The Princess Bride by William Goldman

"I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
"I am your Prince and you cannot refuse."
"I am your loyal servant and I just did."
"Refusal means death."
"Kill me then."

I know very few people who aren't deeply familiar with the movie adaptation of the Princess Bride. I know it was my sister's favorite when we were growing up (I'm pretty certain it still is) and we watched it often. I was the little girl curled up next to her dad doing her very best to burrow into his side as the R.O.U.S (Rodents of Unusual Size) made their appearance. It was just too much for my little eyes, even as it enchanted my older sister's.

When Prince Humperdinck decides he will have Buttercup marry him, she refuses. After all, Westley, the love of her life, is in America making his fortune and will return to marry him herself. But when she gets news of his death at the hands of pirates, she finds herself at a loss. Heartbroken and distraught, she finally gives into Humperdinck's demands. After all, she would never love again.

That was before she was kidnapped. It isn't long after their courtship begins that Buttercup is whisked away by three men plotting to kill her. They take her to Guilder, a neighboring country, hoping to pin it on them and start a war between that country and her own Florin. However, it isn't long into this journey that her kidnappers realize they are being pursued by a man in black. Picking them off one by one, he slowly makes his way toward saving her. Could this be her new groom, Prince Humperdinck, or could it be someone far more welcome to her?

The way this story is presented by its author is part of the reason it is so wonderful. It's not just a straightforward fairytale. No, Goldman presents it as if he's simply writing an adaptation: a "good parts" adaptation of a story that was much longer. Of course, the "original Florinese manuscript" doesn't exist, but it was a genius move on his part. He fills bits of the story with bits of another fictitious tale about how he got his hands on the book, so that it's practically two stories in one. The second story weaving through the first and adding little bits to it so that it feels both natural and intentionally scripted.

I've never read another novel written this way and I would be deeply surprised if there is anyone who could do it nearly as well as Goldman has.

This was a fabulous book and one I am beyond happy to have had the chance to read. I look forward to reading it many times in the years to come.

Postscript: There is one thing I would like to note. The Princess Bride is near impossible to find in its original edition. You're most likely to find it in its 50th Anniversary edition or (more unlikely) its 25th.  Because of this, it should be noted that you DO NOT want to read the 50th Anniversary Introduction first, unless you have already read the book and its extension, "Buttercup's Baby." Here is the way best order in which to read it (according to myself, as well as other readers):

-Introduction to the 25th Anniversary Edition
-The Princess Bride
-Buttercup's Baby: An Explanation
-Buttercup's Baby, Chapter One: Fezzik Dies
-Introduction to the 30th Anniversary Edition

This may sound a bit strange, but trust me. This is the order in which you want to read it.

Rating: ~★★★★★~

But I also have to say, for the umpty-umpth time, that life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all.