As You Wish ****1/2

S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure The Princess Bride abridged by William Goldman is exactly as it self-proclaims - classic. I don't remember enjoying reading an introduction as much, or side remarks. Goldman has an excellent sense of narrative flow and keeps the pace just right.

As for Morgenstern's original's qualities as a satire, I'll have to judge that when I actually do read the unabridged version, if I do. I'm fully supportive of Goldman's efforts and intentions in making this version palatable and appealing to children instead of literary scholars and academics. It reads exactly like the kind of story I would have fallen in love with if I had read it when I was ten. I'm less generous with my affections now but the story still moves me greatly, being humorous, tragic, poignant, grippingly exciting and full of flair and imagination. In many ways, it outshines the already very-excellent movie starring Cary Elwes and Robin Wright and Andre the Giant, peppered with little details that movies can never quite capture.

Even now, the immortal line "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya; you killed my father; prepare to die" still evokes the unfamiliar but delightful feeling of an amalgam of pride, empathy, comedy and righteous anticipation. This is one bedtime story I'll definitely read to my kid.