Name: Wynter's review of As You Wish by Cary Elwes
Item: As You Wish
Rating: 4
Author: Wynter

Cary Elwes

Joe Layden

In a 25th anniversary, behind-the-scenes account of the making of the cult-classic film, the lead actor shares never-before-told stories and exclusive photographs as well as interviews with Robin Wright, Billy Crystal and more. 100,000 first printing.

Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

As You Wish

Wynter

The audiobook is fun, packed with nostalgia, and the perfect “palate cleanser” read. 

Emiley Jones

this is my new obsession and the next person to watch this movie with me is about to find me so insufferable with the new insider knowledge im about to drop on their ass I can’t wait

Anna Oeltjenbruns

A very enjoyable book that is just as charming and heartwarming as the movie it pays homage to. I learned a lot about the filmmaking process and enjoyed insight from the making of The Princess Bride. A little simplistic in the writing and the interjections from other members of the cast and crew sometimes took away from the main narration, but still a solid memoir. 

Amanda

Patrick Book

Sonia Grgas

rounded up from 3.5. Such a nice reading experience, now I have to watch the movie again.

I'm going to sound like a broken record when I say that I absolutely LOVE Princess Bride. I remember borrowing my friend's VHS (yes, I'm going to age myself here) and watching it after school three times in a row for two weeks straight. So when I heard that Cary Elwes was releasing a memoir that could take me to the backstage of my most beloved movie, I immediately put it on hold at the library. Ah, Cary Elwes! What girl didn't have a crush on the dashing Westley? I very much enjoyed having him as my guide behind the scenes. Who knew that Wallace Shawn had such an inferiority complex thanks to Danny DeVito? Did you know that Cary broke his toe right before the most important and demanding scene in the movie and tried to convince the medic to help him hide it? Who could have guessed that magnificent Andre the Giant could down hundred beers without feeling the effects? This is a lovely memoir filled with nothing but fond recollections and friendly notes from other stars and creators. Highly recommended to any fan!

Gillian Rose

A wonderful look behind the scenes of my favorite movie. I loved seeing all the cast members share their memories as well as Elwes though I wish Elwes had reined in some of his stories a bit. A must read for fans.

Elizabeth Moore

Good read! I love The Princess Bride so it was a lot of fun to read more about how it was brought to life and all of the different people involved - there are some great stories and it was heartwarming to read about how much the cast and crew all loved making the movie and one another so much. Andre The Giant also sounds like the greatest, gentlest and most beloved man there ever was!

Some of the writing gets REALLY repetitive and I hate to say it but it did seem like there was a little too much way-too-overly-positive gushing about every single person and every single part of the film, but hey, it sounded like it was quite close to really being that amazing and that perfect of a team and filming experience.

If you are a fan of The Princess Bride, I highly recommend! If you haven't watched it yet or the movie isn't special to you, this book is probably going to feel boring and meandering.

Exactly what you'd expect: light-hearted, trivia-laden, and pure joy for any fan of the book and movie. A recounting as wholesome and sweet as its author.

Robin M Cabana

The Princes Bride is such an epic story so it's only fitting that there were so many funny and fascinating stories behind the movie! I really enjoyed this book and the charming reading by Cary Elwes, who is joined by many of his fellow cast members and the film's producers. I loved hearing about how Wallace Shawn was worried he'd be fired and replaced by Danny Devito, about the intense training for the sword fight and about anything involving Andre the Giant. If you love the movie, I highly recommend this book!

KADY BURNS

I could listen to Cary Elwes read a phone book, let alone tell great stories from an amazing movie.

Jessica Williamson

Oooh the nostalgia!

A must read if you are a fan of The Princess Bride. Elwes goes through the entire production, telling stories of hilarity and humility. I absolutely adored this book! It made me want to read the book and watch the movie again =)

Katie

The Princess Bride is my favorite book of all time. This book, Cary Elwes's memoir recounting memories of filming and the impact the movie has had on his life, was the FIRST BOOK I EVER ADDED to my Goodreads tbr shelf back in the day. To say that this was a highly anticipated read for me was an understatement.

