William Goldman

An anniversary edition of the classic story follows the adventure, romance, and off-kilter foibles of the faithful Westley, beautiful farm girl-turned-princess Buttercup, and their intrepid companions.

An Illustrated Edition of S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

The Princess Bride

In this 30th anniversary edition, Goldman frames the famous fairy tale with an "autobiographical" story: his father abridged the book as he read it to his son. Now, Goldman is publishing an abridged version, interspersed with comments on the parts he cut out.

S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

bella <3

“It appears to me as if we’re doomed, then,” Buttercup said. 

Westley looked at her. “Doomed, madam?” 

“To be together. Until one of us dies.” 

“I’ve done that already, and I haven’t the slightest intention of ever doing it again,” Westley said.

Buttercup looked at him. “Don’t we sort of have to sometime?”

“Not if we promise to outlive each other, and I make that promise now.”

“you understand nothing, but it really doesn’t matter, since what you mean is, you’re glad to see me, just as i’m glad to see you because no more loneliness”

but just as he knew that the sun was obliged to rise each morning in the east, no matter how much a western arisal might have pleased it, so he knew that Buttercup was obliged to spend her love on him. Gold was inviting, so was royalty, but they could not match the fever in his heart, and sooner or later she would have to catch it. she had less choice than the sun. 

“Westley, my passion, my sweet, my only, my own. come back, come back. i shall kill myself otherwise. 

She looked at Humperdinck. “well? do you think i’m throwing myself at him?” 

“it will all be happy at the end. consider: a little over three years ago, you were a milkmaid and i was a farm boy. now you are almost a queen and i rule uncontested on the water. surely, such individuals were never intended to die in the Fire Swamp.”

“well, because we’re together, hand in hand, in love.”

“oh yes,” Buttercup said. “i keep forgetting that”

they were very close on the blanket now. the breeze, seeing this, knowing what they had been through to reach this moment, thought it might be nice to caress them. the stars, seeing this, thought it might be nice if they dimmed for a while. the moon, went along with the whole notion, slipping half behind a cloud. 

“i’ll do what i can, sweet lady, but first it might help if i knew just a bit about him. is he really so wonderful, this Westley of yours?

“not so much wonderful as perfect,” she replied. “kind of flawless. more or less magnificent. without blemish. rather on the ideal side.” she looked at the Prince. “am i being helpful?”

"I love you," Buttercup said. "I know this must come as something of a surprise, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that i loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. but ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm. Your eyes are like that, did you know? Well, they are.”

fira

“That was below your heart. Can you guess what I'm doing?"

"You took mine when I was ten; I want yours now. We are lovers of justice, you and I—what could be more just than that?”

"There is but one working castle gate and it is guarded by perhaps a hundred men."

"Hmmm," Westley said, not as unhappy as he might have been ordinarily, because just then he began to be able to wiggle his toes.

"Your brains, Fezzik's strength, my steel."

 Westley stopped wiggling his toes. "That's all? That's it? Everything? The grand total?"

Ashton Reed

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 (no 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 fairy tale like no other, of fencing, poison, true love, hate, revenge, giants, bad men, good men, snakes, spiders, chases, escapes, lies, truths, passion and miracles, and … a damn fine story.

Mabel Palomera

I had a lot of fun reading this - certainly a lot more than I had expected. Watched the movie right after and I thought it was interesting since the novel definitely added a lot more richness to the world and the characters but some of the dialogue worked a lot better in the film. The film was also kinder to: Buttercup (not being shown as a complete idiot) and fat people, bizarrely.

𝚕𝚒𝚕𝚢

3 ★ - (liked it)

*sigh* There's a lot to unpack here...

Having loved the movie growing up I naturally was curious when I discovered there is also a book. I asked my mom and she said she hadn't heard much about it but advised me to skip the beginning. I didn't realize she meant the preface or whatever

Alright. I gave this three stars sort of as a middle ground because I do like the story but not all of it. I grew up loving the movie, Westley and Inigo and Buttercup were my most favorite characters (and still are). I didn't really know what to expect when I picked this up from the library but I wasn't prepared for this lol. 

