AS YOU WISH: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride is wonderful and a must read/listen for any Princess Bride fan.

This was a recommendation from Darling Oldest Daughter and she said it must be listened to, not read. She was right (as usual, I’m sure she would say).

The book is written by Cary Elwes (Westley) and Joe Layden. The foreward is by Rob Reiner. Several cast and crew members also contributed to the book. What makes the audio version so special is that Cary Elwes reads it and many of the other actors, producers, and others involved in the making of the movie read their contributions also.

The book starts a little slowly with lots of background info that is a necessary foundation to the rest of the book.

I loved hearing about the sword training Cary and Mandy Patinkin did all for a three minute scene. But it’s so worth it. They really do come across on screen as true swordplay masters.

There’s lots of stories about Andre’ the Giant and his life. His size was the result of a medical condition and he knew it would shorten life. There’s a great story about how the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett drove Andre’ to school.

This book is written for the fans. Cary’s affection for the movie and the experience he had making it is quite clear. We had to watch the movie again after listening to the book.

As much as I love the movie, I can’t call myself a true Princessophile because I haven’t read the novel the book is based on. That small detail will be taken care of soon though. I just one-clicked and bought the book. It’ll be here soon. I usually read books before seeing the movie adaptation. I’ll be interested to see how the opposite process works for me this time.

If you enjoy The Princess Bride, you have to read/listen to this book. You can thank me later (and you will.)