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5.0 stars. HOW AMAZINGLY GOOD IS THIS BOOK YOU ASK?....so good it is almost


This is a literary treasure and one that I can not recommend more highly. Let me start by saying that prior to reading this book I had probably seen the movie version a dozen times or so and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! I only mention this so that you know where I'm coming from in case you are not a fan of the movie as I think if you like one you will like the other and, conversely, if you didn¡¯t like the movie, the book may not appeal to you as much.

As for the book, I was AMAZED at what a superb adaptation of the novel the movie was. Along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and No Country for Old Men, this may be the best adaptation of a classic novel that I have ever come across. This may lead you to ask whether it is even worth it to read the book given that much of what is in the book is on the screen. My answer to that would be a resounding YES!!

First of all, the book is as much fun as the movie and the tone of the writing is unique, playful and very funny. Despite knowing the plot of the book intimately, I found the reading experience to be fresh and new.

I am going to assume that people reading this have seen the movie, read the book or at least have an understanding of the basic plot. If not, the book description and other reviews do a very good job of explaining it. Instead, I thought it might be helpful to mention those parts of the book that were not included in the movie or that I thought the book¡¯s treatment was superior (i.e. Book is Better) and those aspects of the movie that I thought were superior to the source material (i.e. Movie is Better).

BOOK IS BETTER:

1. Prince Humperdinck¡¯s Zoo of Death (not mentioned in the movie and I thought it was interesting and gave great insight into the character).

2. The Book does a much better job than the movie in describing Prince Humperdinck as a truly evil person and thus a top notch villain.

3. The book contains a whole Chapter on Inigo Montoya that provides details of his childhood and his Father¡¯s original encounter with the Six Fingered Man (this is dealt with in a very brief conversation in the movie). I really enjoyed the expanded version.

4. The book also contains a whole chapter on Fezzik and shows his childhood and early years. This was excellent and I really liked learning about his trouble in adapting to deal with his enormous size.

5. The beginning of the book describes how Buttercup becomes the ¡°most beautiful woman in the world¡± and the fate of the women in front of her. This is absolutely HYSTERICAL. I wish they would have found a way to incorporate this into the movie because it was very enjoyable.

6. All of the interruptions in the Narrative where the author is explaining why he cut out whole sections of the original Morgenstern novel (the fictional novel of which this novel was supposedly the abridged ¡°good parts¡±) were very funny and made the book a unique experience.

MOVIE IS BETTER:

1. I must begin with Miracle Max. The book is really good, but Billy Crystal was absolutely AMAZING (as was Carol Kane who played Miracle Max's wife). Crystal¡¯s dialogue in the movie was better than the book and is a great example of making the original even better without messing with the feel of the story.

2. Wallace Shawn as Vizzini (pictured above) gives a truly great comic performance and made the Movie version of the character even more fun then the book version. All I kept hearing in my head whenever he was on stage in the book was him shouting INCONCEIVABLE!!

3. Similarly, Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya is another example of amazing casting that made the on screen version of the character even more fun than the book version.

4. The final scene between Westley and Prince Humperdinck was more fun in the movie than in the book.

Bottom-line, if you have enjoyed the movie but have not read the book, I strongly recommend it. Similarly, if you have read the book and have not seen the movie, I strongly recommend that as well. Both are terrific.