Week 12 - What have you been reading?

I've just finished William Goldman's The Princess Bride. (I've never seen the film.)

... sigh...

I just didn't get it; and on reflection, I'm not entirely sure that there is all that much to get. The gimmick of the novel being an adaption is interesting, yes, as is Goldman satirising himself in the opening. In fact, I would the various "interruptions" by Goldman into the story here and there are probably my favourite thing about the novel.

The actual story itself just read like a boring run-of-the-mill fantasy. It wasn't particularly exciting, and it wasn't, really, all that funny. I may have "exhaled out of my nose"1 once or twice, but I certainly never laughed. I'm happy to admit that comedic novels aren't really my usual choice to begin with, but seeing how much Reddit lauds this book, I have to say I was expecting a lot more. Then again, Reddit also lauds Ready Player One. But that's by-the-by...

I'm happy to have it pointed out to me if I've somehow missed or misinterpreted the point, but I found the book to be - on the whole - quite boring, and just quite silly. The meta-textuality can only do so much; and if the point is that the story is meant to be stupid, and that the true point lies in Goldman's asides throughout it, then I'm not on board.

1 - Thank you, Bo Burnham.

/r/52book Thread