#as you wish inconceivable tales from the making of the princess bride

[nevinslibrary]

Totally Random Non-Fiction Tuesday

This is what it says it is. Elwes has written a memoir about his time on The Princess Bride Movie. There were things in there that I had heard before, and there was definitely new info in there that surprised me too. Ooh, and, there were cool pictures in there too.

You may like this book If you Liked: Andre the Giant by Box Brown, Waxing On by Ralph Macchio, or If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell

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

[thatwritererinoriordan]

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

Author: Cary Elwes, Joe Layden

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2014

Genres: nonfiction, memoir, biography

Blurb: The Princess Bride has been a family favourite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 greatest love stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, the movie will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come. Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the 25th anniversary cast reunion. He has created an enchanting experience - in addition to never-before-seen photos and interviews with his fellow castmates, there are plenty of set secrets, backstage stories, and answers to lingering questions about offscreen romances that have plagued fans for years.

[nothwell]

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring hurt/comfort, swordplay, and a happily-ever-after. And it’s finally out in paperback! Shown here with some of the books that inspired it.

The World of the Castrati by Patrick Barbier Not just a thorough examination of individual castrati lives but also the operatic world that created them. Highly recommended, even (or especially) if you know nothing of opera.

Nicoletto Giganti’s The School of the Sword A swordfighting guide by a fencing master of Renaissance Venice. This book, combined with As You Wish (see below) and Vico Ortiz’s Fencing 101 class proved absolutely essential to making the fight scenes in Fiorenzo possible.

M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio by Peter Robb Come for the art history lesson about a queer Renaissance painter, stay for the tennis court castration duel.

Art and Life in Renaissance Venice and Private Lives in Renaissance Venice by Patricia Fortini Brown While the general history of Venice was necessary (see below), the more specific focus of Brown’s books provided absolutely invaluable insight into the the day-to-day habits of Venice’s historical citizens.

John Singer Sargent: Venetian Figures and Landscapes, 1898-1913 Sargent’s mind-blowing skill with oil portraits is well known, but his watercolour sketches of cityscapes and Venice architecture are truly astounding in their mastery of light and form. Seeing the city through his eyes over a hundred years ago was wildly inspiring.

Sargent, Whistler & Venetian Glass This was an incredible traveling exhibit of Venetian glassware, lace, and other amazing examples of skilled craft alongside paintings by American artists who drew inspiration from Venice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I had the good fortune to catch it as it came through Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. It also included an actual Venetian gondola (dry-docked, no felze) which gave me an invaluable sense of just how absolutely huge those things are.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden Invaluable insight into the training, choreography, and filming process for one of the greatest swordfighting scenes in cinematic history.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman It’s a swordfighting romance. Enough said.

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner It’s a queer swordfighting romance. Enough said. (Although I have said far more.)

Ruskin’s Venice: The Stones Revisited by Sarah Quill Venice through the eyes of a Victorian.

Venice: A New History by Thomas F. Madden A general history of Venice was essential in creating Halcyon.

~

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring hurt/comfort, swordplay, and a happily-ever-after. Available now wherever fine books are found!

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop.org • Kobo • Smashwords

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Have You Considered Piracy? You'd Make a Wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts

It is admittedly rare for me to pick up memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies because I am what you generously call "sensitive." Less generously you might say that I have been learning how not to let empathy strangle me since childhood, and part of being functional for me is not choosing books that exacerbate the problem. That all said, there are occasionally memoirs, biographies, or autobiographies that I do want to pick up, and this was one of them. The Princess Bride (both book and movie) is just a wonderful piece of storytelling, so when Carey Elwes published a memoir that was literally "me screwing around on the set of The Princess Bride with other actors," I was willing to break my own rules to pick this one up. And frankly, I'm very glad I did, because this book was a ton of fun to read. Let's talk As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride.

