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

Years ago, I was asked one of those silly questions that readers ask each other: “If you could be any literary character, who would you be?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Princess Buttercup.” After all, what woman in her right mind wouldn’t crave a life of true love and high adventure?I have no recollection of when I first read William Goldman’s beloved novel, but I can tell you that in the decades since, I’ve read the book and seen the film at least a dozen times. It is very high on my list of all-time favorites. I never grow tired of it. I can pick this book up and start reading on any page and get sucked in immediately. And as soon as I’ve finished it, I could easily start reading from page one all over again. It is a case of true love.Now, you have to have been living under a rock for the past few decades not to have an idea of what this tale is about. It’s the story of the beautiful milkmaid Buttercup and her love for the dashing farm boy Westley and all they go through in order to be together. Additionally, the novel uses the author’s life as a framing device. In what is purported to be a series of forwards and abridger’s notes, Goldman reflects on his personal history with “S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure.” He speaks candidly (and entirely fictitiously) of his family life, and perhaps somewhat less fictitiously of his professional life. And he tells the story of how his father first read him the tale when he was ten years old. When he asked if there were any sports in the book, the man replied:“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautiful ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.”I ask you, what more could a reader possibly want?The one thing Goldman forgot to list is humor. What has made this tale such a classic, in addition to the fact that it contains one of the five greatest kisses of all time, is the novel’s adroit humor. It ranges from sophisticated to glib to farcical, and it never fails to make me smile. Because of the brilliant film adaptation (also written by Goldman), many of the novel’s lines and passages have become cultural touchstones. Have you ever cried, “Inconceivable!” in a Wally Shawn lisp? Mandy Patinkin doesn’t go a day without someone coming up to him and proclaiming, “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!” Does the phrase “As you wish.” just give you chills? These characters are indelible, and Mr. Goldman’s humor has held up for 40 years. I believe people still be chuckling over this novel a hundred years from now. Shakespeare, Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse—some humor is simply timeless.Clearly, I love a feel-good story, but most suffer from diminishing returns. Maybe it was awesome the first time you read it, pretty good the second, and less so on successive reads. Not so, The Princess Bride. If anything, I think my considerable affection for this novel grows with each successive reading. And I’m still spotting new things! On this read, for the first time, I spotted the fake blurbs at the front of the Kindle edition. (One was from “Shog Bongiorno, professor emeritus, Mid-European Literature, Columbia University,” LOL.)Twenty-fifth and thirtieth anniversary editions of The Princess Bride have contained new forwards that continue the story that Goldman uses as the novel’s framing device. And after the novel’s end, there is a lengthy introduction to a substantial sample of the novel’s fictitious sequel, Buttercup’s Baby. I’ve read it all except for Buttercup’s Baby. I can only read that for the first time once, and I’m just not ready to experience it yet. Besides, maybe one day Mr. Goldman will elbow out Stephen King for the job and will finish the abridgement of the sequel. Hope springs eternal. And isn’t that the nature of true love?

Being a fan of William Goldman and The Princess Bride Film, and with no sequel in sight, it progressed naturally that I would want to read the story on which the film was based. I was at first tempted to write a tongue-in-cheek review of "Morgernstern's work" to parallel the book, but a glance at the reviews shows that there is still a lot of confusion about this book, so it would probably be best to clear some things up first:- There is no author named "S. Morgenstern." The Princess Bride was written in 1973 by author and screenwriter William Goldman, the same person who wrote the screenplay for the film. Morgenstern serves the same purpose as the opening narrative from the film - to create a fairy tale atmosphere and allow the author (Goldman) to interject his own commentary into the story at will. It is a narrative device that is not used often, but works well for the film and the book.- It is labeled as "abridged" but there is no "unabridged" version. This is another lyrical device intended to reflect many of the fantasy classics by Dickens and Dumas that are frequently abridged. The text of the main story is the only version that exists.- The story is written with extensive commentary inserted by Goldman, much like that which was used in the film. Most of this commentary and the information provided by Goldman in his introduction is fictional.- The 25th anniversary edition includes the first chapter of the sequel, "Buttercup's Baby." While it is a full chapter, there are no additional chapters that have been written by Goldman.Since most people coming into the book will have seen the film first, I can say that the novel is about as close to the plot and structure of the film as possible. Unlike most novels, there is not a lot of additional plot and dialogue in the novel that is not already in the film, and it is difficult to make a comparison between the two. Goldman has a very unusual and original writing style that many people might be turned off by. The true beauty (Buttercup notwithstanding) of The Princess Bride is not the story (although it certainly stands up in its own right), but the structure of the book, most notably the commentary and introduction by Goldman. It allows for an additional entertaining and lighthearted layer to the story that I think many fans will enjoy.In the edition I own (the 25th edition), Goldman mentions a scene he left out of the original text, which featured a reunion between Wesley and Buttercup. Unfortunately, he exclaims that he was not allowed to include the scene by order of his publisher, and you could obtain it by writing a letter to them and requesting it (a lot like when you write a letter to 221B Baker Street - the residence of Sherlock Holmes). While none of the details surrounding this were true, it was a clever game to play with the readers. I'm told that the later 30th anniversary edition included a link to a web site where you could view the letters, which is unfortunately defunct. As such, I've included all of the letters in the comments below.The Princess Bride, the novel, isn't for everyone, even die-hard fans of the film. Although I thoroughly enjoyed it, I've also been an admirer of William Goldman's other novels and I am used to his writing style. My best advise would be to read the first chapter for free on Amazon and if you enjoy it, consider getting the book. It's a very short read and offers another layer to this "Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure."

Unusual writing style, but engaging. The movie was delightful, and perhaps a little more optimistic than the Book. But books cam spend time on details that a movie can't. I hear andre the giants voice every time Fezzick speaks. I hear billy crystal every time max speaks in the book. Delightful

Uno de mis libros e historias favoritas, hasta la película me encanta y esta edición la busqué mucho tiempo pero estaba carísima, la encontré en $450 y no dudé, llegó en excelentes condiciones y es simplemente maravilloso.

Recommended for children of all ages! (I'll never see 60 again) . Structurally very clever, for me the "abridger's" asides added much to the tale

It was good novel.Enjoyed reading it, happy, fun, love, pain, everything at one place. With some friendships and my heart is full at the end♥️

If you watched the film, you cannot miss the book, and if you didn't, well, you cannot miss this book either!

Definitely recommend this book if you ever for any reason enjoyed the movie. Though the book is amazing by itself also, though be aware if you have trouble using your imagination since the fairytale is anything but mundane.