The cover of The Princess Bride states the the book is "S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure." Indeed The Princess Bride does contain a great deal of true love and action adventure, but not necessarily in the way most readers will be expecting. Buttercup and Westley are lovers destined to be together, but circumstances beyond their control separate them for many years. Inigo is embroiled in a quest to avenge his father's murder, and Fezzik is looking for a true friend who enjoys rhymes. In addition to these characters there is a Prince who is averse to marriage but in love with hunting and a Count who enjoys researching pain. Along with a bumbling King, a fired Miracle Man, an albino, and the Zoo of Death the reader is treated to a tale of great skill; from both the characters and the author.

William Goldman says in his introduction that he decided to publish the "good parts" of The Princess Bride. The good parts of the story involve an attack by the Dread Pirate Roberts who never leaves survivors. A mysterious Man in Black appears to steal the stolen property from Vizzini the Sicilian. Inigo duels with the Man in Black; Fezzik fights the Man in Black in hand to hand combat, and the Sicilian tries to outwit the masked stranger, but not one of them can best the rogue. The Man in Black retrieves the property kidnapped by Vizzini, and the reader discovers he is someone thought lost to the story. A harrowing escape through a Fire Swamp ends when the Man in Black and his companion are caught by the devilish Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen, the six-fingered man. Inigo and Fezzik resurface and work to free the imprisoned Man in Black. Once gathered together, the Man in Black must be brought back to life; the castle must be stormed, a wedding stopped; the six-fingered man needs killed by Inigo, and the Princess needs rescued before they can all make another great escape.

Finding the high adventure in The Princess Bride is not difficult. True love is also easy enough to recognize, but the author is a master craftsman in his own right as he weaves together a story full of twists, turns, foreshadowing, memories, interruptions, and abrupt halts. The story itself contains adventure and love, but the reader must be ready to participate in the action of the book and put forth enough love to stick with the relationship until the final page.