If you’ve been looking for an excuse to reread William Goldman’s cult-favorite comic fantasy novel, The Princess Bride, the Vox Book Club is here to say, “As you wish.”
Goldman’s book is the latest pick for Vox’s club, the online magazine announced on Friday.
Vox staff writer Constance Grady offered more than a few reasons why readers should pick up the novel. “It has fencing,” she wrote. “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.”
The Princess Bride, about a farmhand trying to save the kidnapped love of his life,was published in 1973. It was adapted into a beloved 1987 film, directed by Rob Reiner and starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, and Mandy Patinkin.
“The Princess Bride is one of those book-and-movie pairs wherein each element can stand on its own, though they also complement each other in very nerdy and satisfying ways,” Grady wrote. “The book is great. The movie is great. This is a win-win situation.”
The Vox Book Club launched in April with N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became as its inaugural selection. Their second pick was Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
The club will discuss The Princess Bride in three parts before a virtual live event on June 25.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
