From Powells.com
Powell's anniversary list: 1971-2021
Staff Pick
Like so many people, I fell in love with the film first. It’s like the grandfather says: “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.” There’s something for everyone, and it taps into something so magically, extraordinarily human. Also like so many people, I found a battered paperback with a broken spine on my shelf that I couldn’t remember buying, and then I fell in love all over again. Goldman’s “good parts” version of S. Morgenstern’s classic tale is a masterpiece (it might even be funnier than the film), and if you’ve never read it, go find that old paperback — for the terror of the Zoo of Death; for the journeys into Inigo and Fezzik’s pasts; for the final “editor’s” note, which I think might be absolutely perfect. (And if for some reason your paperback hasn’t appeared on your shelf yet, well. We have plenty of copies.) Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests — for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love — that's thrilling and timeless.
Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible — inconceivable, even — to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that's home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”
Review
"A wacky, charming, and funny fable...about a beautiful princess, her hero, pirates, duels, beasts, and the like but with sizzling grown-up passages...A saga of true love and high adventure." New York Times
Review
“One of the funniest, most original, and deeply moving novels I have read in a long time.” Los Angeles Times
Review
“[Goldman's] swashbuckling fable is nutball funny...A 'classic' medieval melodrama that sounds like all the Saturday serials you ever saw feverishly reworked by the Marx Brothers.” Newsweek
About the Author
William Goldman (1931-2018) wrote books and movies for more than fifty years. He won two Academy Awards (for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men), and three Lifetime Achievement Awards in screenwriting.