So, it's a bit strange to "review" a memoir. Literally the appropriate reactions in my head are either "cool story bro, thanks for sharing" or silence if you did not enjoy the story. It's also often a bit odd to critique the writing style and/or voice because of how often ghost writers are involved in the process.

And to digress for a moment: MAJOR props to Elwes and the publishers for putting Joe Layden on the cover. We need more of that when ghost writers are involved. Honestly, Layden's name on the cover was part of the reason I picked the book up, because he'd done such a good job with Sean Astin's memoir, and my high expectations for this book as a result were met. Give credit to your ghost writers, people!!!

So my TLDR review for Elwes's memoir is essentially "cool stories bro, thanks for sharing." Some of the stories in the book have been floating around fandom spaces and zeitgeists since the 1980s, but some of them haven't, and even for the familiar stories, it was lovely to have them from the horse's mouth, as it were. Or rather, several horses' mouths, because on of my favorite things about this book is that wr also get little inserts, anecdotes, comments, and one-liners from other cast members on the stories Elwes chooses to tell. The sense I had reading this book was very much being in a room with the cast and everyone was just tossing their two cents in when it's relevant, illuminating, or just plain funny. The amount of love and care that went into this book is clear, which just made it even more fun to read.

I...sort of don't have much else to say here? This book was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it!

[mcsquared1313]

Book Recommendation:

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride might just be one of my new favorite books. The Princess Bride is my favorite movie and before I began reading As You Wish, I was a little concerned that the book would take away some of the movie's magic. It actually did the exact opposite. This book gave me even more appreciation for the movie.

As You Wish was written by Cary Elwes, who played Westley. This funny and heartfelt book describes what went on behind the scenes of this incredible movie including Elwes' injury from joy riding on Andre the Giant's ATV, the many hours of training that went into "The Greatest Swordfight in Modern History", and many more stories. This book is incredible, and a must-read for anyone who enjoys The Princess Bride.

[fictionadventurer]

4, 5, 10?

4. Most anticipated book release of the second half of the year

The Beggar Prince by Kate Stradling. Even though she has a much harsher stance toward the fairy tale than I do, I love her fairy tale retellings, and the thought of getting another King Thrushbeard retelling from her--this one with a comedy spin!--sounds utterly delightful.

5. Biggest disappointment

I've read a bunch of wonderful books that disappointed me with the endings. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell was a wonderful--if weirdly structured--look into 1848 Manchester that fell flat on its face once the trial part of the story ended. A Trial of Words and Worth by Amity Thomsen was a very loose retelling of "The Twelve Huntsmen" that had a fantastic beginning, a wonderful romance and character arc, and excellent writing that reminded me of Shannon Hale's retellings, and then ended with an overly complicated magic system that made no sense. I can't classify the books as total disappointments; what made them disappointing was how much I loved the earlier parts and how the endings failed to live up to the promise.

10. A book that made you happy

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes was a fun, light, frothy collection of behind-the-scenes stories about the movie. Rather too slight and repetitive, but it gave me a chance to spend time thinking about a wonderful movie and regaining appreciation for the creative process.

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride" by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden book recommendation by Rachel Sylvan

[thealmightyemprex]

....So my dad ,as a late birthday present to me ,is buying VIP tickets for june to a special screening of the Princess Bride for me and my stepmom (Who is a huge fan of the film),with a Q&A and a meet and greet with Cary Elwes ,plus signed copies of his book  As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride.I am floating right now

@ariel-seagull-wings @amalthea9 @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @princesssarisa @angelixgutz @themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @goodanswerfoxmonster @filmcityworld1

[the-hyphen-is-important]

I've never actually sat down and watched The Princess Bride because it usually ends up put on in the background when I have to do something like laundry or dishes

I'm definitely going to pay more attention to the sword fight the next time it's on the TV

Book 114/365 (May.21-23)

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

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First

[sophia-sol]

books I gave up on in 2022

Sometimes you start reading a book, and for one reason or another do not feel moved to finish it. Here’s my thoughts on the books I didn’t finish in 2022.

