The Princess Bride

For a detailed review, go visit SFF Book Review.
I saw the movie before reading the book and I'm probably the only person alive that does not love the movie to pieces.
But the book stole my heart. It delivers everything the overwhelming blurb promises. Love, adventure, intrigue, torture, riddles, hilarious annotations. I can't recommend it warmy enough and it's an especially fun summer read. Goldman really brings the story to life with his composition and the frame story (which is completely different from the movie). This book is on NPR's Top 100 best science fiction and fantasy books list for a reason.

If you've never read this amazing and highly entertaining book, what are you waiting for? 5 action-packed STARS! I'd give it 10 stars if I could, as it's a wonderful tale that's even better than the beloved movie, although I'm pleased to say the movie definitely does the book justice. I love them both. Both are high quality entertainment, and if I had to choose between only experiencing one or the other, I'd find that decision awfully HARD!

I read this to my three young daughters, and they were just as engrossed in the story as I was. I may have skimmed over the torturing of Westley JUST a bit, but in my defense, my youngest is only five. ;-)

So don't delay, read this delightful book today! To pass up a story this awesome would be utterly inconceivable! My advice? Drop what you're doing and immediately begin reading “The Princess Bride”!

Amazing. There is something in this short story for every reader: drama, action, adventure, character, and, most definitely, humor.

I can already picture myself quoting this constantly because so many of the statements are so very perfect for the context.

Do read this book, or listen to it on audio. You will smile constantly, and, almost certainly, laugh at least once. I'd recommend it to adults and young adults as a very easy and pleasant read. Perhaps a nice diversion after or alongside more challenging texts. This story could engage middle grade readers if read aloud...the commentary may be off putting at the beginning otherwise.

I always assumed that the modern-day interjections in the movie version of The Princess Bride were put there for the movie itself. So it was interesting but also odd to read the novel and discover that William Goldman wrote the book in the same format. In fact, the book was basically just like the movie (or vice versa), but I think because I have known and loved the movie for so long, I actually like the film version better. The satire, adventure, and the interjections just seem to work better in the movie format. But it was still enjoyable to read the book as well.

I was surprised and delighted how many of the classic lines from the movie are actually indigenous to the book. Actually, that was my second surprise because the first was that there even was a book; I'd just assumed that it was born a movie. Anyway, some things are different in the book, and I'm still processing how I feel about that, but the book really is fun and if you love the movie you'll probably love the book too.

Okay, this was kind of a drag. Wait, no, not in a bad way—though there's no good way of saying that, is there? It's just that... it was. Goldman's interruptions to the story are brilliant, very very interesting, but they also get in the way of the plot. A lot. From this angle, I must say that I really do prefer the movie adaptation—which is great; go watch that—, BUT there is no denying this structure is as important as the plot itself, if not more so, and thus I cannot say it was a bad book. It just wasn't an easy one to get through.

I kinda need a Westley Never Dies t-shirt now, to be honest.

CHALLENGE: try not to fall in love with 1987 Cary Elwes.

I am biased because I adore the movie, which is nearly identical to the novel, however there are quirks, characteristics, and backgrounds in the book that naturally the filmmakers were forced to leave out due to time constraints. The story is funny, sweet, and endearing, yet the book lacks the Hollywood style of pure optimism and perfect endings. This is a good thing. A small realistic detail that adds charm to the experience.

Onmogelijk om het boek te lezen zonder de gezichten van de film te zien. André is Fezzik, Mandy Patinkin is Inigo Montoya, Westley kan niemand anders zijn dan Cary Elwes, er kan geen betere Prince Humperdinck zijn dan Chris Sarandon en geen betere Vizzini dan Walace Shawn. En Miracle Max, ver van een karikatuur te zijn door Billy Crystal zoals ik dacht, blijkt gewoon 100% zoals in het boek te zijn.

Ik bedoel maar: ik kan mij niet zo snel een film voor de geest halen die zó goed het boek vertaalde.

De film was faramineus goed, een klassieker voor de eeuwigheid. Het boek is uitstekend. Het is eigenlijk een verkorte versie van het origineel door S. Morgenstern, waar William Goldman de saaie stukken uitgeknipt heeft, en er is tussen de oorspronkelijke publicatie in 1973 en 30 jaar later nog een en ander aan veranderd: een paar voorwoorden bij, en nawoord, een aantal extracten uit het vervolg.

