BOOK REVIEW: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

This is a book review for The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I read this as part of my TBR Pile Challenge. 

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.”

It is inconceivable that I have not read this book until now, especially since I love the movie so much. I know that the book is typically better than the movie, but since I adore the movie I honestly didn't have very high expectations for the book. Shame on me. This book had me glued from the first pages. Oh goodness, how I loved Westley and Buttercup. Yes I know, it was an instantaneous kind of love and usually I hate that. I am sorry, but in this fairy tale world, I welcomed it. Their romance made me swoon. 

"I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm. "

"Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches."

"I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your visage did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids . . . Is any of this getting through to you, Buttercup, or do you want me to go on for a while?"

"Westley took her in his arms. 'Child; sweet child. I have a knife. I have my sword. I did not come across the world to lose you now.'"

How can you not swoon with quotes like that? But this book wasn't just about romance. Oh no, it was about the evil Prince Humperdink, the fierce Spaniard out to avenge his father's death and the strong, but lovable, giant. I held my breath during a few rocky moments with Buttercup and Westley. Yes, obviously I know how it ends since I have seen the movie but the writing was just that good. I loved the sword fights between Ingo and, well, pretty much anyone he came into contact with. I forgot how funny (and arrogant) the Sicilian was. I loved every single character, yes even the evil ones. I think this is my new favorite book. I have this one on my Kindle, but now I feel the need to own the print version. Since I only own print versions of my favorite books, that is high praise indeed. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go watch the movie again!

Buy/Skip/Borrow: Buy!!!