Let's get our favourite novels out there.
What books do you like the best? Would you recommend them to a friend? And did they change your life?
One of my Favourites is The Princess Bride the "good parts" version abridged by William Goldman. Now, some of you may be familiar with the movie - with Peter Falk, Mandy Patinkinson, Chris Sarandon, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and Fred Savage, which is a great movie. And it was because of the movie I found the book.
I read this for the first time on my first trip to Egypt, and couldn't put it down. The story itself is very much like the film, except the main story is about Goldman himself and his childhood memory of his father reading the Princess Bride "S Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure" to him when he was sick. (used in the film with Peter Falk and Fred Savage)
Goldman starts out by stating at the start "This is my favourite book in all the world, though I have never read it". In later life, he decides to buy the book for his own son, and goes to great lengths to get it. Only to find his son finds the book boring and too difficult to read. Amazed (as this was his favourite as a child) he sits down to read it for the first time, and is suddenly struck with the reality that his father had skipped parts, and only read the "good parts" to him, to keep him entertained.
And so the "Good Parts" version is born, with Goldman doing his father's take on the book.
The Book is a story within a story, with The 'character' of Goldman narrating his omissions, summaries of chapters and just nostalgic banter. And that's just the build up! The story itself is filled with "fencing, fighting, torture, poison, true love, hate, revenge, giants, hunters, bad men, god men, beautifulest ladies, snakes, spiders, beasts, chases, escapes, lies, truth, passion and miracles."
The story is filled with wit and good fun, and I recommend this to any age of reader. You'll love it.



LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks


Reply With Quote
