The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman, 5/5

Reading this book was a strange experience because I could not separate it in my mind from the 1987 film, which I had seen many times before I realised it was based on a real book and many, many more times before actually reading the novel for the first time (years ago).  I was delighted to experience all the “extras” that didn’t make it into the movie but contribute to a novel that is hilarious and fantastical.  Goldman’s editorial asides, biographical anecdotes and surprisingly plausible insistence that he is merely the translator, not the creator, of this tale, create a mind-bending false reality that seems to blur the line between fact and fiction (when actually, it’s all fiction).  The book is also a valuable read for those interested in screenwriting and filmmaking.  When compared to the movie, it is an education to realise what was left out, what was added in, and what was changed by an author who is also an accomplished screenwriter.

[Why I read it: I was too young to completely understand the book the first time; it might never have ended up back on my reading list if one of my sisters-in-law hadn’t mentioned it and given me a craving.]