Root Magic, by Eden Royce - I really wanted to like this one because I'd heard good things about it, so I kept pushing through it for quite a while, but I just found it really dull. It felt to me more like a lecture on the subject of rootwork via a narrative frame than anything else. Which is fine and good, and it IS neat to have a book feature that kind of magic, but it didn't work for me, having so many extended scenes that were just about explaining things to the reader. I finally gave up about halfway through it.

The Wolf and the Woodsman, by Ava Reid - Seemed promising, a fantasy inspired by fairy tales and set in an alternate historical Hungary, but it was bleak and gruesome and I didn't find either of the two lead characters particularly interesting, and when I still wasn't invested after reading more than a third, I gave up.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride, by Cary Elwes - Seems like a perfectly good book for the kind of book it is, but I was just bored tbh. I don't think I have enough of the nostalgic fondness for the movie that you need for this book to be right for you; I enjoy the movie, certainly, but it's never been the big deal for me that I know it is for a lot of people.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan - I gave it over 25%, but idk, it just seemed overly simplistic and obvious, and I wasn't feeling it.

Jade City, by Fonda Lee - Very good but it seemed stressful so I didn't want to get invested, as I was clearly on the verge of.

The Family Trade, by Charles Stross - just......meh.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh - ehhhhh seems like a perfectly fine YA fantasy, I was just bored. I was hoping that the fairy-tale-retelling nature of it would make it more inherently appealing to me than a lot of YA tends to be these days, but alas no.

The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, by His Hawaiian Majesty Kalakaua - This book was published just a few years before Hawaii's illegal annexation in the late 19th century, and was written as part of King Kalakaua's efforts to give Hawaii and its people a positive reputation on the world stage in order to try to maintain Hawaii's independence. As such it's very interesting as a historical document and a look into the social pressures and political efforts of the time, buuuuut as a book of stories it is very boring tbh. The stories are written very much as...hm. Not as stories. They give so much extensive context for every detail that one can barely find the story within it. Also everything's framed as much as possible to make the stories be analogous to reputable Western mythology (eg, the first story is titled "Hina, the Helen of Hawaii", and the book's introduction puts a lot of work into explaining how the Hawaiian creation story is really JUST LIKE that of the bible!!!) which makes it clear that the stories are being at the very least a little reshaped for the sake of the intended audience and purpose. Which is fine and great in its context, actually! It may not be a collection of perfectly ~authentic~ folk stories, but I love how this book is an example of the work that a folk tradition can do in the hands of its people. But as fascinating as that all is, it doesn't actually mean I want to read the whole book, it turns out.

A Vindication of the Rights of Women, by Mary Wollstonecraft - Very important in its time, but reading it today it is both tedious and uncomfortable; lots of sexism, a weird focus on morality/purity, and even an anti-muslim sentiment slipped into the early pages. Useful and relevant to understanding the history of Western gender relations and relative positions in society, but since I'm not engaging in an academic study of the subject, I'm not going to bother to read it myself.

[cartograffiti]

March '24 reading diary

This month I started out with a nasty case of influenza, which made for a lot of rereading very gentle things I didn't have to think about much. The 8 new to me books I read were:

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. Oh, I did not like this! I was very neutral on it right up until there was a reveal that put an odd cast on the relationship I had found most convincing, and all the other relationship dynamics ranged from blah to off-putting. Not for me.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. Lovely audiobook that I listened to when I couldn't sleep, read by Elwes and many of the quoted cast and crew. Fun stories, nothing very deep or heavy. Comforting.

The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook, Victoria Rosenthal. I've never Finaled a Fantasy in my life, but I saw a photo from this book and wanted to read the recipe. Interesting food, nicely laid out! I don't always even record cookbooks I simply flip through, so this is high praise!

