RC2017: The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride  is filled with action, romance, murder, adventure, fantasy, and of course, William Goldman’s humor, and I’m glad I finally took it off my bookshelf to read.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, The Princess Bride is about a handful of fairy-tale/fantastical characters whose lives intertwine in fluid and important ways within the kingdom of Florin. What’s exceptional about this book is William Goldman’s discourse throughout the pages. Since The Princess Bride was ‘actually’ written by Florinese citizen S. Morgenstern, Goldman interjects with his memories, experiences, and thoughts about this “Classic tale of true love and high adventure.” Imagine if you took your favorite fairy tale, book, or story of high adventure, and then you re-published it with your name and thoughts attached. That is how the book is set up – Goldman’s…revisions…reflect what he believes are the “good parts” of the tale (I wish he had done this with Moby-Dick). Also, this 25th Anniversary edition was brought into publication after the movie came out, so it includes a whimsical introduction by William Goldman as well as “The First Chapter of the Long-Lost Sequel, Buttercup’s Baby.” I highly recommend reading this edition if you can find it.

I did find the ending to drag on a little long. It’s mostly Goldman’s thoughts, which by that time, for me, lost most of its magic. I just wanted to know how the story ended! But although that wore on my patience, it won’t stop me from picking up this book again.

Have you read The Princess Bride? Share your thoughts about the format in the comments below, and let me know if you felt the movie does the book justice (I’ve never seen it in full – I’ve watched parts of it on television without knowing, at first, what it was).