Review: The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Series: stand alone
Genre: Young adult, fantasy
Rating: 3/5
Recommended for: Fans of the movie
Planning to read more by this author?: No, I wasn't much of a fan of his writing style.
Buy?: Probably in paperback
Review: I'm split about this. It was a cute story that followed the movie (or rather, I should say the movie follow the book) almost exactly. The traditional damsel-in-distress, hero, strong man, swords fighting, and evil Count were all here, most used in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The story didn't take itself very seriously, and the writing was funny.
On the other hand, since it was almost making fun of itself, the usual fantasy stereotypes were not only in play but exaggerated. Buttercup was almost TSTL and definitely a damsel-in-distress for the entire book. She and Westley are madly in love with each other, but not for any real reason I can tell. The was initially funny, but it got old by the end of the book. So, too, did Mr. Goldman's story about his abridgement and false family. Funny, but only to a point.
Overall, the book was cute, but I think it works better as a movie.