Is it a satire, is it an homage, or is it just good fun? The Princess Bride by William Goldman has been on my shelves for a good while but although I have seen and enjoyed the film, I hadn’t gotten around to reading it. I picked it up this month and was immediately drawn into this strange and sharp-edged fairy tale.

I won’t get into plot details as much is already known about this book but be ready for an edge-of-your-seat adventure read that has truly evil villains, sword fights, poisoning, kidnapping, torture, some giant man-eating rats, and a Zoo of Death! This is a warped fairy tale of love, hate, revenge and humour.

The Princess Bride is a fantasy that is delivered in a playful style and it is packed with plenty of action and adventure. I am happy that I have finally read the book and can now recommend both the film and the book as excellent entertainment. ( )

I am torn about what I think about this book. I watched the movie sometime in my late teens early twenties, as I had heard people liked it, but I didn't really get it. I think I was too old to appreciate the story for itself, and not discerning enough to realize it was supposed to be satirical.

I borrowed the book from my sister a few years ago, but took a year before I tried to read it. I got so confused reading the fictional introductions that present themselves as non-fiction that I stopped and went to the internet to figure it out. I got annoyed and didn't continue reading.

Fast forward a few more years and I tried to read it again, now knowing what I was getting into. This time I really liked it, and would probably have given it four stars except for the end, which seemed abrupt. Combine that with the extra anniversary addition chapters that included Buttercup Baby started making the precept of a fake abridgment more wearying than clever. I think if I had read an original version without all the extra introductions and appendices I wouldn't have got so tired of the fake abridgment story line.

Then I watched the movie again and appreciated it a lot more. Overall I can't decide if I like the movie or the book better and I think it is best enjoyed if you consume both. I liked the ending in the movie better, but I liked the characterizations of Inigo and Wesley better in the book--Buttercup was pretty weak in both. ( )

Good book! It was nice meeting the characters in the book in words. I think that I would have been happy with the movie representation if I had read the book before the movie. Also, I liked the extra stuff at the end that movie doesnt show ( )

as a teenager my all time favorite book -- read and re-read countless times ( )

One of the rare cases where I enjoyed the movie much more than the book. Not a fan of this book. ( )