The first three-fourths of this book is a funny and engaging behind-the-scenes look at being a Hollywood screenplay writer. Goldman wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, and both the book and screenplay to A Princess Bride. It was fun for me to read about how he floundered with The Princess Bride until he came up with the idea of having the grandfather read “just the good parts,” which enabled him to jump around. This book is a little tricky because he’s writing it b...

This was my final read of 2021, and it made for a satisfying conclusion to the year. I think I like it better than Goldman's first memoir/tell-all/screenwriting manual Adventures in the Screen Trade; the nearly twenty years elapsed between the two books means Goldman is more mature here, with more experience (naturally) and a better understanding of himself and his craft. I would have liked a LOT more about The Princess Bride, though what's here is excellent, and I really appreciated his ability...

A bit repetitive after having read it on the heels of the first installment, but still highly entertaining and informative.

I'm a sucker for William Goldman. But this REALLY was useful. I will say it was better than Part I. An absolute must have on shelf for any screenwriter.While I took many notes, I know, like his first back, I willbe pulling this off of the shelf and using it as a reference.

A classic every writer should read.

A great follow-up

I love William Goldman. I love both his screenplays and his books. “Adventures in the Screen Trade”, which I read years ago, was a brilliant book, full of interesting stories and funny anecdotes on Hollywood and its colourful fauna. “Which Lie Did I Tell?” Is a sort of sequel to “Adventures”, but, sadly, is no match for it. Too long, too rambling and too intended for the screenwriter-in-the-making, this book is something which William Goldman is certainly not: boring.

I have been a big fan of Goldman's since college days. I loved his novels like Temple of Gold and Marathon Man. I loved his screen plays, particularly Butch Cassidy. I loved his Adventures in the Screen Trade wherein he did a bit of kiss and telling. However,this follow-up is a bit too snarky and polished for me and fairly empty. As a record of Goldman's continuing journey, it's OK. I suppose he had to write it. But the quoting --at vast lengths-- of his favorite screen plays becomes tedious. Al...

Not as good as “Adventures...”, but some really good stuff in here - advice, observations, anecdotes, etc. Still a valuable book. He doesn’t seem to like Brits too much - seems to have had some difficult work experiences. Another must-read for aspiring screenwriters, but also plenty of useful content for aspiring writers of any kind. And a good read.

In this sequel to screenwriter William Goldman's first memoir, "Adventures In The Screen Trade", basically carrying his memoirs forward to the time period 1980-2000, Goldman captures the appeal and basic readability and charm of volume one. I think it's marginally inferior to its first book, but it's still very good.Goldman has a gift for writing amiable anecdotes about Hollywood. They read very conversational and fun to read, and are aided by Goldman's insight into historically significant figu...

I'll start this off by saying I love movies penned by William Goldman.I'll also say that, for my money, the novel of The Princess Bride is funnier than the movie.So with those two things in mind, join me as I walk through the economically depressed streets of San Pedro, CA. I'm there with a friend, killing time while we wait for the Lovecraft Festival to start up and next door to the (soon-to-be) crowded Whale and Ale Pub is a little bookshop that's just about to close down. Our presence convinc...

Fantastic book on the adventures of one of the most acclaimed Hollywood screenwriters, full of insightful information and a very sarcastic sense of humour. Essential for every movie buff.

William Goldman's (his name might sound familiar because he's the author of the book The Princess Bride, and the film's screenplay) follow-up to Adventures in the Screentrade, Which Lie Did I Tell, covers his works post-1982 such as The Princess Bride, Misery and The Ghost and the Darkness. While 'Adventures' is about the happy accidents and why no one really knows anything about how to make movie magic, 'Lie' is a great book about making choices and where to go from there. I can apply his stori...

Enjoyable follow-up to William Goldman's excellent 80's book "Adventures In the Screen Trade." At times repetitive and frustrating, "Which Lie Did I Tell?" touches on perhaps too many things that were first brought up in "Adventures In the Screen Trade." His continual references to BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID got annoying after awhile. Not only does he mention the movie (and his script) throughout the book, Goldman also devotes an entire chapter to his 1969 Oscar-winning script. William Gol...

William Goldman, the screenwriter of two of my favorite movies (and in my opinion, two of the best movies of all time)--"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Princess Bride"--offers an witty, insightful, acerbic and neurotic look at the world of writing in Hollywood. I haven't read this book's predecessor, "Adventures in the Screen Trade," but I have no doubt it was equally enjoyable and eye-opening.Apart from recounting his own experiences in Hollywood (or "Out There" as Goldman calls i...

I followed up with Which Lie Did I Tell? after reading Adventures in the Screen Trade.Mind you, I was just mainly interested for the Hollywood stories but didn't care much for the screenplays or advice in regards with them. Needless to say, I was mostly disappointed in the sequel book for saying nothing much really. Either the stories were already mentioned in the other book, rehashed but in different words, or about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for the umpteenth time. William Goldman fina...

