The Princess Bride
William Goldman, 1973
Fantasy RomanceYoung adultContemporary fiction
A swashbuckling fairy tale with a narrator who keeps interrupting: fencing, true love, revenge, and the funniest asides in fiction. The story runs on warm humor and quick adventure, with a chatty narrator who keeps cutting in to joke and comment.
Feels like joy and tenderness. About love, adventure and nature.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy fairy-tale adventure, true love, swordplay, and a narrator who jokes from the sidelines. The constant interruptions and asides are part of the charm, but they can slow the story if you want a straight, uninterrupted adventure.
Why read it
Read it for the pleasure of a fairy tale that doesn't take itself too seriously, and for asides that make the romance and swordplay more fun.
A page from the book
A declaration of love that gets stuck on the arithmetic.
Buttercup shook her head.Westley shook his too. “You never have been the brightest, I guess.”“Do you love me, Westley? Is that it?”He couldn’t believe it. “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches! If your love were -”“I don’t understand that first one yet,” Buttercup interrupted. She was starting to get very excited now. “Let me get this straight. Are you saying my love is a grain of sand and yours is this other thing? Images confuse me so - is this universal business of yours bigger than my sand? Help me, Westley. I have the feeling we’re on the verge of something just terribly important.” William Goldman.Goldman won Oscars for writing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and later adapted The Princess Bride for Rob Reiner's 1987 film.
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Questions readers ask
- Is The Princess Bride for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy fairy-tale adventure, true love, swordplay, and a narrator who jokes from the sidelines. The constant interruptions and asides are part of the charm, but they can slow the story if you want a straight, uninterrupted adventure.
- What is The Princess Bride like?
- The story runs on warm humor and quick adventure, with a chatty narrator who keeps cutting in to joke and comment. Feels like joy and tenderness. About love, adventure and nature.
- What should I read after The Princess Bride?
- If you liked The Princess Bride, try To Sir Phillip, With Love (Julia Quinn), The Spanish Love Deception (Elena Armas) and The Hating Game (Sally Thorne).
A taste of the feed
What if the thing you apologise for is the thing someone loves most?
I always loved everything about you, of course, but for some reason I always found your impatience especially charming. It was never because you wanted more, it was because you wanted everything.
To Sir Phillip, With Love · Julia Quinn
What it means to stop pretending and simply claim what you want.
Because when I finally take those lips in mine, it will be the furthest thing from pretending. I will not be showing you what it would be like if you were mine. I’ll show you what it is. And I sure as hell won’t be showing how good I could make you feel if you called me yours. You’ll already know that I am.
The Spanish Love Deception · Elena Armas
What it means when someone brings back the thing you miss most.
You can’t see the stars in New York,” Dante said. “So I brought the stars to you.
King of Wrath · Ana Huang
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