The funny thing is that it's actually written by William Goldman as if he was abridging a political satire by S. Morgenstern, so every once in a while you get a little note from the author that he's taken out six pages of descriptions of hats or most of a chapter about the history of the country. And he's doing all this because that's the way his dad used to read it to him when he was sick. I've read a few old books that are very nearly written like that, so there was a while when I really believed that there was an original book written by S. Morgenstern. I guess maybe I'm too gullible. On the other hand, it means you get two stories in one, one of them being the story of William Goldman and his son, which is a learning experience in itself, and probably just as made up as the story of Buttercup and Wesley.
One of the parts that was most surprising for me was the original courtship between the farmboy and the twentieth most beautiful woman in the world. For one thing, it's just really funny, up to and including the sad farewell when Westley sets off to seek his fortune. It's also kind of nice that Buttercup is the one who openly declares her love first. I like to see that in a female lead—that kind of self-reliance that doesn't just wait around for the man to do the asking. I think if she'd waited for him to say something, she might have been waiting for a very long time. It's supposed to be the greatest romance in a century, but it isn't actually all that romantic as such. There's too much absurdity in human nature for that, although they do go on at length about how much they love each other. And I liked that it was Buttercup's true love for Westley that moved her up in rank from the twentieth most beautiful woman in the world to the first. Sort of a Johnny Lingo effect, I guess (if you don't know what that means, look it up).
Honestly, if you just want the story, it's probably okay to settle for watching the movie with this one. Like I said, it follows pretty closely. On the other hand, if you want to know Fezzik's back-story, or a more complete telling of Inigo's father, or if you're interested in how Westley copes with torture, or want to know more about Miracle Max—well, that's what you get from the book. And you know all that brilliant, witty dialogue that happens in the movie? Yeah, pretty much the entire book is written like that. What's not to love?