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The Princess Bride
 
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The Princess Bride (Paperback)

by William Goldman (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (461 customer reviews)

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3 new from CDN$ 40.63 8 used from CDN$ 5.21

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Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.com

The Princess Bride is a true fantasy classic. William Goldman describes it as a "good parts version" of "S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure." Morgenstern's original was filled with details of Florinese history, court etiquette, and Mrs. Morgenstern's mostly complimentary views of the text. Much admired by academics, the "Classic Tale" nonetheless obscured what Mr. Goldman feels is a story that has everything: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles."

Goldman frames the fairy tale with an "autobiographical" story: his father, who came from Florin, 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.

Is The Princess Bride a critique of classics like Ivanhoe and The Three Musketeers, that smother a ripping yarn under elaborate prose? A wry look at the differences between fairy tales and real life? Simply a funny, frenetic adventure? No matter how you read it, you'll put it on your "keeper" shelf. --Nona Vero --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



From AudioFile

Fans of the original book and the 1980s' film will enjoy this retelling of THE PRINCESS BRIDE, but only as a nostalgic curiosity. This version is even shorter than Goldman's fictitious abridgment of S. Morgenstern's "original," and it comes off more like a synopsis than a real fairy tale. Reiner, director of the film, is no narrator, but he gives it a good try. He sounds more like a mildly hurried father reading this book to his children, a quality that, while charming, fails to make a strong listening experience. Listeners familiar with the story will still laugh at all the right points, as Reiner's appreciation for the text does come across, despite the lackluster reading. A.A. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews

461 Reviews
5 star:
 (371)
4 star:
 (46)
3 star:
 (24)
2 star:
 (7)
1 star:
 (13)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (461 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent... some people are so stupid., Dec 22 2003
By T. P. Stewart (Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Princess Bride (Hardcover)
This is an excellent book, as long as you don't go into it wanting a conventional fantasy novel. At some points during the reading, you will realize that Goldman did not write the book intending for it to be a pure fantasy, but perhaps more of a satire of reality. His entire point in writing it was to show readers that they are in the real world. The characters and happenings are so far fetched because Goldman wants us to realize that life isn't a fantasy.
If you've seen the movie, read the book to get more out of the story. If you haven't seen the movie, read the book and then see it. If you've already read the book, why are you looking at reader reviews?--I mean--buy the movie.
Oh yeah... there are plenty of reviews here saying that this book is so horrible because Goldman cut hundreds of pages out of S. Morgenstern's original Princess Bride. Do not pay any attention to these reviews... these people have been misinformed. S. Morgenstern was a fictional writer invented by Goldman. He is just a character in Goldman's story. This story is not abridged, as it may seem(The 'Good Parts' Version). It is just a tale that Goldman made up, or maybe his father made it up, or maybe his father's father... the point is, the tale was never WRITTEN anywhere else until Goldman came along, so you are not missing anything in reading THIS version. Please do not go and try to find S. Morgenstern's original... that would be an impossibility, as well as a waste of time.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars No age limit required, Aug 2 2008
By Bill Carr "Bones" (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Princess Bride (Hardcover)
The Princess Bride was released in '74, way back when I was 14 years old. My father tossed it to me after he had finished it and told me I would like it. I liked it so much I was one of the many (suckers) who sent away for the reunion scene between Westley and Buttercup that Goldman offered on page 153 of the paperback. Heck, I was 14, I wanted more of the story, and if all it was going to cost me was a stamp....
I'm 48 years old now, and I still read this book every once in a while; it never gets old. Sometimes I find myself skipping ahead a little, then I remember Fezziks logic "fool, fool, back to the beginning is the rule."
No matter the genre of books you prefer, be it horror, mystery, sci-fi, and no matter your age, you must, MUST read this book. It has been in my top 10 since I was 14. My 8 year old son wants to read it which I think is fantastic, because he'll have 6 years on my first reading it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A New Point-of-View, Sep 17 2006
This review is from: The Princess Bride (Hardcover)
As I read the other reviews, I have to laugh to myself. The first time I read this book, the interjections drove me crazy. But I came back to it a few years later and found myself loving them. Especially because I now knew that Morgenstern, Florin, and the entire unabridged "Princess Bride" is a lie! The book's plot is pretty much identical to the movie's, but there is much more detail in, say, the sword fight at the top of the Cliffs of Insanity. My favourite difference is the character development. Although it might annoy people reading it for the first time, I loved the flashbacks that tell us about the childhood of Fezzik, Inigo, and others. Buttercup's parents are hilarious but the love story is less satisfying because there really is no reason except her looks to love Buttercup, who isn't much smarter than her horse (named Horse). All in all, though, a great book and well worth reading, even if you have seen the movie.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars great once you know the truth
i loved this book. i saw the movie in school, and got the book a few years ago for christmas. I put of reading it for a while, cause the abrigment description parts started to bug... Read more
Published on Oct 16 2006 by bibliophile girl

5.0 out of 5 stars too enjoyable to pass up
one of my favorite books of all time! this book doesn't need to be critiqued, it just needs to be enjoyed. hilarious, exciting, and romantic all at the same time.. Read more
Published on Sep 6 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars I totally fell for it... for a while.
I loved the movie (1987) so when I saw the book in my favourite used bookstore, I thought I'd pick it up to see how it compared. Read more
Published on Aug 30 2005 by Jason Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just another pulp novel (spoilers!)
A witty and elegant subversion of the fantasy genre.

**********

It astonishes me that some of the reviewers below never figured out that the book of which this one purports to... Read more

Published on Jun 24 2004 by Nathan Simington

5.0 out of 5 stars great book
This is truly a wonderful book. It is full of imagination and humor, lots of zany humor. Even though it is a very lengthy story you forget all about its length ( I didn't want it... Read more
Published on Jun 23 2004 by lolly

3.0 out of 5 stars Use it to indoctrinate the young
Let me be very clear: I did not have any exposure to The Princess Bride in any of its forms until the tender age of 20. Read more
Published on Jun 23 2004 by Touche LaRue

4.0 out of 5 stars good, but...
I picked up this book because the book's description grabbed my interest - bolding characters' names and whatnot. Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely deserves its status as a classic!
A lot of people have seen the film The Princess Bride and would know of the book from the film. The movie has for long possessed a cult-like status, being seen as funny, warm,... Read more
Published on Jun 7 2004 by Frikle

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the BEST!!! A True CLASSIC!!!!!
A great book. All in all, a great story. Tells of love, commitment, risks, pain, deception, everything!!! Read more
Published on May 20 2004 by tao3721

5.0 out of 5 stars S. Morgenstern, take a bow
I grew up on the movie The Princess Bride, and so naturally I couldn't wait to be completely blown away by the novel. Read more
Published on May 19 2004 by savvy-meister

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