review by Kara Eng, age 18

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Summary: What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be…well…a lot less than the man of her dreams?
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad’s recitation, and only the “good parts” reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He’s reconstructed the “Good Parts Version” to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What’s it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it’s about everything. -Goodreads


     The Princess Bride tells the classic tale of how the most beautiful woman in the world, Buttercup, loses and finds love with Westley, the amazingly brave and talented hero. Westley faces Fezzik, the gentle giant; Inigo, the swordsman; and Vizzini, the mastermind.
     Honestly, I saw the movie first and while I liked it, I wasn’t entirely in love. I started reading the book, expecting to feel the same way, but I didn’t.
     The style of narration is magical. It’s charming, funny, and addictive. While there are a lot of interruptions by Goldman (a man telling his own story within the story), they’re entertaining. I found myself smiling while reading the entire book because I had fallen in love with the tone. I started reading this book right before finals, and instead of studying, I just read it all in one sitting.
     The characters are lovable. Yes, Andre the Giant has made sure that we can only picture him as Fezzik, but the book actually lets you get to know the characters more and why you should love them. Supporting characters are given a loving amount of attention and background. They don’t feel like peripheral characters; they could hold their own in personal stories. They’re also memorable and unique, and there aren’t any other characters that are like them. The plot itself isn’t that original (it’s the iconic damsel in distress story), but the narration and the depth of the characters bring this story to life, making sure that you think of The Princess Bride when you think of fairy tales.
Overall, I recommend it to everyone even slightly interested in fairy tales or adventure, but not to those that don’t like princes and princesses.

 


 

Find this book in our catalog: The Princess Bride

Call number: FIC GOLDMAN,W

456 pages