Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

25 reviews

ananya_b's review against another edition

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For all its hype, I just couldn't get into it. The unnecessarily long explanation about why Goldman felt the need to write the book just sapped my motivation to read it. Personally too, there was a lot on my plate at the moment; maybe I'll pick it up again later.

So far, though, the writing is humorous and entertaining; it was especially interesting reading the parts that were not shown in the movie. I'll come back to this someday.

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kristinebennett's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25


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monstrouscosmos's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Characters: 8/10
Relationships: 5/10
Atmosphere/Setting: 10/10
Writing Style: 6/10
Plot/Intrigue: 7/10
Internal Logic: 8/10
Entertainment: 8/10
Overall: 52/70, 3.75*

this was recommended by a beloved friend, and I'm glad to have finished it for the first time. it's definitely fun! it absolutely reads like what it is, which is well written scenes tied loosely together. the framing device is really fun! but I found it quite difficult to follow along as an audiobook. maybe it would be easier to sight read? I found myself repeated passages and chapters, and ended up listening to it twice all the way through back-to-back just to keep up. I loved the exploration of Inigo's backstory and the fight scene on the cliff especially, I think they were some of the more detailed scenarios which definitely helped me follow what was happening. my wife and I watched the movie together while I was reading (my first time watching it all the way through), and this is one of the few times I think I prefer the movie to the book! 

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marnirie's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The movie is better in my opinion. The changes made for the silver screen makes it a much easier digestible experience. Wasn’t really a fan of the inserts from the author both before the story in the original introduction, nor the references to his family throughout it all. 

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oldmanrupee's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A wonderful adventure, all the fun of the film and more, except for one thing: my least favourite character is the author.

Goldman has semi-autobiographical, semi-fictional parts inserted into the story throughout, detailing how the story was actually written by the fictional author S. Morgenstern, the book was supposedly read to him as a child by his father, and how Goldman "abridged" the book into what it is now when he found out his father apparently only read the good bits and the "actual" book was full of needless political exposition. 

That's all fine and good in theory, because who doesn't like a bit of meta-text, but the problem is that Goldman himself comes off as an incredibly self-centred, angry, and unlikeable man in these sections, especially when he describes his relationship with his ex-wife and son (trigger warning for fatphobia/body image discussion). Now because it's semi-fictional autobiographical inserts in and around a fantasy story, it's hard to say if it's an intentionally bad self portrayal or not, but either way it was bad enough to make my review drop a star.

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lauramcc7's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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sweetchocolatez's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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sadiaa's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional

4.0


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niamphoone's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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bookish_bry's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really enjoyed The Princess Bride. The framing of the narrative as an abridgment of some huge classic novel was pretty fun (though it could be a tad annoying at bits). It's a fun story and I loved most of the characters. It was also pretty quick to read despite the fact that it was 400 pages.

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