So let me start off by saying two things:

1. I'm not really an audio book fan. My brain is too scattered and I loose concentration too easily. Listening to audio books is exhausting for me because it requires so much focus to be constantly listening to what's being told to you. I listen to a lot of podcasts but they're all podcasts where I can space out for a few minutes, follow my own train of thoughts and then come back to the podcast and know generally speaking, what's going on and what they're talking about. Every other audio book I've found doesn't give me that leniency.

2. I adore inside scoops, outtakes, and behind-the-scenes looks at things. I love to know how things got started. Where someone got inspiration for something. When I read books, I sometimes play a game where I try to guess if the first chapter was the first chapter that was written or if the author wrote a different chapter first, to go back and write the first chapter afterwards. (I never know if I'm right or wrong. It's just something that I find myself endlessly curious about.)

So, I saw someone give this book a good review and I thought that it sounded really interesting. I don't normally read nonfiction but for reason #2 - mentioned above - I thought it sounded like something I would enjoy. And the person who reviewed it recommended listening to the audio book so you could listen to other cast members (and not just Cary Elwes) talk about their own experiences and tell their own stories. So, in spite of the fact that I have never been able to listen to audio books before, I found an available copy at my library (off Libby, actually) and downloaded it to listen to during a road trip the next day.

I loved it. I found myself completely captivated by Cary Elwes telling the story of how he got the job, of training for the sword fight, of meeting the other cast members. To such an extent that I finished the entire audio book (about 8 hours long) in about 30 hours. (The road trip only took 2 hours.) With one exception - that being himself, in one specific story where Elwes makes a few bad decisions, as we are all want to do - Elwes speaks of all of the co-stars and team members and everyone who participated in the making of The Princess Bride with such reverence, such wonder, joy, and respect. It's funny and caring and bittersweet and I truly can't say enough good things about this book. I love love love this book. Everyone should read it.

Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to go watch The Princess Bride.