The Princess Bride

by William Goldman

[teachergorman]

I’ve been watching and rewatching the film since childhood, but I’d never gotten around to the novel. It was nice to find that the film I love got the novel right and added to it well, but it was also good to find that there were some cool things in the novel that didn’t make it into the film. The framing device in the novel is even better than in the film, in some ways, because though we don’t get the interruptions that are so great in the film, we are presented with an abridgement of a novel that never existed, and a justification for that abridgement that is truly heartwarming. Of course, the best part is Goldman’s comic voice, and that’s here and just as successful as the film. If you like the movie, read the book!