Name: The Princess Bride
Rating: 4.209745762711864 (708 reviews)
ISBN: 9780156035156

William Goldman

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.

ikkychan

At last, my friend, I have read 
 The Princess Bride
 by William Goldman. And oh boy, is this a delight! One of the many hilarious facts about this book is how it perfectly embodies the “book vs. movie” phenomenon — that curious case where most readers come to the book after watching the film. And who can blame them? The movie has had an unshakable chokehold on pop culture since the ’80s, especially within the art of fencing. Ask any fencer what they’ll say as they switch their sword hand from left to right — I’d bet it’s, “I know something you don’t know.” It was the year after the invention of carpentry and before electric locomotives, during the decline of the Western Empire and the waning era of royal families. Deep in the Florin countryside, in an unremarkable farm known only for its mediocre milk, lives a girl named Buttercup — so beautiful that nobles practically throw themselves into the mud to impress her. Yet she pays them no mind. Her attention belongs only to two things: her horse, Horse, and Westley, the farm boy. One of the reasons I love this book is its ragtag crew of mavericks — Westley, Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Miracle Max — a group of unlikely heroes whose flaws make them unforgettable. Together, they form the backbone of the story’s heart and humor. The Princess Bride dismantles the traditional “knight in shining armor” archetype and argues instead that heroism is about action, loyalty, and heart — not noble blood or destiny. Westley begins as a lowly farm boy with no social standing or power. His transformation into the Dread Pirate Roberts is one of pure self-creation. He earns every bit of his skill — as a swordsman, strategist, and survivor — through wit and willpower, all fueled by love. Westley proves that heroism isn’t something inherited; it’s something forged. Inigo Montoya, on the other hand, doesn’t start as a hero at all. He’s a broken man drowning in grief and cheap wine, his life consumed by vengeance. But his journey is one of redemption — he reclaims his sense of purpose, his skill, and his dignity. His final triumph isn’t just physical; it’s deeply spiritual. His revenge is not petty — it’s righteous, even cathartic, because it restores a moral balance the world had lost. Fezzik, the gentle giant, overturns the usual trope of brute strength. He’s enormous, yes, but his heart is even bigger — tender, insecure, and kind. He fights not out of cruelty but because it’s the only thing he knows. His heroism lies in his loyalty and his quiet compassion. Through him, Goldman reminds us that real strength is gentleness under control. And then there’s Miracle Max — the “reluctant hero” archetype turned inside out. Bitter, washed-up, and motivated mostly by spite and snack cravings, Max is a hilarious subversion of the wise mentor trope. Yet, his sarcastic brilliance saves the day. His scene — “He’s only mostly dead. There’s a big difference.” — remains one of the funniest and most iconic demonstrations of reluctant heroism. Individually, these characters are lost or limited. Together, they are unstoppable. Westley may be captured, Inigo may be drunk, and Fezzik may be directionless — but united, they form the perfect team: brains, sword, and brawn. Their unity becomes the story’s quiet thesis — that true heroism often emerges not from one glorious figure, but from collaboration, friendship, and shared belief. The book also thrives on the philosophical battle between cynicism and idealism. This isn’t your average “good vs. evil” clash — it’s subtler and more psychological. The villains embody different shades of cynicism. Vizzini is the smug face of arrogance, convinced that intellect alone can manipulate fate. His famous cry, “Inconceivable!” captures his refusal to accept any truth outside his narrow worldview. His downfall — poisoned by his own overconfidence — perfectly illustrates that amoral cleverness will always self-destruct when faced with genuine courage and love. Prince Humperdinck represents a deeper, institutional cynicism. He turns love and marriage into tools of power. His plan to murder Buttercup to start a war is the height of calculated evil — a political move dressed in romance. He cannot fathom love as anything but weakness, which is why he loses so completely to Westley’s unwavering devotion. Opposing them are Buttercup and Westley — the idealists. Buttercup’s belief in “true love” is naive at first, almost childish. Her grief when she believes Westley dead shows how fragile idealism can be when untested. Westley, though, embodies idealism tempered with realism. He lies, schemes, fights, and kills — but all in service of