I want to write a screenplay.I want to be friends with William Goldman, author of The Princess Bride and this awesome book! He has the most delightfully conversational style. This book gets pretty technical, but I like that. I don't know if a non-writer would enjoy it quite so much, but maybe if he or she just skipped over the advice in grey, it would be just a book full of dirt on a screenwriter's adventures in Hollywood (among other places.)This is apparently a sequel, but here are the movies

I'm surprised this has so many good reviews. It's clearly a case of getting a book deal to do a sequel and then afterwards trying to figure out what to write. I mean, there are some good anecdotes, but the writing is full of unnecessary superlatives of what everyone must know (in bold with exclamations!!) about writing or the film industry. And gratuitous swearing to make him sound just so real and honest. (And I really have no problem with swearing in writing.)It all just seemed forced and he s...

This is my favorite Hollywood memoir / insider's guide, one which I've read many times but keep coming back to like an old friend. Goldman's combination of wit, self-reflection and biting honesty is a potent elixir.

Goldman’s first book on “Adventures in the Screen Trade” should be required reading for anybody interested in the business of film. This one should be required for all critics and screenwriters or wannabes. Goldman is a superb raconteur and he has a full quiver of stories to tell about his business and how it runs (and doesn’t run!) He is remarkably humble for someone who has written “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Princess Bride,” among others. He tells us how he did it and focuse...

I was intrigued by this book, as a novelist with an interest in writing screenplays, and as a huge fan of the movie The Princess Bride (which Goldman wrote). Overall, I thought it was interesting, entertaining at times, informative at times, and a altogether a decent 'insider's view' of 'the biz'. What I liked: Some of Goldman's stories were highly entertaining, and I like that he wrote in 'his own voice' and often said things other people might be afraid to say in fear of being rebuffed. It was...

This is a good textbook for film students, not something that is an easy read for the average person. The first third is filled with great Goldman stories, the next third are his takes on some famous film screenplays (kind of boring), and the last third is his original screenplay written for this book with blunt feedback from famous Hollywood people. Read it for the first third. But be aware you have to accept Goldman's wild writing style. He has written ADHD where he can't tell a simple story.

A potboiler sequel to his brilliant book, Adventures in the Screen Trade. It was easy to zoom through, but it adds little if anything, jumps about a lot, and occasionally reads as though written while incoherently bitter and drunk. Don't let this put you off 'Adventures in the Screen Trade' itself. Here's what I thought of it: In part a brilliant analysis of how films actually get made, in part a star-studded memoir, and in part an insightful guide to the art of screenwriting. Goldman is the Osc...

Many years ago I read The Princess Bride novel and loved William Goldman's humorous prose. I've also seen quite a few of the films where he was the key screenwriter (such as Butch Cassidy and Misery). So I had pretty high expectations that I'd enjoy this leisurely stroll through the madness of Hollywood - I wasn't disappointed!Broadly speaking Goldman splits the book into three parts. The first covers a wide range of anecdotes from his time in Hollywood and these are eye-opening (as well as bein...

Overall, I loved this book. My only negatives come from some of the content. It's definitely not clean. He swears and quotes lines from scripts that can be quite difficult to read and are often inappropriate. But I do love his style. His self deprecation and brutal honesty are what make him so endearing. You feel like you're sitting in a class and learning everything the master has to teach. I was inspired and learned a lot. The ending is brilliant. I won't spoil anything, but the script he shar...

This book ends with an interesting device - Goldman includes half an unproduced screenplay of his for us to critique - it is a flawed screenplay, and its problems are the same as the problems with this book overall: it is muddled, and doesn't know what it is for sure. Is the included screenplay meant to be a romantic comedy? A action drama? Who knows. Similarly, is this book a Hollywood memoir? A screenwriting how to guide? A collection of essays on other famous screenplays? The answer: all of t...

Here you’ll find some anecdotes, hilarious one-liners, and all the other goodies one can expect from anything by William Goldman. The first book, Adventures In The Screen Trade, had some great stories, helpful tips and all that. But the greatest gem in this book that takes up the last third or so comes in the form of a screenplay. He lets you in deep behind the scenes of Hollywood letting you read an unfinished script and the feedback from other famous writers. That section of this book was pure...

Full of interesting tales however you can tell this sequel to ‘Adventures In Screen Trade’ was written by someone long past the excitement of being in the industry and safely in his “grouchy old man” phase. Where he once would burst with excitement even over failed projects now he grumbles about big budget blockbusters ruining cinema and with his age some of his misogyny/outdated beliefs definitely come out. Despite all that I’d still recommend anyone interested in screenwriting/Hollywood to che...

Goldman is an engaging storyteller and I liked reading about the making of Princess Bride and all his ranting about how screenwriters don't get enough credit.BUT, then the middle and end of the book becomes more of a teaching guide for aspiring screenwriters. It is interesting to see the nuts and bolts discussed but when I realized the last 3rd of the book is an unpublished Goldman screenplay I called it a day.I do want to read his earlier book, Adventures in the Screen TradeHollywood, explained...

Good, but not as good as the first. You can probably split this into two halves: gossip & mechanics. The "gossip" half of things is fun, but disposable. The "mechanics" half of things is helpful, and makes for a worthy followup to ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE. You take those two books, take out the gossip-y parts, and you've got yourself the equivalent of King's ON WRITING for screenwriting.