It definitely lived up to the hype I had established in my head. I love celebrity memoirs with every fiber of my being, and I especially love listening to these celebrities reading their own stories. Cary Elwes's stories of mayhem on the set of The Princess Bride was such an adventure. He also invited other members of the cast and Rob Reiner, the director, to give their input on certain events as well. I truly loved hearing how much the incredible book impacted all of their lives.

Yoomi

I started listening to this audiobook to get me through the election. It was the perfect distraction. I highly recommend it even if you're not depressed.

Christina M Masters

Simply a delightful, magical book. The Princess Bride is one of my favorite all time movies and this gave me a glimpse into the inner workings that made that movie possible. I highly, highly recommend the audio version of this book. It is read primarily by Cary Elwes, but they were able to get many of the cast and crew to also read their own parts. It is just a fun book for anyone who has a love of The Princess Bride.

Faith

Swasti Ramadhin

I finished reading this book way too quickly. This is one of the few books I've read that I've enjoyed from start to finish. I didn't grow up with The Princess Bride, but I can see why people love the movie so much. It's definitely one I'll be watching over and over again while remembering Cary's stories. I'm happy Rob, Robin, Mandy and other cast-mates contributed too.

Jeni Enjaian

I have always absolutely loved every aspect of "The Princess Bride." Thus, I eagerly added this book to my to read list. Somehow, I missed the subtitle of the book and believed the book a memoir of Cary Elwes' entire life. My bad. I rather enjoyed learning all about the making of the movie from casting to the movie's transformation into a cult classic. I also enjoyed the tidbits added in from all the other players in the story from the other actors to the producer and the author. However, the only reason that I rated this book four stars instead of five was due to the placement of these boxes with words from others besides Elwes. While a majority of these inserts fell at appropriate places, several interrupted Elwes' narrative flow and did not tie directly to what Elwes talked about at that moment.

Other than that I absolutely loved the book and recommend it to every single "Princess Bride" fan.

b.andherbooks

If you are a fan of The Princess Bride, you must listen to this audiobook. Carey Elwes is an enchanting narrator, and the bonus addition of voices from the various other actors and creators of this movie was simply magical. I was so happy driving in my car every day. I will definitely watch this movie with a new respect, and can't wait to show it to my own daughter someday.

Laura Allen

Erin 

This book did not help me get over my crush on Westley AT ALL. This movie is a favorite of mine, as it is for many, and I would probably choose it to be one of the last ones I see on this Earth. If at all possible, I love it even more now. I often shy away from behind the scenes features and "making of"s for movies I love, especially if they are fantasy, because I never want the illusion to be ruined (I refuse to watch any special features for the LOTR movies, ever). The best part about this audiobook (which I thoroughly suggest you give a try) was that many of the actors lent themselves to read their own submissions to the book, so that it was not just Cary narrating (also, Cary Elwes should just narrate everything from now on, forever). Especially when they talked about other people on set, it made the stories that much more entertaining to hear it from the voice who wrote it. That being said, I did find it highly entertaining to hear Cary's impressions of his fellow castmates. I especially loved the stories about Andre the Giant - as entertaining as most of them were, they also felt a little heartbreaking. The love that every single castmember and everyone on the crew of this movie had for each and every person is overwhelming. If I were ever to have an experience of a movie set, I would want it to be this. The feelings and warmth that Cary wrote about being on set and the process of making this movie were no less than I would have expected. And to hear about the closeness and chemistry between Robin and Cary (I think the word that is used here is "smitten") makes me so much more in love with their characters because I know they felt it on set. Sure, this book goes deep into the process of making the movie from start to finish and if you aren't really interested in that, you will probably find those parts rather boring. But if you love this movie at all, I think you will be able to surpass that and just appreciate the making of one of the greatest films of all time.

Kaylee Z

This audiobook was an absolute joy to listen to. I definitely need the physical copy ❤

Michael Hessling

Wonderful look at one of my favorite movies. Can't believe it was 1987

Wynter &
As You Wish by Cary Elwes

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