The Princess Bride (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by William Goldman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Princess Bride (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Book Review: The Princess Bride
Summary: 5 Stars
The Princess Bride
By William Goldman
Folktale and Fairytale
The Princess Bride is a fascinating tale about a divine looking girl who went from nothing to fabulous, but that change, isn't always a good thing. The characters that reside in the story all have a variety of personalizes, the only things they share are the tragic moments they've experienced. The main character, Buttercup was chosen to be the bride of Prince Humperdinck. Before getting married, something dreadful happens, and that's the climax of the story, also the part where you discover extraordinary talents, heartbreaking memories and secret wishes of the characters. William Goldman's work is like fluid; his descriptive details, clever modern comedy and brilliant plot. Not to mention his overall talent to write using complex words simply.
Though I was reluctant at first, I ended up enjoying this book, more than some of my favorite fantasy books. I loved it because it was so different from what I usually read, realistic fiction, non-fiction and fantasy. I wasn't what I thought of as a fairytale, fairytales for me were some thing like Snow White or Beauty and the Beast. Not that they're bad, just that they're sort of old and we've all hear them, but this was almost present in a way! This old-fashioned quaint tale has everything anyone could ever wish for, love, hate, revenge, action, wits, death and lies. I'm glad my English teacher advised me to read this charming fairy tale, if she hadn't I might've been doing something too classic, like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.
Book Review: The Princess Bride
Summary: 5 Stars
The Princess Bride
By William Goldman
Folktale and Fairytale
The Princess Bride is a fascinating tale about a divine looking girl who went from nothing to fabulous, but that change, isn't always a good thing. The characters that reside in the story all have a variety of personalizes, the only things they share are the tragic moments they've experienced. The main character, Buttercup was chosen to be the bride of Prince Humperdinck. Before getting married, something dreadful happens, and that's the climax of the story, also the part where you discover extraordinary talents, heartbreaking memories and secret wishes of the characters. William Goldman's work is like fluid; his descriptive details, clever modern comedy and brilliant plot. Not to mention his overall talent to write using complex words simply.
Though I was reluctant at first, I ended up enjoying this book, more than some of my favorite fantasy books. I loved it because it was so different from what I usually read, realistic fiction, non-fiction and fantasy. I wasn't what I thought of as a fairytale, fairytales for me were some thing like Snow White or Beauty and the Beast. Not that they're bad, just that they're sort of old and we've all hear them, but this was almost present in a way! This old-fashioned quaint tale has everything anyone could ever wish for, love, hate, revenge, action, wits, death and lies. I'm glad my English teacher advised me to read this charming fairy tale, if she hadn't I might've been doing something too classic, like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.
Book Review: Laugh, laugh... and laugh some more
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is hilarious on several levels. There's the fact that the "good parts" is all a joke (if you don't know the truth, go searching; it's very fun/ny), and the funniness of the book itself... Really, this book is just brilliant.
There are great, dramatic, and funny characters, all of whom have their happy moments, and their sad, dramatic times. The storyline itself is about a girl who gets chosen to be princess. She is meanwhile mourning for her love, who died at sea. Then she gets kidnapped, and everything really starts there, with hilarities and lots of interesting adventures. Every once in a while, Goldman will cut in with his "notes" on various bits of nonesense, sticking in lots of very weird stories that leave you thinking, "Oh... kay?", and ultimately result in a very short and abrupt giggling fit.
This book is totally worth reading. It's fun, exciting, and does have some excellent sword fights. It's true; what more could you ask for in a book?
Book Review: A believable fairy tale with a twist...
Summary: 4 Stars
I read the twenty fifth anniversary special edition of William Goldman's Princess Bride and I have to say it has been a while since I have read a book which is both charming and at the same time incredibly clever. Goldman's novel contains all of the elements of a traditional fairy tale, e.g. giants, fencing, good and evil, fabulous and dangerous beasts and settings, revenge and of course, true love. Despite these conventional elements, Goldman's work is saved from being cliché by the author's wit and unique creativity.
From the very beginning of the work, the reader is lead to believe that they are reading an abridgement of an an ancient work from the country of Florin written originally by an author named Morgenstern. Florin is established as a country situated between Sweden and Germany and throughout the story, Goldman is constantly interrupting the action of the novel to make believable references to the reader about the ups and downs of the abridgement process e.g. wrangles with publishers over what scenes to leave in or out, and how the cutting of such and such scene caused riot amongst the Florinese academics. Goldman even details thirteen lawsuits which he is supposedly involved in with Florinese lawyers representing the Morgenstern estate. At the beginning of the novel, what seems as an obvious joke eventually becomes believable and you catch yourself thinking things like "I wonder what the original was like?" By the end, I even googled `Florin City' just to make sure that it really didn't exist in some remote part of Europe unknown to me!
This book really is a great read and much like JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, creates an entire other world or reality which is so believable that you may catch yourself half wondering "so where actually is this place?" Well worth your time.
Book Review: a review in disappointment
Summary: 3 Stars
As much as I truly love the story, I can't reread it often. The actual bits of story are delightful and inspired, with brilliant humour and heart-pounding action. It's not the story itself, or the writing style that I have a problem with- it's the author's endless injections.
He goes on, sometimes for a page and a half in places, at times just when you were getting into the story, or during the action. And all he ever does is whine. I'm quite tired of hearing about his loveless marriage and fat son. And that's not the worst of it. The worst is his condescending "life's not fair" speeches EVERY TIME he has to butt in. He gets incredibly preachy, and it's frustrating. After reading it, I felt kind of cheated. The story is so wonderful, and his interruptions ruin it for me. If the made a version without, the whole thing would be much improved.