Witch Hat Atelier, vols. 6 & 7, Shirahama Kamome: Aaaah! AAAh! Things are heating up! I love, love these kids, and the art and adventure remain tremendously engaging <3

Fry Bread: A Native American Story by Keven Noble Maillard, a picture book that I'd seen praised and wanted to look at before I recommended it to a friend's children. Lovely illustrations, a lot of thought put into the diversity of Native American people and customs even focused on this one dish, with great text both in the story and the back matter.

He Bears the Cape of Stars and She Wears the Midnight Crown: Two queer short story anthologies by a small press. Friends of mine were included in each, and of course I loved theirs. Like all mixed author anthologies, these are a mix of ones I liked and ones I bounced off of, and they're worth taking a look at!

[thebestbookrecommendations]

Book Recommendation:

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride - Cary Elwes

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Humor

Keywords: Making of a Film, Behind the Scenes, Cary Elwes, Joe Layden, Rob Reiner, Andre the Giant, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn

Length: Short

Rating: 4/5

Find on Goodreads:

Find on StoryGraph:

[ravenya003]

Stuff I Read/Watched in April...

A World Full of Spooky Stories: 50 Tales to Make Your Spine Tingle by Angela McAllister

Tidesong by Wendy Xu

City of Secrets by Victoria Ying

City of Illusion by Victoria Ying

Lightfall: The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert

Dawn on the Coast by Anne M. Martin

Kristy and the Mother’s Day Surprise by Anne M. Martin

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

The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery by Allison Rushby

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson

Roman Holiday (1953)

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

Ladyhawke (1985)

Legend (1985)

Labyrinth (1986)

The Princess Bride (1987)

Willow (1988)

The Wonder (2022)

The Woman King (2022)

Sailor Moon: Season 4 (1992)

Spooks: Season 4 (2005)

1883 (2021 – 2022)

The Crown: Season 5 (2022)

Magpie Murders (2022)

More details on blog...

[travelerbypage]

Book Review: As You Wish - Inconceivable Tales from The Making of The Princess Bride

Book: As You Wish - Inconceivable Tales from The Making of The Princess Bride

Author: Cary Elwes with Joe Layden

Genre: Nonfiction/Film Memoir

Summary: From celebrated actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the family favorite and cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner. In As You Wish, Elwes has created an enchanting experience for new and old fans of The Princess Bride, complete with plenty of set secrets and backstage stories. -Touchstone, 2014.

This has to have been the fastest read I have ever done on a non-fiction book. I had high expectations and I was nervous because the last time I was this excited over a non-fiction book, I was burned hard. Thankfully, Cary Elwes and Joe Layden wrote a charming and funny memoir of a film I've loved for years.

The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies ever and this book reminded me exactly why. In fact, as soon as I finished reading, I watched the movie again. That's how much I enjoyed the book. If you're not a fan of the movie or only a casual fan, this book probably isn't for you.

Cary Elwes recounts his experiences as Westley from the time he initially spoke with the director until the reunion for the 25th anniversary of the film. He shares the memories of being on set and interacting with the other actors. In fact, between his narrative, there are little blurbs from the other actors as well as the director, producer, and author of The Princess Bride. All of these enhance the memoir and bring a sense of warmth to it.

I really loved reading about Elwes's experiences on set and it deepened my love for the movie. The writing is very engaging as well so there's no chance of being bored or confused. The whole memoir is very well done and I can't recommend it enough.

I give As You Wish - Inconceivable Tales from The Making of The Princess Bride an A+.

I thought this would be my last summer book, but it looks like I might be able to squeeze in one more. My current batch of books doesn't have a ton of "fall" leaning ones so I'll have to see if I can arrange them in an order that will set the "tone" of the season.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

[zepskies]

Mine too!! I absolutely love The Princess Bride. 😂 My headcanon is Dean did too when he was a kid. 💕

There's even a book Cary Elwes wrote about the making of the movie, also called As You Wish:

As You Wish

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: When Dean agreed to watch your favorite movie with you, you didn’t think it’d come with live subtitles.

