The Princess Bride by William Goldman

[Shiama]

well I never actually read the book but I have seen the movie...here and there, never all of it in one sitting, but still. the story seemed kind of weird to me.  

[Verene]

I saw the movie first and loved it. Then in AP English my teacher had the tradition of reading The Princess Bride every year to her classes. THAT BOOK IS AWESOME!!

All of us in her classes love it and quote it randomly as if it were a secret society communication/code. After listening to the book be read twice (I had two years with this teacher) it is hard for me to watch the movie simple because of how much it leave it out.

Long live the princess bride!

(Oh and for those wondering yes, there is a sequel, it is called Buttercup's Baby, no I haven't read it.)  

[Wordstreamer~Nifty Fairy~]

I actually liked the book better than the movie.

I'd like to read the original some time though......

And the sequel, if it can ever be found.  

[Verene]

Wordstreamer~Nifty Fairy~

I actually liked the book better than the movie.

I'd like to read the original some time though......

And the sequel, if it can ever be found.

There is no original, that is part of the beauty of Goldman's work. What he wrote *is* the original story.  

[lavenvi05]

Wise words Verene, wise words. cool  

[Rabid Nozomi]

Your poll is weird.

I love this book. Several times, I crack up just thinking about it. It takes an extremely funny book to get me laugh. I admit, the parts when he [the author] spoke did annoy me, but it was nice for a change after reading a lot of "normal" books.

I love Inigo Montoya.

I love the movie too. Its actually good, for once. I own it--the special edition came out a few weeks ago.  

[Veramel]

I feel obligated to stick in my own opinion here (except that it may actually be my mother's opinion that I've absorbed over the years) which is as follows:

The book was excellent and possibly one of the best books ever written.

The movie was terrible, in that it was faithful to the events of the book, and not the most important part, the message, which is that life isn't fair.

Yes, the book was cynical, that was the point, but it shouldn't have been made into a movie, because the movie couldn't preserve Goldman's style of prose, and didn't preserve his purpose.  

[doodlebuggey88]

Verene

I saw the movie first and loved it. Then in AP English my teacher had the tradition of reading The Princess Bride every year to her classes. THAT BOOK IS AWESOME!!

All of us in her classes love it and quote it randomly as if it were a secret society communication/code. After listening to the book be read twice (I had two years with this teacher) it is hard for me to watch the movie simple because of how much it leave it out.

So amazingly unfair! I would have given anything to have read the Princess Bride in AP English. Pretty much the only book I liked was Jane Eyre in there.  

[Rabid Nozomi]

Veramel

I feel obligated to stick in my own opinion here (except that it may actually be my mother's opinion that I've absorbed over the years) which is as follows:

The book was excellent and possibly one of the best books ever written.

The movie was terrible, in that it was faithful to the events of the book, and not the most important part, the message, which is that life isn't fair.

Yes, the book was cynical, that was the point, but it shouldn't have been made into a movie, because the movie couldn't preserve Goldman's style of prose, and didn't preserve his purpose.

He did write the screenplay, ya know. I agree. I love the movie, but it didn't go through every moral of the book, and that was dissapointing.  

[Jesm]

I LOVED the movie, I started reading the book but I got bored with all the footnotieness....  

[Meithanos]

heck I think all the footnotes made the book all the funnier. It kinda reminded me of The Once and Future King with them... only there was no actual "Original book" that he was refering to. And the fact that there's and entire chapter of footnotes about packign and traveling... makes me laugh just thinking about it.

He took himself SO serious with the book... and yet he didn't.

And I think the movie was made that way in the same light as the book, to make a spoof of all the movies that are "abridged" versions of a book, that is very similar to/based off another book.


I love both versions for the pure comedic genusis they are!  

[Ayla Skye]

I have yet to read the book but I love the movie.  

[Sam Clemens]

Ah! *points to signature* I absolutely adore the book. The movie is great but it really doesn't do the book justice. I love the whole dialogue part where Westley and Buttercup are explaining how much they love each other and Buttercup gets so confused.

It's completely hilarious cause it's making fun of every cliche fairy tale out there. The princess is a complete dits, the hero is good at everything, the prince is sooooo evil, and the cohorts can't live without their leader. It's amazingly brilliant for such a simple story.

I usually read it at least once a year. Last year I read to my friends and I would leave off at really cliffhanger parts just ot annoy them. It was hilarious how much they were getting into it.  

[Merlinssister]

I love the book but I really don't see why everyone has to die just to show that life isn't fair. I kind of end up writing my own ending to Buttercup's Baby where Fezzik doesn't take the wrong turn for once. I think my favourite bit is the battle on top of the cliffs when Buttercup was kidnapped, my favourite character is Inigo Montoya ('Hello, I am Inigo Montoya, prepare to die') and I love the footnotes for their randomness. 3nodding  

[Mink Biscuit]

I've seen the movie several times, and really loved it. When I found the book in B&N one day, I decided to give it a shot. The book is... different from the movie.

I love the writing in the book, and I love the illusion of it all. I think Goldman is terribly clever. But the feel of the book is much darker, more cynical--it strips away that fairy-tale sparkle the movie had.

I don't prefer one to the other, though. The movie makes me happier, but the book is funnier. Both are great. whee