The Princess Bride is "A classic tale of love an high adventure". This book was initially written as a satire by famed writer Simon Morgenstern (No Valentine didn't have a son named Simon, he had a son named Jonathan but that's besides the point)... Sorry I got kind of off track with the Mortal Instruments reference. Anyway it is the tale of a beautiful young girl named Buttercup. She lives on a farm with her parents and the farm boy, Westley, She comes to learn, over time, that she loves him and he goes off to America to seek his fortune so he can provide for her. You may remember seeing the movie with Peter Falk and Fred Savage with Cary Elwes starring as Westley and Robin Wright as Buttercup (It's from the 80's, 1987 to be exact). This is one of my favorite movies and I watch it whenever I can. There's "Fencing, fighting, torture, chases, escapes, true love." Everything anyone could ever want. The book, as abridged by William Goldman, was made into a screenplay by Goldman himself and the movie was directed by Rob Reiner. Seeing as Goldman wrote the screenplay it follows the abridged text of the book very closely. Anyway back to the book.
It starts off when you meet Buttercup, a young girl who lives with her parents on a small farm. One day the Count Rugen and the Countess visit the small farm and from that day Buttercup's life begins to spin out of control. That day, as she watches the Count and Countess walk around her farm with the Beautiful, blue eyed, tan and very muscular farm-boy Westley. That day is the day she realizes that she loves him. When she tells him this he packs a bag and goes off to America to seek his fortune so he can provide for her but he never makes it. He is killed by "The Dread Pirate Roberts" who never leaves captives alive. From that day she becomes very depressed but one day it is announced that she will marry Prince Humperdink. She resigns herself to this fate even though she despises the Prince and ultimately the Prince doesn't really want to get married. One day she is kidnapped by 3 marauders as she rides through the woods on her horse. However about halfway to Guilder ("The country across the sea, the sworn enemy of Florin!") they discover that they are being followed by a mysterious boat. Vizzini (the leader of the troupe) convinces them that it's nothing and they carry on. When they reach the "Cliffs of Insanity" they climb and the mysterious "Man in Black" (the man who was following them in the boat earlier) climbs with them and he seems to be bent on rescuing, or kidnapping, perhaps, killing the Princess that they have taken captive. Will Vizzini and the others get away with the Kidnapping? What is the aim of the Man in Black? Who is the Man in Black? You'll just have to read the book to find out...a truly gripping novel that takes you on a wild ride through Florin and Guilder.
I love this book, I love the movie too but the book is equally awesome. The movie may be all action and exciting but there are certain nuances and details that you wouldn't know unless you read it, like the fact the Prince Humperdink has a 5 level zoo of death instead of just a pit of despair and that he was almost married to the bald princess of Guilder who is obsessed with hats!
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