The Princess Bride by William Goldman

I may well be the last person in my world to read this novel, but I knew these words:

‘My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.’

 Just in case you have not read the novel, here’s the blurb:

‘A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts – The Princess Bride is a modern storytelling classic.

As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she’ll meet Vizzini – the criminal philosopher who’ll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik – the gentle giant; Inigo – the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen – the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup’s one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.’

 Looking for something lighter to read a few weeks ago, I chose this book. And no, I have never seen the movie. So, with limited expectations and less knowledge I leapt into an engaging world of adventure. I did get side-tracked by Mr Goldman writing about the original version of this story (yes, I was fooled for a while) but mostly enjoyed his clever insertion of self into the story.

And this is a very clever story. At its heart it is about the impact of stories on those of us who read and think about them. Mr Goldman’s experience of this story (the story within the story) reminded me of the lessons learned from stories, that fiction we encounter as children can often become important life lessons. Yes, life can be unfair … which is a good reason to write (and read) stories.

My two favourite characters in this story are Fezzik, the gentle giant, and Inigo, the Spaniard seeking revenge. My least favourite characters are the various villains, and Buttercup.

It’s full of action. It’s funny and sad, tragic, and uplifting, and I am glad I read it.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith