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Icarus's Reviews > The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride
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I am one of the few people in the world who does not think the book is better than the movie here. There is an undercurrent of bitterness in this book that I find off-putting. I am given to understand by a friend that those elements--i.e., the autobiographical stuff in Goldman's own persona--are actually fictional. But I found that they soured my enjoyment of the story they framed. I couldn't enjoy the writing of a writer who seemed as misanthropic and hateful as Goldman came off to me. TPB is still a great book--better than three stars, but I couldn't quite bring myself to give it four.
Stick to the movie. It has the opposite problem, but you can always fast forward through the saccharine Fred Savage bits.
Stick to the movie. It has the opposite problem, but you can always fast forward through the saccharine Fred Savage bits.
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Aug 29, 2007 09:26AM
I'm glad I'm not the only one to feel like this!
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I agree with this. I've actually stopped reading the book for the time being because it was making me upset. I desperately want to love the book as much as I do the movie.
I don't like William Goldman. In fact, I have zero respect for him. That's all I say, except I am dizzy with confusion afdter reading this book!
I think that's interesting considering Goldman wrote the screenplay for the movie as well :)
i agree, i normally like satire but I really didn't like the ending of the book
I so much agree with this! I thought the movie struck the perfect balance, emotionally, whereas the book was, yes, bitter. (Also a point for the movie: You could just tell that the actors were having all kinds of fun.)
I completely agree. I just don't like the tone the book is written in, and I got bored with the "biographical" bits. Thank you.
I agree so much. The movie will always be better because of Goldman's commentary in the book.
I don't agree. This book is amazing and while he movie is very good the book is beautifully written
Happy to see a few other people also feel that the so-called biographical bits and asides often came off snarky and bitter.
I absolutely agree! I have not finished the book yet because I kept on getting annoyed with Goldman's personal info. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one!
I agree completely! The movie is literally my favorite ever, and when I finally got around to reading the book, I was sorely disappointed. One of the very few times that a movie has been better than the book.
Couldn't agree more. I thought that the humor was rather dry, and that the bits with the narrator certainly upsetting. However, I found the backstory of the supporting characters the only enjoyment I found in reading it, other than that I would've just stuck to the movie.
I have to chime in with agreement as well. I enjoyed the book, but the film is better. It's trims out the moody and strange bits and just sort of streamlines the whole thing beautifully. Also Buttercup and Westly get to be simply attractive rather than the most beautiful people ever, which got a bit silly in the book.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that the narrative had a subtle bitter, misanthropic tone.
I agree. I much prefer the movie. Even without the commentary, the book was just too strange and confusing.
That's exactly how I felt. I do not like how it tries to portray real places, people, and history. I also did not like how depressing most of it was. I almost couldn't finish Buttercup's baby. The movie was the happily ever after, not the book. I guess it depends if you want a love story or a sob story.
I don't count Buttercup's Baby as part of the story. The first time I read The Princess Bride it was an older edition that didn't have that. When I bought a copy for myself it was the newer edition. After re-reading the book, I started on Buttercup's Baby and was like "eh not a huge fan." So I've never actually read it. Point being it was written later an is not as good IMO
I agree. I liked the movie better than the book mostly because there were some boring parts in between. Meanwhile, the movie had actoon, action,and action and was way better. But the reason I rated it 4 stars was because the story was great, just not the style of writing.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought William Goldman was the LEAST sympathetic character in this book. The movie isn't necessarily better than the book, but at least I don't have to put up with a misogynistic grump interjecting while I'm trying to watch the movie.I find it so befuddling that the same man who wrote the simple, focused screenplay spent so much time trying to make the book about himself.
I found that bitter tone, also, unappealing.
