Finished: March 2008
Pages: 414
Challenges:
**Winter Reading Challenge
**Decades Challenge (1970's)
**Eponymous Challenge
First sentence: "The year that Buttercup was born, the most beautiful woman in the world was a French scullery maid named Annette."
Last sentence: "It's just fairer than death, that's all."
What a fun romp of a read! This book has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years but since I have seen the movie many times, I haven't felt the urgency the actually read it.
My copy is a 30th anniversary edition and the forward written by Goldman, himself, was confusing to me. Then after completing it, I came to the forward written by him for the 25th anniversary edition, which I managed to plow through. To be honest, I might have quit reading during those forwards, if not for the fact that this book is on 3 of my challenge lists!
But finish I did, and by the time I got into the body of the actual story, I was hooked. There are many reasons I am glad that I have read this book, but the foremost reason can be summed up in one word...... **Depth**. Not only is the plot a bit more developed, but the characters are developed so much more. I enjoyed the back stories given for each character which served to give them each that extra depth found lacking in the movie. Along with this characterization is the little plot twist at the end which I found charming/interesting. So, if you have seen the movie and have contemplated reading the book but have put it off thinking it might be a waste of time, my opinion is that it certainly will not be a waste of precious reading time!
From Amazon:
Book Description
William Goldman’s beloved novel has sold over one million copies. A movie, released twenty years ago, perfectly captured the spirit of the book and has introduced new fans to its pages ever since. In 1941 a young boy lies bedridden from pneumonia. His perpetually disheveled and unattractive father, an immigrant from Florin with terribly broken English, shuffles into his bedroom carrying a book. The boy wants to know if it has any sports. His father says, "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles." And the little boy, though he doesn’t know it, is about to change forever. As Goldman says, "What happened was just this. I got hooked on the story." And coming generations of readers will, too.
What a fun romp of a read! This book has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years but since I have seen the movie many times, I haven't felt the urgency the actually read it.
My copy is a 30th anniversary edition and the forward written by Goldman, himself, was confusing to me. Then after completing it, I came to the forward written by him for the 25th anniversary edition, which I managed to plow through. To be honest, I might have quit reading during those forwards, if not for the fact that this book is on 3 of my challenge lists!
But finish I did, and by the time I got into the body of the actual story, I was hooked. There are many reasons I am glad that I have read this book, but the foremost reason can be summed up in one word...... **Depth**. Not only is the plot a bit more developed, but the characters are developed so much more. I enjoyed the back stories given for each character which served to give them each that extra depth found lacking in the movie. Along with this characterization is the little plot twist at the end which I found charming/interesting. So, if you have seen the movie and have contemplated reading the book but have put it off thinking it might be a waste of time, my opinion is that it certainly will not be a waste of precious reading time!
From Amazon:
William Goldman’s beloved novel has sold over one million copies. A movie, released twenty years ago, perfectly captured the spirit of the book and has introduced new fans to its pages ever since. In 1941 a young boy lies bedridden from pneumonia. His perpetually disheveled and unattractive father, an immigrant from Florin with terribly broken English, shuffles into his bedroom carrying a book. The boy wants to know if it has any sports. His father says, "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles." And the little boy, though he doesn’t know it, is about to change forever. As Goldman says, "What happened was just this. I got hooked on the story." And coming generations of readers will, too.
this is one of my all-time favorite books. after i first saw the movie, i went directly to a bookstore to buy the book. i haven't read it for a long time though, so maybe it's time for a re-read. i'm glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI linked to your review in mine.
ReplyDeletehttp://booksidoneread.blogspot.com/2007/01/princess-bride-william-goldman.html