Friday Favorites: The Princess Bride

Friday, October 1, 2010


A princess falls in love, but the man she loves is kidnapped by a pirate. So she is forced to marry a prince, but before she can she is also kidnapped. Along the way she meets a friendly giant, a Spaniard seeking revenge and a few R.O.U.S creatures (rodents of unusual size). Sound familiar?

The book is a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale that was turned into one of the best movies ever. It's part romance, part adventure, part satire and pure brilliance. If you've seen the movie and love it, then I would absolutely recommend the book. Unlike most film adaptations, that one remained almost identical to the book.

I love this book not because it's written perfectly or has a groundbreaking story, but because it makes me laugh so hard I cry. It defies all regular happily ever after rules and chooses humor instead. The Princess Bride paved the way for Neil Gaiman's Stardust, another hilarious fairy tale. It's filled with some of the best one-liners ever. Even elements that I was sure were changed in the movie originated in the text, like the priest's odd mispronunciation of the word marriage as "Mawidge." It's all in the book.

So if you haven't read it you're missing out.

5 comments:

Alex (The Sleepless Reader) said...

Loves it! Book and movie. Sometimes I quote a fun part but no one has any idea what I’m talking about… *Alex sighs*

(My name is Indigo Montoya! You killed my father, prepare to die!)
(This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.)

Teacher/Learner said...

Love the unconventional fairy tale movie! I haven't read the book (I won't dare claim it as a favourite, ha ha!) but sounds great. I like when a movie is true to the original novel. Thanks for the review :o)

Jenners said...

I wondered how this compared to the movie. The movie is one of my all-time favorites.

Jeanne said...

I love this book so much that I get irritated with people who have watched the movie and think they know the story. Which isn't fair, because the movie is great!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Best movie to quote ever. I do agree that the book adds even more.