AN: Here’s a little something in honor of Dean’s birthday! If you haven’t seen The Princess Bride, do yourself a favor. 🥰

Word Count: 600

Tags/Warnings: Fluff, and nothing but the fluff. (Established relationship.)

“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” Dean says, right in time with the iconic swashbuckler on the screen, complete with his best approximation at a Spanish accent.

You giggle against his side, hard enough to rock both of you on the bed. When he agreed to watch your favorite movie with you, you didn’t think it’d come with live subtitles.

“Are you gonna quote the whole damn movie?��� you ask.

Dean brandishes an imaginary sword with his fist held out.

“HELLO! My name is—”

Biting your lip, you cut him off short by playing dirty. You wrap your arm around his middle and dance your fingers across his ribs. He’d never admit it, but he’s got sensitive sides.

He flinches and laughs on reflex. “Hey, hey! That’s a foul move!”

His arm tightens around your waist while his other hand closes around your wrist. You try to grapple with him, your bare legs tangling with his pajama-clad ones, but you both know it’s a losing battle.

Dean gathers you tighter against his chest and traps your wandering hand.

Huffing another laugh, you relax again. His heart clips at a faster pace under your ear. Your hand smooths up his chest and finds its way up the back of his neck.

Dean can't help it. He lets out a contented hum when your nails give his scalp a little scratch.

For a moment, his attention drifts away from the movie and down to you. He spies the soft edge of your smile, feels your hair starting to itch against his arm, your soft curves under his hand, pressing against him.

You two don’t get these quiet days often, but he wants to make sure you get some rest. You, Sam, and Dean spent about three straight weeks in a row with back-to-back hunts, and the last one had really taken it out of you. So now, Dean’s satisfied to see you so relaxed. Happy, even.

Yeah. You really do seem to be as happy as he (secretly) feels.

Sometimes, he finds that part hard to believe. If you could want this with someone like him, then maybe…maybe he doesn’t screw up all the time.

Dean tunes back into the movie just in time for Buttercup to jump out of the window in her pretty white dress. She and Westley join Fezzik and Inigo on white horses, and the couple shares the kiss that left all the others behind.

Dean glances down at your face. He’s amused by the way you’re eating up all this sappy rom-com crap. Your eyes are shining with unshed tears. He ducks down to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“You just spring a leak over anything, don’t you?” he teases. You shove at his chest with a halfhearted hand.

“Only over the good stuff,” you retort.

He accepts that with a chuckle. When the credits start to roll down the screen, he reaches for the remote and searches for the episode you guys left off in Game of Thrones. You tap his chest.

“Hey, wanna go out to dinner tonight?” you ask. A warm smile plays on your lips. “Just you and me?”

Dean blinks. He doesn’t remember the last time you two went on an honest-to-God date. No time, no privacy, always something evil on your asses…

A decision made in his mind, Dean gives you a smile back. He brushes his thumb across your cheek.

“As you wish,” he says.

AN: 😘 Hope you liked this one!

Dean Winchester One-Shots

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Dean W. Tag List:

@hobby27 @kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007 @wincastifer @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @roseblue373 @this-is-me19 @emily-winchester @spnexploration @deans-spinster-witch @deans-baby-momma @iprobablyshipit91

@melancholictearz @nic-kolas @sanscas @sleepyqueerenergy @wayward-lost-and-never-found @thewritersaddictions @just-levyy @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @deanwanddamons @antisocialcorrupt @lacilou @adoringanakin @theonlymaninthesky @teehxk @midnightmadwoman @brianochka @branj19

@agalliasi @venicesem @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78 @solariklees @deansbbyx @candy-coated-misery0731 @curlycarley @sarahgracej @bagpussjocken @deanfreakingwinchester @chernayawidow @beskarfilms @mimaria420 @fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like