love. His mind and morality work together. His idealism is not blind faith but active, strategic conviction. He’s proof that to survive in a cynical world, love needs brains as much as heart. The message is clear: untempered cynicism, like Vizzini’s or Humperdinck’s, rots from within. But untempered idealism, like early Buttercup’s, collapses at the first blow. Westley’s brand of idealism — sharp, cunning, and unyielding — is the only one that endures. Revenge and justice form another crucial layer, most powerfully through Inigo Montoya’s story. His quest for vengeance isn’t a descent into darkness but a disciplined act of love — a son avenging his father’s murder. His iconic line, “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” isn’t just a meme-worthy moment; it’s a ritual. It gives his life meaning and rhythm. When he finally kills Count Rugen — who, notably, flees instead of fighting — it feels like the universe itself exhales in relief. Contrast that with Prince Humperdinck’s petty “revenge” against Westley, born of pride and vanity. Inigo’s vengeance restores moral order; Humperdinck’s only exposes his cowardice. The story doesn’t condemn revenge outright — it reframes it as justice, when driven by love and discipline rather than ego. Another layer that elevates The Princess Bride beyond a fairy-tale romp is its deep self-awareness. Goldman doesn’t just tell a story — he tells the telling of a story. The whole thing is one big metafictional wink. In the film, this becomes literal — a grandfather reading the tale aloud to his skeptical grandson. What starts as a bedtime story turns into a bridge between generations, reminding us that storytelling itself is a shared act of love. The grandson’s transformation from bored skeptic to wide-eyed listener mirrors ours as readers. Despite all our modern irony, we still fall for “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.” The book’s metafictional conceit — Goldman “abridging” a supposed original text by the fictional S. Morgenstern — takes this idea even further. Goldman inserts himself as the editor, interrupting the story with dry, often hilarious asides about what he’s cutting (“packing scenes,” political satire, endless fashion descriptions). It’s a sly critique of literary pretension and an invitation to readers: “Trust me, I’m giving you only the good parts.” By doing so, Goldman turns us into collaborators. We’re not just consuming a story — we’re participating in its shaping. The whole structure argues that storytelling isn’t about accuracy or completeness; it’s about resonance. The “truth” of a story lies not in the events but in the feelings they stir. And that’s what makes The Princess Bride so enduring. It isn’t just an adventure or romance; it’s a love letter to the act of storytelling itself. As I turned each page, I couldn’t help but picture the film’s cast in every scene. Cary Elwes as Westley, Robin Wright as Buttercup, Mandy Patinkin as Inigo, and of course André the Giant as Fezzik — they’re inseparable from the story now. Wallace Shawn’s Vizzini, with his ridiculous laugh and frantic energy, feels funnier on screen than he ever did on the page, and Billy Crystal’s Miracle Max brings warmth and absurdity to a character who, in the book, reads much harsher. The movie softened the story’s rough edges without dulling its wit — a rare achievement. That said, one part of the book that doesn’t quite hold up for me is Buttercup herself. I understand The Princess Bride is a product of its time — written by a man who often slips in grating commentary about his wife and flirts with self-indulgent tangents about Sandy Sterling, which frankly, I couldn’t care less about — but Buttercup’s character falls painfully flat. She’s painted as this breathtakingly beautiful damsel whose only talent seems to be waiting. Even her brief moment of awakening (“There was no Westley. No sweet Westley. He had not seen fit to come for her”) ends not in growth but resignation — she decides to die instead of fighting back. Compared to the self-made heroism of Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik, her arc feels like a missed opportunity. Goldman’s parody of fairy-tale tropes is clever everywhere except where it should have mattered most: in giving his heroine some agency. So yes, after finally reading The Princess Bride, I understand why it’s such a timeless delight. Beneath all the sword fights, poison games, and “inconceivables,” it’s really a story about heart — about love that endures, friendship that saves, and stories that outlive us all. The film may have introduced me to its magic, but the book deepened it, flaws and all. In the end, both remind me why we keep returning to tales like this: because even when we know how they end, we still want to hear them again, just for the good parts.