Let me start with: this is one of those rare instances where I'd deem the movie better than the book. This felt sort of like a waste of time to me, I could have never read it and been just fine. While the book made some details in the movie make more sense - for example: Humperdink's Zoo of Death, Count Rugen's experiments - and answered some questions I didn't even realize I had.... I just.... I don't know guys. I prefer the way the movie started off - with the grandfather reading to the boy - instead of whatever weird Hollywood stuff this was. Apparently Buttercup had parents that they failed to mention in the movie, which was honestly for the better because it was just weird, almost as much as Buttercup's love confession which I hated. Yeah maybe it has to do with character development contrast but it was just weird like, what girl would go about it that... oddly I guess. I did like the further expounding on Inigo's backstory, something the movie had to chop down. 

MORE COMMENTARY TO COME


More thoughts to come, I need to reflect on this some more. 

Honestly Mr. Goldman strikes me as another one of those icky Hollywood guys. Which is unfortunate, I was hoping to find someone decent but nope. I just... ew. 


CWs, or things that caught my attention: planned murder, animal abuse, torture, death, mentions of deceased parent, fighting 

A piece of advice: Avoid Buttercup's Baby and its preface if your edition has it at the end. (I wish I'd known sooner or I wouldn't have read it and maybe rated PB higher) As BB is a separate story I'd rate it [1 star - didn't like it at all] and wouldn't not recommend, especially for readers of clean fiction. CWs for BB: kidnapping, death, rather traumatic birth, implied s*x - I skimmed here though once I realized so it may be more than that. 

4/22/24

Patrick Book

S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure

princess bride

Monicap

This book is so awesome.

Since I'm not that smart, the whole framing device actually had me fooled til I checked wikipedia.

I think I like the movie just a little bit more.


after more consideration, I've come to the conclusion I like the book better than the movie. the movie had a really great cast going for it, but the book was overall more detailed and just better.

Wes and Buttercup's romance was a bit more believable in the book, too.

Sarah Sammis

I have read and reread The Princess Bride a number of times so it was fun this time to concentrate more on the subterfuge of the introduction than on the story within the story. It was also interesting to compare the first edition (1973) with the 25th anniversary edition. The introduction has been expanded and frankly the expanded version makes S. Morgenstern's existence far less plausible. In comparing the two versions I can see why readers (myself included) were duped originally.

that was so much better than i imagined! of course, i was scared to read it since i love the movie with every ounce of my being, but it was good. learned so much more about my 4 favorite characters of all time. the whole morgenstern joke was a little annoying, like i just wanted to stay in the princess bride the whole time but that’s okay. there’s a reason the framing device was used, so whatever. i laughed and cried and had so much fun. i will keep this story alive in my heart forever. 

Sandrin

funny and enjoyable but at the same time kinda meh.
did not like the writing style - all those author interventions got too much (lil bit irritating tbh).
also the slapping scene, and the one at the beginning with the hot starlet got me like... nope. hard pass.

Laura Mauler

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.

William Goldman's cult classic, a story of pirates, evil princes, sorcerers and of course - true love!

Pepper

I absolutely adore this book. I am not one of those who have seen the movie so there was nothing for me to compare to and perhaps that is the reason I enjoyed it so much. The literary framing device that Goldman uses is utterly believable and convincing and may I add BRILLIANT - heck even I was fooled into thinking there existed a book by S. Morgenstern and that Florin and Guilder existed at some point in history. I only found out because I Googled S. Morgenstern so I could read how someone could possible spend 23 pages describing how Princess Noreena packs her hats and clothes. Of course Wikipedia revealed the truth and by the time I reached the end I was almost sorry that I had found out the truth so soon.

Not only was the classic tale of true love and high adventure wonderful I also really came to appreciate the importance of books and their place in our lives through Goldman's interludes. I have to mention though that "Buttercup's Baby: An explaination" utterly bored me and I could barely keep my eyes open through that part but since the explaination lasts only 22 pages and the stuff after that, the actual "Buttercup's Baby" Chapter One picks up again I won't hold it against Goldman.

Anyhow this book has everything that is promised - fencing, fighting, torture, posion, true love, hate, revenge, ginats, hunters, bad men, good men, beautifulest ladies, snakes, spiders, beats, chases, escapes, lies, truths, passions and miracles. And so much more.

Some of the things I most enjoyed was the Unexplained Inigo Fragement, the friendship Inigo and Fezzik shared, Fezzik and his rhymes (limes), the way the Sicilian kept shouting INCONCEIVABLE!(lmao - "You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means"), the way the man in black defeated the Spaniard, Turk and Sicilian, that whole declaration of love sequence between Buttercup and Westley, Fezzick & Inigo reunion and their whole experience in the Zoo of Death...oh who am i kidding, the whole damn book okay. *now really, really wants to see the movie*

I did start enjoying the actual story part, but the anniversary edition introduction was so deeply unlikeable it soured the whole thing for me, so I ended up putting it down.

