4. 'The Princess Bride' - William Goldman

Frankly, I rarely expect to like a movie better than I like the book. In the case of The Princess Bride, however, I have to make an exception. The book was great. There's absolutely no denying the fact that Goldman's 'abridged' novel was kind of a genius marketing technique. I'm wondering how many people were convinced there really was a longer edition and sought it out. I'm straying from the point, though, since the point is to talk about the book itself. I liked it. I really really did. I more or less expected to since the movie is one of my absolute favorites in the world.

It follows the story of the love between Buttercup and the hired help at her family's farm, Westley. It takes an incredibly long amount of time for the former to realize how she adores the latter, but once she finally does she is heartbroken when he informs her that he is leaving. His intent is to build a life for them so that he can return to her and give her all that she deserves. Unfortunately, she is mistakenly informed that he is killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts and thus begins her journey to the throne as she is drawn in by the nefarious Prince Humperdink. A kidnapping ensues and she discovers that Westley is not, in fact, dead... though he is under the impression that her love was far from true. She abandons him with the expectation that he'll be fine though that's too far from the truth to even be imaginable.

I have no intention of doing a full plot summary because frankly it's just easier to point everyone to the movie. It'll take you under two hours and really is worth it in the long run. I'm just glad that this book was an easy read because I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if it hadn't been. The truth is that I just didn't like Buttercup in the novel. She's childish and a little bit immature, which I understand is actually quite typical for teenage girls... but as she grows up it really should change... and yet it doesn't. Her apparent love for Westley seems like nothing more than a schoolgirl crush in the beginning and is only a little bit more convincing in the end. I don't know that I've ever liked a movie more than a book in the past, but here is at least one example of how excellent acting abilities can bring to life characters that just don't work well on the page. That's exactly what I think of Buttercup, anyway.

Rating: 3.5/5