5/5 Not the Princess Bride--but it doesn't need to be.
  by Turnaround365 (CA United States)
I just now, this moment, have set down the book, "The Silent Gondoliers." It is the story of the Gondoliers of Venice, and why they no longer sing as they row. It was written by Morgensern late in life, the result of years of study. It seems as a child, he heard the beautiful voices of the Gondoliers, and began years of study and research to see why they no longer sang. The culmination of that is "The Silent Gondoliers," a very short book--only 110 pages, that bears absolutely no resemblence to "The Princess Bride." I am grateful for this. If the whole thing had just been a rehash of the Princess Bride, it would have made Morgensten a panderer. It is not nearly as funny--I figure this is likely because Morgenstern was basing it on "Real Live Events." But, and this is an important but, it is as entertaining. It is an easy read, and if you decide you hate it you will by no means have wasted much of your time. If, however, you find the story rings absolutely true with what you believe about the world, then I think you will enjoy the story of Luigi, the greatest Gondolier who ever lived, who, due to circumstance, was stuck washing glasses at the Tavern.

3/5 Cute
  by E. A Solinas (MD USA)
I am one of the handful of people who haven't yet read "The Princess Bride," so I can't comment on how this compares to that book. However, this was an entertaining little tale and a cute fable.

Everyone once knew that the gondoliers of Venice were the best singers in the world -- so amazing, in fact, that the great Enrico Caruso was overwhelmed when he heard them singing. One talented young gondolier with a "goony" smile, Luigi, is incredibly skilled as a gondolier and wins the heart of the girl he adores. But when he tries to sing, chaos reigns. People pelt him with vegetables and dead fish, even when he isn't singing.

Out of necessity, poor Luigi is drummed out of the gondoliers. His girlfriend dumps him, and he ends up washing dishes in a tavern with only his dreams to sustain him. Can Luigi overcome his terrible singing voice and realize his dreams?

This is a cute little story, though "fable" might be the wrong description for it because there is no firmly-defined lesson in it. Is it the special-rubbing-off line? Never give up on your dreams? Be an insane optimist? I never really figured it out. The outlines of it are rather uneven, especially the entire chapter devoted to the history of surfing. This might work in a book three or four times "Gondoliers"'s length, but in a story this short it merely feels awkward. And for the record, the translation of "pizza" is not "pizza," but "pie."

Nevertheless, Luigi is a sweetie, with his goony smile and obsessions with being a gondolier. The reader really does want him to succeed, and boos enthusiastically at the unsympathetic The Great and the aptly named "John the Bastard." The line drawings add a nice touch, very pretty in most cases. And the author manages to make Venice sound like one of the loveliest places in the world.

A nice little book, good for passing twenty minutes on a rainy day.

5/5 The writing equals Princess in this too-brief tale
  by Matt Hetling (Bethel, ME USA)
Writing as a researcher, the elusive S. Morgenstern investigates a mystery that has bothered him ever since he learned of it. Why are the gondoliers of Venice, once world-famous for their beautiful singing voices, now silent? As he reveals the facts of the case, we are treated to a fable that is as engaging, in its way, as The Princess Bride.

The bulk of the story deals with Luigi, an aspiring gondolier who wants nothing more than to join his peers in song in the Grand Canal. When his dreams are crushed, he becomes a quiet background figure in Venice, known only for his ability to wash dishes and his goony smile. But behind that sad, goony smile, Luigi never stops dreaming of accomplishing his lifelong goals.

I don't want to spoil any of the plot points of the book, so instead I will praise the skill of the writing, which is equal to the skill on display in Princess Bride. The device of the garrulous researcher is consistently hilarious, as are all of the asides and digressions that shine light on the impossible, yet almost-real world of Venice. The story lacks the depth and complexity of the Princess Bride, and so falls far short of that book in terms of overall impact. Rather, it's as if this is an extension of the former work, and could almost have been worked into The Princess Bride as a longish chapter (the entire book clocks in at a meager 110 pages).

Readers will fall in love with Luigi's stoic smile and deference to the world around him. He is a humble man, but one who has an inner spark that can never be extinguished, and the power of his character, along with the humorous writing, drives the book.

This is a must read.


5/5 A delightful journey into a fantastic dream
  by Molly Zoe (Fremont, Ohio)
As an opera singer and having visited Venice for the first time this past year, this was a perfect book. I loved this novel--as a diversion from an otherwise boring Sunday afternoon, as a jaunt into the life of someone special, and even as a complete story worthy of never being compared to it's predecessor "The Princess Bride." My main point in this review is to state that there IS no comparison between this and "The Princess Bride." The only simularity is the fact that Willian Goldman wrote both under the pseudonymn "S. Morgenstern." In all actuality... and this is a big thing for a dedicated romantic, like myself, to state... I think I liked this book better than "The Princess Bride." It was concise, to the point, short, and all the while it lost no magic that was intended and even drew me in more because of it's clear-cut nature. It is a fable that should be read over and over... I believe the moral is there for anyone to see, however, one must choose for himself or herself what the message is for him/her as an individual. Don't read this for a message though... read it to become wrapped up in the glitz and glamour of Venice, to become enamoured of the romantic nature of Luigi, and mostly...to become lost in the dreams and the discovery that those dreams can come true.
I particularly liked the part - chapter XIV - where "S. Morgenstern" breaks in with a statement about famous swimmers.... I know this makes no sense if you haven't read the book. Just read it; when you do you'll understand the brilliance of Goldman's intervention. This is amazingly perceived and brilliantly written. It touched me and I do believe that I will always consider the Luigi character a personal hero.

3/5 Not quite Princess Bride...
  by Kenneth A. Lane (Colorado Springs, CO USA)
A long time fan of the Princess Bride movie and then, enamoured by Goldman's origianl rendering via the novel...(not to mention a long hunt for this out-of-print book), left me a little disappointed after actually reading this second Morgensternian tale. While the line drawings were a nice touch...and the inner-story digressions predictably amuzing and ever-so Goldmanesque, the storyline leaves unexplained the very point where and why the Gondoliers actually become "silent". A bit frustrating and a bit of a let down...after waiting so long. I expected more.