Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles are some of the many thrills that William Goldmas’s 1973 novel has to offer. “S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure: The Princess Bride,” more commonly referred to as “The Princess Bride,” is a fantasy adventure and a romance story that follows the adventures of the main character, Buttercup, and her lover Westley. The novel also has many supporting characters that readers have grown fond of, like Inigo Montoya, a Spaniard who has mastered the art of fencing, Fezzik the giant, and Vizzini the Sicilian criminal mastermind.
The novel takes place in the land of Florin, where young Buttercup is grieving after learning that her love, Westley, had been murdered on the high seas by the fiendish Dread Pirate Roberts. The novel’s main antagonist, the cruel Prince Humperdinck, has been given the right to choose any maiden in the land to be his beautiful bride. Buttercup being the most beautiful woman in the land, Humperdinck declared that she should marry him and become his queen. Buttercup found herself in great sorrow after this announcement, for she did not love him. The adventure begins when, on her daily ride one day, Buttercup is kidnapped by Vizzini along with his giant and Spaniard, who Prince Humperdinck had hired to start a war with Guilder, Florin’s sworn enemy. They planned to kill the princess and put the blame on Guilder, but along their journey, they encounter another ship captained by a mysterious man in black. The man in black shows his unbelievably great strength and cunning wits by taking on the three and rescuing Buttercup. Once together, Buttercup solves the mystery of his identity, and it is revealed that the man in black was the one and only Dread Pirate Roberts, but she soon finds out that he is not who he seems.
The novel contains many other surprises and adventures, including the trek through the dangerous Fire Swamp, the torture and acts of revenge within Humperdinck’s Pit of Despair, and Inigo’s duel with his father’s killer, Count Rugen. The novel ends by revealing the power of friendship and proving that not even death can stop true love. The novel received an overall rating of 4.3 stars on Goodreads. Beyond that, the novel “The Princess Bride” was also adapted into a very successful film back in 1987 that soon became a family favorite as well as a staple movie and cult classic to the genres of fantasy and romance. The film received a 4.5 star rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is still extremely popular today. According to Common Sense Media, Children ages 12 and above have given the film a rating of four stars and the novel a rating of five stars. Adults gave the film a 4.5 star rating and the novel a five star rating.
Whether you are a reader or a movie buff, the incredible tale of “The Princess Bride” is an excellent story for anyone to enjoy. The thrills, high adventure, and mystery pull in audiences of all kinds.