Riley

Lara Engle

I read the 25th anniversary edition.

A good read. The interjections by the author generally annoyed me (as did the far-too-long introduction) but the action portions of the book are highly entertaining. A fun book.

The thrilling and timeless story of Buttercup, Westley and their fellow adventurers, filled with the stuff of fairy tales and more.

It’s a classic and beautiful fairytale. 

(The writing may be a little strange, but I love it.)

Ami Is Dreaming Again

It’s a classic and beautiful fairytale. 

(The writing may be a little strange, but I love it.)

The author is a literal genius. 

A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts.

The 'good Parts' Version

The Princess Bride, S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

Colleen

I don't know how I grew up in a household of book-lovers and fans of the Princess Bride movie and yet no one in my family has ever read the book The Princess Bride. I was in college before I realized that there actually was a book. I don't have any excuses as to why it took me another couple of years to read it, but now I finally have. 

And how glad I am!

This book is so wonderfully amazing! It really does have it all. Adventure, dastardly plots, fencing, fighting, loyalty, betrayal, revenge, monsters, miracles, and of course, true love. And Goldman delivers it all with a cleverness, dry wit, and just enough realism to keep it from being a cheesy fairytale. The introduction section by Goldman was a bit odd, but once you get into the "good parts" it flies by. I could barely put this book down.

If you are worried that the book couldn't possible be as epic as the movie, then fear not! The characters that you love and almost all all of their classic lines are lifted right from the pages of this book. But you get more detail and character depth. Prince Humperdinck is more than a pretty-boy prince; he really is the best tracker and hunter. Inigo really is the best fencer. Fezzik is the best fighter. Buttercup is the most beautiful girl. There were several times when I thought, "Oh, that explains it!" For a few hours, everything else fell away, and all that mattered was following Westley's and Buttercup's journeys.

And if you haven't seen the movie or read the book, then shame on you! You are missing something incredible. Please read this book!

Anja Hansen

Love the movie, and now I can finally say that I love the book as well. It had all the same wit and charm as the adaptation. The novel does however suffer from unfortunate use of fatphobic imagery which should have been omitted.

Lacy W

I read this book because I saw the movie with my dad. He loved the movie so I figured that the book would have to be just as good. 

Okay, it wasn't that I didn't like the book. It was just written so  weird . That is about the only way I can describe it. It's considered the abridged version. If this was the abridged version, I can only imagine what the unabridged version looked like. 

I did like that the author had little quips about how he came to write this abridged version. I liked that he actually explained why he deleted certain parts and in some cases whole chapters. He made sure to note what the parts and chapters were that he deleted so we didn't miss out on the actual story. The parts that he did delete did not deter from the story. 

But I don't know. The movie just seemed better than the book. I didn't really associate with the characters. Buttercup really annoyed me. She seemed whiny and had no idea what she really wanted in life. I can't really remember the names of the other characters because they really didn't make that much of an impression on me. 

Hopefully, my dad will not be disappointed in me for not liking this book.

William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests—for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love—that's thrilling and timeless. Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that's home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”

Liana

Sofia Nunes

“There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C...(before then couples hooked thumbs.) And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing, often leading to great controversy... Well, this one left them all behind.”
This book is the definition of "a craziness that works". Lots of metafiction (sometimes too much, really), but also lots of adventures, funny situations, and love. 
Buttercup, Westley, Fezzik and Inigo. What a story.

“Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death, that's all.”
“Cynics are simply thwarted romantics.”

Ivy X

So much fun to read -- I genuinely laughed out loud at so many parts. 
Truly a classic fantasy book with everything--comedy, romance, action, etc. 
I wanted to give 5 stars but I felt like the ending didn't flow as well as the rest of the book.

 Quotes  
- The old man nodded. "Now I can die." 
She glanced at him. "Don't." Her tone was surprisingly tender, and probably she sensed how important he really was to her, because when he did die, two years further on, she went right after, and most of the people who knew her well agreed it was the sudden lack of opposition that undid her. 

-You got these little quick passions, you blinked, and they were gone. You forgave faults, found perfection, fell madly; then the next day the sun came up and it was over. 

- "Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches..."

