As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Laydon

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Publication date: 2014
Publisher: Touchstone
Pages: 245
My rating: 5 stars
Ages: 12+

I usually start my reviews with a synopsis of the book, but I feel that the title says it all. And if you have never heard of The Princess Bride--where have you been the past 27 years? And if you have never seen it, go and see it now!

The Princess Bride has been a part of my life for . . . well, basically my whole life. I have very distinct memories of watching it every Sunday with my family when I was young, curled up against my dad so he could protect me during the Fire Swamp scenes. I also remember thinking, as Wesley fought the ROUS, "I wonder if they are friends?" So, in a way, I feel as if I've been waiting for this book my whole life.

I loved everything about this book (though I would have made a few different copyediting choices, but I'm pretty sure that's just something that as an editor I notice more than the usual reader). Elwes tells the story with love and admiration for the cast and crew. I was at turns laughing and blinking away tears. There were also blocks of quotes for other members of the cast, as well as Rob Reiner the director. It's so validating to know that something you love so much was loved, and is loved, by the people who made it.

The parts that really got to me the most was when Elwes talked about Andre the Giant. He seemed like such a kind man, and everyone spoke about him with such fond memories.

The only drawback is that I now have the strongest desire to watch the movie to pick up on all the little things I just learned are in the movie, broken toes and all.

*I do not receive compensation from Amazon. But I do recommend buying this book right away!