a way better villain than Thanos. My only pet peeve was Goldman interrupting the story sometimes (Hi, it's me, pick up the book and you'll know what I mean. One thing that I have learned by his interruptions and thoughts about the original book, is that I have no interest whatsoever in reading it).
(Goldman also has a great sense of humour. I'm gonna add this here in case you want to help him stick it to the man)
Favourite quote from the book
"I'm not trying to make this a downer, understand. I mean, I really do think that love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. But I also have to say for the umpty-umpth time, that life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, that's all."
10/10
