The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride By William Goldman

Synopsis(from back of book):

      As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdink, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she'll meet Vizzini--the criminal philosopher who'll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik--the gentle giant; Inigo--the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen--the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup's one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.

My 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." This book was not quite as good as the movie. However, this might because I am well familiarized the movie and made constant comparisons. Despite these unmet expectations, the book was quite good, and included much humor that was not in the movie, and could not have been transferred into the movie.
     Anyways, moving away from movie comparisons, the character development in the book was well done through a series of short flashbacks(in the case of Fezzik and Inigo) or a simple review of family, personality and habits(in the case of Prince Humperdink, and Miracle Max). The characters also developed in the story. Sadness killed all passion, then joy returned it all and more. Desperation grew, finally overflowing into an outburst of anger, once calmed, a decision of taking matters into one's own hands. A rise and a fall, a tragic past, and many mysterious futures.
    This tale is by no means new, in fact, it is nearly thirty years old. But that allows it to have a kind of tone and ideal no longer present in contemporary books. It feels old, and it fits. I love the feel of a story from long ago. I has the feel of a fairy tale with a streak of reality. It simply stands out from other books, and I love it for that.
     This book is from an age already gone. However, it is still a book worth reading, and if you have not watched the movie, read the book first. I hope you enjoy your wonderful adventure, the "good parts" version of S. Morgenstern's classic tale.

My rating:

      4 1/2 stars
Profanity: Mild or none
Sexuality: Mild
Violence: Moderate(no gore)
Drugs and alcohol: Very Mild