Het verhaal in de snelte: een prins wil trouwen met het mooiste meisje ter wereld, maar zij is verliefd op iemand anders, die ook op haar verliefd is. Helden! Moordenaars! Piraten! Duels! Romantiek! Wraak!

Zeer aangeraden. Ik vraag me af wat het effect zou geweest zijn zonder de film gezien te hebben.

Not a bad book, not one I would read again but not bad. It was a little confusing with the abridged addition and the odd tidbits thrown in, but I liked learning about Fezzik and Inigo's backgrounds. I'm used to stories with a more in depth background and character development which Princess Bride lacked, but that was just the writing style.

“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die! “

The Princess Bride has to be one of the most fun and unexpected books I've read in a long long time, the cast is fantastic (Fezzik and Inigo made it for me) and the way it doesn't take its self serious made every page fly.

If you need a fun read, read The Princess Bride!

“As... You... Wish”

CAUTION: This review is in portuguese
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Informação do livro:
Gênero: Aventura / Fantasia / Humor
Nível de Leitura: Crianças e adultos. O livro possui grandes aventuras (como diz o titulo), que agradará os mais novos, mas possui aquele tipo de humor subliminar que passa despercebido pelos menores e agradam os mais velhos (é como assistir a hora da aventura)
Recomendado para: Pessoas que não se levam a sério / Pessoas que gostam de aventura / Pessoas que não se importam com clichês.

Observação: Esse livro estava na minha wishlist faz 500 anos. Tive um pouco de preconceito pra começar, e quase o tirei da lista umas várias vezes. Feliz da vida que resolvi não fazer isso e dar uma chance.

Sinopse: Durante uma crise de pneumonia do pequeno Willian Goldman, seu pai resolveu ler para ele “The princess bride: A Classic tale of true love and high adventure”, e esse livro marcou sua vida.
Depois de adulto, Goldman resolve presentear seu filho de 10 anos com esse livro, e descobre que a história não é o que o seu pai tinha lido pra ele na infância. Na verdade, o livro era insuportável, e seu pai tinha escolhido ler apenas as melhores partes.
Depois dessa decepcção, Goldman resolve fazer o que qualquer autor sensato faria: republicar o livro cortando todas as partes chatas, e publicar apenas aquilo que fez com que ele amasse tanto o livro na sua infância.

The princess Bride conta a história da princesa Buttercup, a moça mais bonita do mundo, seu amor pelo Willian (ou “the farmboy”) e seu casamento dom o principe mais poderoso do mundo.
Copiando e Colando um trecho do livro, que é a melhor defição o que é(tem em) The Princess Bride:

“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.”

Opinião:

o primeiro motivo foi o começo: não entendi a importancia dele falar da familia "defeituosa". O autor gasta algumas páginas falando de como o filho dele é gordo, de como a mãe deixa ele fazer tudo que quer, e de como ele não ama a esposa, nem a familia. No final, isso não reflete em nada de nada no decorrer da história
o segundo motivo é o final (eu não vou contar o final aqui :P). Não costumo a reclamar de finais, e achei que o livro a cabou da melhor forma possível, mas definitivamente não gostei a forma que o final foi escrita. Se o autor gastasse mais uns 3 parágrafos, ia melhorar bastante talvez eu não tivesse essa reclamação (mas quem sou eu na fila do pão pra falar o que o autor deveria ou nao escrever?)

There were some good parts. Like Inigo's and Fezzik's stories, their adventures together. These parts were meaningful and captivating, they made sense (at least more sense than everything else). They were alive and three-dimentional. They evoked compassion.
One bad thing in Inigo's story is the duel. It was so anticlimactic. I feel that having no duel at all (Count escaped at first, he could have just turn out to be a classic bully, who caves in when confronted by someone stronger) could have had more sense than this mockery.

Buttercup and Wesley. Well, here I have more ‘but's. Their love didn't feel real, earned. Even with all the supposed tragedy. And, for frack sake, what the hell happened with “he had just one minute left”? He just shook death off (sorry, Taylor) like a mild cold? Rigor mortis - no big deal? Another “What have I just read?” moment (of which I had plenty throughout the book).

And, of course, my pet peeve of this book - what the hell with all that confusing history of writing the book? Why take 10% of the book with it and make it sound so real (and so uncomfortable - I felt almost disgusted by how his family treated each other)? What was the point of all that?

Overall, I now have read The Princess Bride. Not a fan, but can see what all the fuss is about.