Country: USA
Written in: 1973
Pages: 429

Please note, this discussion will be about the BOOK, not the MOVIE! If you're not familiar with either, this comedic/satirical fairy-tale follows the adventures of the beautiful Buttercup and her true love, Westley. Popularity exploded with the movie, released 14 years after publication. However! Even though IMDb lists the movie as #1 in The Most Quotable Movies Ever, if you want to participate in discussion, please read the book.

Here's a reader's review on [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21787.The_Princess_Bride) to convince you:
This book has, as you may know:
Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.

And if you like any of those things, or all of those things, or several of them or none of them, or if you find any of them exciting, or compelling, or curiosity-inducing at all, then you simply have to read it.

This is one of those extraordinarily rare cases when the film adaptation sometimes prompts people to say the uncommon phrase “The movie is better than the book.” Those people are wrong, but less wrong than those who usually say it.

The movie is funny, and exciting, and brilliantly casted, and truer to the book than anyone has any real right to expect (thank you, William Goldman, for adapting your own work).

But here’s a by no means exhaustive list of what it’s missing:
\- the full extent of the author’s wit
\- character backstories so rich you’ll feel their trials and tribulations intensely
\- a fictional history so convincing that I spent most of my childhood \(and some of my adolescence\) believing that Europe included long\-warring countries called Florin and Guilder
\- masterful themes on the meaning of storytelling and truth in literature
\- the chance to be awestruck by a book over and over and over again

So yes, you should watch the movie. Sure. It’s great.
But more than that, you should read the book.
(I’ll even say it’s okay if you’ve seen the movie already. Your fun won’t be spoiled in the slightest.)
Bottom line: I truly and sincerely pity anyone who has not read and has no intention of reading The Princess Bride.
It’s the best thing in the world, after cough drops.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-
this book is a dweam...wiffin a dweam......
(weview to come)
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-
me, rereading this book? inconceivable
.....

**New to the Hungry Hundred Book Club?** Here's what you need to know:

1. Read the book (If you don't manage to finish it by the meetup date, don't worry. As long as you're not going to be too disappointed by spoilers, you're still welcome to join.)
2. Come to the meeting, usually (but not always!) on the last Sunday of every month.
3. Be prepared to order food/drink at the venue to show our appreciation for letting us use their space. This is a requirement. A lot of time and effort has been put into finding a place that will accommodate our group without an outrageous minimum charge or rental fee, and you'll never be asked to contribute to organiser fees, so please show your respect and support for the restaurant that's letting us use their space.
4. Discuss! It's a casual conversation, so don't be afraid to ask questions and let us know what you think.

Rachel

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"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

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"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

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