When people hear the title, The Princess Bride, they may say, “Ew, no, another cheesy romance novel!” But it's not. The book is set “before Europe and after Paris,” as Morgenstern, the original ­author, says. It's in the rivaling countries of Florin and Guilder. There's swordplay, thrilling chases, true love, ­divine hatred, and the mysterious Man in Black. That doesn't sound too cliché to me.

The book begins with the beautiful young Buttercup, a poor milkmaid who unwillingly becomes engaged to the dreaded Prince Humperdinck, whom everybody in the kingdom utterly despises. Buttercup then meets Fezzik, Inigo, and Vizzini, and the Man in Black takes chase. The Princess Bride has amazing plot twists and turns and things that make you want to hit yourself because you didn't see them coming.

The author has a real knack for character development. There's Fezzik, the gentle giant; Inigo, the vengeful Spaniard; Vizzini the philosophical villain; the Man in Black, who shows himself to nobody; Buttercup, with her closed-off heart; and Humperdinck, the self-­obsessed prince.

There are also shimmering descriptions that pop out of the page and drag you into the book, as well as terrific wit and sarcasm that will make you giggle.

William Goldman also wrote the screenplay for the movie, keeping just the good parts. His reasoning was that the original author, S. Morgenstern, went on long rants, ­giving the readers a 60-page lesson on Florinese history. The only issue is, nobody ­really knows if Morgenstern even existed! Many think he's just another made up character.

The “good parts” version, as Mr. Goldman's book is dubbed, is just amazing. The charming novel The Princess Bride is a gift to all who read it, unless you are a pessimistic grouch. If you don't like the book, I would have to quote the great Vizzini and say it's “INCONCEIVABLE!”