I can't honestly rate the full book and maybe I should have given it more of a chance ... to me it starts out way to slow and I am not a fan of the satire. for once the movie is better the story is more developed in a way that is not as distracting as with the author's telling. right now in this moment in time I feel like putting it last on my list. just couldn't finish the tale. and they say the never ending story is long. :) but read it and develop your own opinion I'd hate to deter some one from a book that could be in their perception life changing, and magical! the princes bride was not my forte or if you prefer it was not my cup of tea
I've been a TPB fan for as long as I can remember and honestly the book left me so disappointed. I felt depleted of hope and love. I didn't like Buttercup or Wesley. I stopped rooting for them once Buttercup left Wesley. I did however fall in love with Inigo and Fezzik.
Ah, after reading your review and fellow commenters I have to admit I'm a little nervous to approach this book again. I read it a long time ago and can't remember a thing of it!
I agree. the book to me was disappointing. tje movie is one of tbe best the book lacks something
I prefer the movie over the book also. But what really annoyed me was how the story was broken up. I like the way the movie did it, but not the book.
I disagree :-) In my opinion the only way that the backstory can come across as bitter, misogynistic or depressed, is if you take it as real comments instead of as cleverly invented (and thus satirical) backstory. I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it and felt that it added to the book. And I also am an ardent fan of the movie, I only appreciate the book as something that is more clever and less targeted at the mainstream than the "grandfather reads a story" outtakes.
I feel the same way as Emily three comments above. In the book, I ended up liking Inigo and Fezzik much more that Westley or Buttercup. Even though I had loved the couple in the movie.
Yep the movie was better
rarely like the movie better, but this movie is better. I like the book more now, than I did when I was younger (teenager)
So far, I like the movie much better. In the book, Buttercup comes across as a complete airhead.
"undercurrent of bitterness" - aha, that's what it is! you've put my feelings into words.
I completely agree! I still loved the book, but the introduction made me really dislike Goldman and I found the first few pages really difficult to read because of that.
Popular opinion or not, it's true. And the version that has "Buttercups Baby" just leaves the whole book on this sad cliffhanger. I can't say I regret reading it, but I'm not going to recommend it to anybody either. Especially if they're already a mega fan of the movie.
Not everything that's sweet is saccharine. I loved the grandson/grandfather relationship in the movie. In my opinion, that's what makes the movie succeed. Without that, it's just a silly romp with a few funny lines.I agree wholeheartedly about the author in the book being a nasty character who made that part of the book unbearable.
Also completely dislike the commentary by Goldman. Find it tedious and am now skipping his useless additions as I鈥檓 reading. I鈥檓 enjoying the story, but feel like the movie is more enjoyable
Perfectly put!!! The story could have been great but he ruined it with his shit personality lol.
Duh-Goldman wrote the entire book.
Cindy Grau - yes thank you I am aware, I just mean an author has the ability to write something that is beyond his personality - I mean I think we all agree the movie was much better, and that was written by him. I just mean that he ruined by allowing himself to be himself instead of filtering out the bad in favor for the good (which I believe he did in the movie). Thanks for the duh though 馃檮
Bitter?? I thought it was hilariously funny and relatable description of a loveless family and a great mix of fictional and true biography, which boosts the escapism of the story.. I think movie lost so much in making it mere fairytale told by the sickbed... Maybe it is that you who find it bitter have yet to realize that life can be hard sometimes and these kind of escapist stories stem from it. Or maybe you're some young social justice warriors or something... But what Goldman is describing is deeply human, not misanthropic or anything. I say promptly, grow somewhat and read it again.
I wonder if you guys actually realize how damn geniously Goldman builds the story... Ow. I'm amazed, really.
And I hope that you all realize that Goldman never had a fat boy child and psychologist wife, both humourless... He had two daughters and a photographer wife. Many of you speak as if you didn't really get that part.
Hello sir. I have faced many trials in my life that I dare you to beat. I've had a hard one. And I was bitter, and then I came through that. I've been both. And this man is a bitter, spoiled man. And yes, thank you, we all realize he didn't actually have a fat son or psychologist wife.
I've read many books by men, I certainly have nothing against you as a gender; I love many, many men-written books. What I don't like is someone saying they don't like a book because they're not grown enough or haven't been through enough. That's ridiculous. It's simply a matter of differing opinions. I think he is a good writer, I just don't like what he writes.