Screenplay

Marija

This review contains quotes I loved =) (not spoilers) "Mawidge is a dweam wiffin a dweam." "People don't remember me. Really, it's not any paranoid thing; I just have this habit of slipping through memories." "...and she was back in the safety of her murderers..." "... 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. How many minutes ago was I? Twenty? Had I brought my feelings up to then? It doesn't matter. I love you so much more now than twenty minutes ago that there cannot be comparison. I love you so much more now then when you opened your hovel door, there cannot be comparison. There is no room in my body for anything but you. My arms love you, my ears adore you, my knees shake with blind affection. My mind begs you to ask it something so it can obey. Do you want me to follow you for the rest of your days? I will do that. Do you want me to crawl? I will crawl. I will be quiet for you or sing for you, or if you are hungry, let me bring you food, or if you have thirst and nothing will quench it but Arabian wine, I will go to Araby, even though it is across the world, and bring a bottle back for your lunch. Anything there is that I can do for you, I will do for you; anything there is that I cannot do, I will learn to do."

Presents the timeless love story between a farm boy named Westley and the beautiful Princess Buttercup.

I have a very complicated relationship with this book. I first read it as a kid and absolutely loved it. I'm sure I watched the movie first before reading it, but I really enjoyed both. And, since I was a kid, I believed every word of this book. No, no, not the fantasy elements like miracle men or 

, but everything William Goldman wrote about his childhood, I fell for. Why shouldn't I? I saw no reason (again, as a child myself) to mistrust anything he was saying about how his father read him this book when he was around my age. I believed there really was an S. Morgenstern and that Goldman did us all a huge favor by abridging the original. And yes, this is embarrassing, but I even believed Florin and Guilder were real countries. It was this bit at the last that finally broke the spell.

As I got older and wanted to reread this book (I must have read it once a year or so for a lot of my childhood) I wanted to know where Florin was located. Poof. The truth laid bare. Goldman had made it up. This left a sour taste in my mouth as innocent trust was, quite frankly, broken. I didn't touch the book again for years.

Now, I love the story. I love the characters, Fezzik and Inigo especially. I just think this book works just as well without Goldman's cheeky "backstory." And I understand the underlying satire running through the story, but I don't want to be cynical. 

Another thing to note is that I grew up reading my mom's 1998 copy, the 25th anniversary edition, which included the first chapter of the "long lost" sequel, Buttercup's Baby. This is the version I just finished rereading but I refused to read the Buttercup's Baby section. Goldman loves to toy with your emotions, and he puts our beloved characters through the ringer, even killing Fezzik, leaving a cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers. But first, of course, he writes about all his difficulties with the Morgenstern estate to even get the rights to abridge the first chapter of the sequel. I skimmed it and it just feels too pompous. Goldman will ruin his own book for no good reason. Keep in mind, he doesn't even give everyone a lasting happy ending at the end of The Princess Bride. The movie does it better! Speaking of the movie, at this point, it's impossible to separate the two. Without the movie, it'd be hard to picture some of the settings of the book, but thanks to it, everything comes beautifully to life in my imagination. 

So much of the book feels soured to me, mainly because of the Buttercup's Baby stuff. I found myself laughing and amused at some of Goldman's "interjections" so I can happily say I'm starting to heal from this book breaking the trust of my younger self.

I still have a deep seeded love of this book and I enjoyed this reread. I don't think I could ever give it 5 stars, but for sheer entertainment value and a wonderful cast of characters, with some humor thrown in for good measure, I will say it deserves 4 stars. 

Amanda

I have a very complicated relationship with this book. I first read it as a kid and absolutely loved it. I'm sure I watched the movie first before reading it, but I really enjoyed both. And, since I was a kid, I believed every word of this book. No, no, not the fantasy elements like miracle men or R.O.U.Ss, but everything William Goldman wrote about his childhood, I fell for. Why shouldn't I? I saw no reason (again, as a child myself) to mistrust anything he was saying about how his father read him this book when he was around my age. I believed there really was an S. Morgenstern and that Goldman did us all a huge favor by abridging the original. And yes, this is embarrassing, but I even believed Florin and Guilder were real countries. It was this bit at the last that finally broke the spell.

As I got older and wanted to reread this book (I must have read it once a year or so for a lot of my childhood) I wanted to know where Florin was located. Poof. The truth laid bare. Goldman had made it up. This left a sour taste in my mouth as innocent trust was, quite frankly, broken. I didn't touch the book again for years.

Now, I love the story. I love the characters, Fezzik and Inigo especially. I just think this book works just as well without Goldman's cheeky "backstory." And I understand the underlying satire running through the story, but I don't want to be cynical. 

Another thing to note is that I grew up reading my mom's 1998 copy, the 25th anniversary edition, which included the first chapter of the "long lost" sequel, Buttercup's Baby. This is the version I just finished rereading but I refused to read the Buttercup's Baby section. Goldman loves to toy with your emotions, and he puts our beloved characters through the ringer, even killing Fezzik, leaving a cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers. But first, of course, he writes about all his difficulties with the Morgenstern estate to even get the rights to abridge the first chapter of the sequel. I skimmed it and it just feels too pompous. Goldman will ruin his own book for no good reason. Keep in mind, he doesn't even give everyone a lasting happy ending at the end of The Princess Bride. The movie does it better! Speaking of the movie, at this point, it's impossible to separate the two. Without the movie, it'd be hard to picture some of the settings of the book, but thanks to it, everything comes beautifully to life in my imagination. 

So much of the book feels soured to me, mainly because of the Buttercup's Baby stuff. I found myself laughing and amused at some of Goldman's "interjections" so I can happily say I'm starting to heal from this book breaking the trust of my younger self.

I still have a deep seeded love of this book and I enjoyed this reread. I don't think I could ever give it 5 stars, but for sheer entertainment value and a wonderful cast of characters, with some humor thrown in for good measure, I will say it deserves 4 stars. 

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.

Patrick Book

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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