The Princess Bride.

The Princess Bride

by: William Goldman (oops, I mean Morganstern)

A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts - The Princess Bride is a modern storytelling classic.

I've watched this movie so many times and I absolutely love it! I had heard the book was better, and since that is an absolutely true statement about any and every movie and 100% of the time, I wanted to give it a try.
why it took me so long? I have no idea. but I eventually got my hands on it and found that to be just as true in this case!

Sweet and Interesting Heroine? CHECK
While Buttercup was ditzy early in the book, I liked it because it showed just how ditzy we all are when we first fall in love. She quickly matured into a wonderful heroine. She often kept her cool in tense situations (ex. as they were trying to get out of the gate).

Brave and Sweet Hero: CHECK
Oh my dear, Westley, how I love you. He is strong and brave and never gave up where Buttercup was concerned. Also, having seen the movie many times before reading this, I pictured Westley as a young Cary Elwes which was quite lovely.

Original Setting and Unique Plot: CHECK
Goldman (oops, I mean Morganstern) is a genius! I loved reading about Florin and Guilder. The setting in this story is brilliant and it instantly became a "new classic" for its new take on fairytales. It is the only fairytale I've ever read that even once says "life isn't fair" (and it says it way more than once) which I found really incredible.

Extraordinary Supporting Characters: CHECK

Inigo: "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die" I'm pretty sure that sums it all up right there! But I will elaborate, just for you. Well, for one his passion and drive is quite ridiculously incredible. His love for his father is also quite inspiring when you look at all the incredible (and dastardly) things it led him to do.

Fezzik: The gentle giant (defiant). The lovable lug (bug). The classic follower (hollower?). He made me laugh a whole lot (spot). And i always just wanted to give him a hug to cheer him up when he was lonely or afraid or when someone made fun of him (rim).

Humperdink and Rugen: Ugh. the thought of them makes my skin crawl. Period. End of Story (but that is the sign of a great author, the ability to make truly cringe-worthy villain) (oh... also in the movie Humperdink looks kind of like the king from Shrek. gross.)

Plot Twists and Plenty of Action: CHECK
Fencing. A giant. Wrestling. Hunting. And a pirate or two. how could there not be action. As much as this is a fairytale, it is also an adventure book. As much as it is a "girl book", it is also for boys. As much as it is about romance, it is also about revenge and pride. And as for plot twists, I say that Goldman (oh, I mean Morganstern) is an expert at faking you out. You think that something that just happened or was said was real, when really it was just in the person's head.

Go read it NOW!

Quotes:

"I think you hunt only to reassure yourself that you are not what you are: the weakest thing to ever walk the Earth"

"my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die"

“Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death, that's all.”

“Love is many things, none of them logical.”

"Inconceivable!" "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

“Cynics are simply thwarted romantics.”

"Enough about my beauty.” Buttercup said. “Everybody always talks about how beautiful I am. I’ve got a mind, Westley. Talk about that.”

"You mean you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll try to kill each other like civilized people, is that it?”

"She loves you still and you love her, so think of that--think of this too: in all this world, you might have been happy, genuinely happy. Not one couple in a century has that chance, not really, no matter what the storybooks say, but you could have had it, and so, I would think, no one will ever suffer a loss as great as you.”

“As you wish...”

“You mock my pain! Life is pain, anyone who says otherwise is obviously selling something!”

“Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us together today.”