Product Description

Beautiful, flaxen-haired Buttercup has fallen for Westley, the farm boy, and when he departs to make his fortune, she vows never to love another. So when she hears that his ship has been captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts - who never leaves survivors - her heart is broken. But her charms draw the attention of the relentless Prince Humperdinck who wants a wife and will go to any lengths to have Buttercup. So starts a fairytale like no other, of fencing, fighting, torture, poison, true love, hate, revenge, giants, hunters, bad men, good men, beautifulest ladies, snakes, spiders, beasts, chases, escapes, lies, truths, passion and miracles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11729 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-20
• Format: Abridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
First published well, in 1973 actually, this book spawned the Rob Reiner-directed cult film of the same name. It's a tongue-in-cheek fairytale of love, life, action, death and life again. Featuring the obligatory handsome Prince and supremely beautiful princess, it also boasts a Spanish sword wizard, the Zoo of Death, a chocolate-coated resurrection pill and lots of villains, who span the spectrum from evil, through even more evil to (gasp) most evil. And then there's Fezzik, the gentle giant addicted to rhyming.

William Goldman--who's won two Oscars for his screenwriting (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men), and has endeared himself to dentists and their patients planetwide through his novel Marathon Man--has always claimed he merely abridged this text, extracting the "good parts" from an inventive yet wordy classic by Florinese literary superstar, S Morgenstern.

It has, however, been whispered in certain circles that Morgenstern himself is a figment of Goldman's ultra-fertile imagination. Read Goldman's original and special Anniversary introductions and make up your own mind. Oh--and don't forget his explanation as to why he's only "abridged" the first chapter of the sequel Buttercup's Baby--which appears here for the first time--and why it took him so long to get round to it.

Completely delightful, suitable for cynics and romantics alike. Suspension of disbelief optional. -- Lisa Gee

Review
'One of the most laconic, tightly-plotted tales of mythical morality you'll ever read, an anti-establishment satire disguised as a love story, more of a scary tale than a fairy tale' Uncut 'There's nothing fluffy about The Princess Bride. The rocket-powered narrative tricks you without being merely tricksy, and is both modern and timeless' Neon 'A funny thriller for readers who are about ten years of age or wish they were Readers of a nervous disposition should be prepared to skim rapidly over the Zoo of Death episode or stick to fiction mean for grown-ups' Spectator 'A spoof fairytale Terrific' Daily Telegraph

The Times
'A wonderful fairytale.'

Customer Reviews

It gets better than this ? Inconcievable!
A long time ago - many years before Amazon I watched the movie and really enjoyed it...several years later in a second hand bookshop I got a copy of the book...and discovered everything I'd loved in the movie - AND MORE !!. Unlike most films they had stayed very true to the book - which is billed as 'the good parts version'. I'm now on my third copy - it gets lent to nearly everyone I know (at some time) - when they stop laughing I have to borrow it back from them and tell them to get their own (this is how I'm up to my third copy). Even if you've seen the film (which means you have the characters already firmly in your imagination as looking that way) lets face it your imagination can do things an awful lot cheeper than a movie budget - and in some cases probably an awful lot more believable ! Gives you an awful lot more background on Buttercup (and the ratings for the most beautiful women in the world), Inego, Fezzick, Westley and all the other characters that if you've seen the film you wil already love. And also the reason that someone is REALLY trying to start a war (which is not explained in the film - but I wont go into the who and why's here incase you haven't seen it !). Full of great catchphrases including the 'possibly' imortal 'Hallo my name is Inego Montoya - you killed my father prepare to die '. This is one book which does live up to everything it promises to be full of swordfights, logic games, dramatic locations - the zoo of death and the fire swamp to name only two. Heroes, Villans, a beautiful princess, miracles and of course....true love One of the VERY early (1970's - after Douglass Adams but before Pratchett and Asprin) attempts to mix humour and fantasy - and all those fairy stories you got told as children. It hasn't dated and may well have impoved with age...infact having talked about it I MUST read my copy again..I dont think I'm doing anything else I cant put off for an hour or two...... #heading for the bookshelves# Francesca

Hugely entertaining, but also passionate and poignant
This is a post-modern fairy tale that manages to mix daft fun with a passionate and poignant outlook on life and a thorough knowledge of renaissance fencing technique.

If you've enjoyed the film and are wondering about the book, then you are in for a treat and a surprise. The film (which is also great fun) is really no more than an excerpt from the book, which is part William Goldman autobiography, part 'hot' fairy tale, and part semi-historical novel.

'The Princess Bride' is a book within a narrative within a book. It's partly the story of how William Goldman tried to bond with his son. It's partly the (fake) story of how William Goldman himself learnt to read as a result of his grandfather reading him Morgenstern's classic story 'The Princess Bride'. And it's partly the story of the Princess Bride herself, with wise-cracking commentary by Goldman.

The book is seamless. You can't establish where Goldman is gently teasing and where he is revealing his soul. In any case, the writing is utterly captivating.

This is a book which works well on so many different levels. Whether you are a fan of humour, fairy-tale or swordplay, or all three or none of them, you are still certain to find a level at which this book demands your full attention until all the pages are done.

Simply the best.
What can be said about The Princess Bride? I've never been able to read a book so many times. I'm still not sure what it is about the book that does it. Goldman puts it best when he says "nobody writes books like that anymore." He was of course referring to the "prepare to die" scene. And i think thats what makes the book so good. It does take us back into the romantic age.

As a young boy what can be more exciting than duelling dukes, saving damsels, storming castles and doing it all in a cool black outfit? And as a young girl what can more thrilling than true loves rescuing each other, beutiful princesses and dashing heroes?

Yes the book has all this and more. When you read this book you become the characters. When a book does this you know it's something special.

Everybody should read it.