-"That's all you need? Easy. I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I love you. Spell it out, should I? I ell-oh-vee-why--oh--you. Want it backward? You love I." 

-I do wish you hadn't been quite so blunt," Queen Bela said. 
The Prince whirled on her. "I'm not marrying any bald princess, and that's that!" 
"No one would know," Queen Bella explained. "She has hats even for sleeping." 
"I would know," cried the Prince. "Did you see the candlelight reflecting off her skull?"

-"If there's ever a question about anything, you can always count on me to get it wrong." 

-"Life is pain, his mother said. "Anybody that says different is selling something." 

- "When the going gets tough, the tough get going," Fezzik's mother said. 

-'Life isn't fair, Bill. We tell our children that is, but it's a terrible thing to do. It's not only a lie, it's a cruel lie. Life is not fair, and it never has been, and it's never going to be.' 

-My preference would be to last eternity with you beside me on a cloud, but hell would also be a lark if Westley was with me...

-But just as he knew that the sun was obliged to rise each morning in the east, no matter how much a western arisal might have pleased it, so he knew that Buttercup was obliged to spend her love on him. Gold was inviting and so was royalty, but they could not match the fever in his heart, and sooner or later she would have to catch it. She had less choice than the sun. 

-Fezzik grabbed onto Inigo in panic and they both pivoted, staring at the man in black, who was silent again. "'True love,' he said," Inigo cried. "You heard him--true love is what he wants to come back for. That's certainly worthwhile."
 "Sonny, don't you tell me what's worthwhile -- true love is the best thing in the world, expect for cough drops. Everybody knows that." 

-"Hello," he said. "My name is Iniga Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." 

-I mean I really do think that love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. But I also have to say, for the umpty-umpth time, that life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all. 

-They were both so happy, and Westley told her, "We are one heartbeat," and she kissed him softly and said, "And will always be." 

-Morgenstern has never given them an easy shot at happiness.
This time I sure hope he lets them get there...

Gisela Ayala 

Probably one of the best audiobooks that I've ever listened to. I thoroughly enjoyed it. But also Westly is an ASS.

Ayden

** spoiler alert **
           Here goes my second review because the first on was erased👿

Buttercup is the most useless, vain, and ignorant charter I've ever read about but since she is beautiful she manages to capture the heart of Westley a handsome brave man who can out fence the best fencer in the world, beat a fight with a giant, and outsmart a genius. He's practically perfect besides for his vanity or lust (whatever it is that makes a man feel "true love" for a pretty face.) you can see that he only sees her as a pretty face throughout the entire book *when he talks about her he only ever talks about her beauty *he makes fun of how stupid she is * and when she asks him what it is he sees in her besides her beauty he changes the subject.
But despite all that maybe his love really is pure I mean he does risk his life and do the impossible (or inconceivable) to save her (and than slap her) which is where buttercups jerkiness ( for lack of a better word) shows, after everything he's done for her she picks the prince but than assumes westley will come get her and when she begins to doubt it she tries to kill herself only to be stopped by him since their love is so strong he knew that she didn't really choose the prince ( that is not written in the book but it is the only halfway believable explanation I can come up with )
And I'm not going to even try to address the hole bringing people back from the dead thing
But in spite of everything I still enjoyed this book. Why? Who knows, I just did. Maybe it was all the incredibly polite fighting.

Bailey Belgrave

The movie is my all time favourite movie and this book did not disappoint! I wasn’t expecting so many of the quotes from the movie to actually be in the book as we all know how unfaithful movie adaptions can be! This blew me away! I loved it so much and was just such a delightful read!

Shereen Evans

I can't believe that waited so long to read the book. I grew up watching the movie and even introduced my husband to it. Where could you go wrong reading a book about giants, fencing, true love, pirates, duals and passion. This will probably become an annually read. It picked me up from the book slump that I was starting to head into.

Dana Kraft

Worth it because I loved the movie and I mostly enjoyed the additional background especially about Inigo and Fezzik. Mixed feelings about Buttercup’s Baby but I mostly think it’s because I got tired of Goldman’s asides by the end.

Rick Dobrowolski

How have I never read the book to one of my favorite movies of all time? William Goldman is a master of creativity and humor. The Princess Bride has always been in my top 10 movie list because of the great wit in the story and excellent acting, now it's book counterpart is in my top 10 fantasy books.

The Princess Bride An Illustrated Edition of S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

Reviews

Highlights