This is the short and magical fable of Luigi, who is the greatest of all the gondoliers but, sadly, not the most accomplished of singers. It is told through the voice of S. Morgenstern who is perhaps the most talented of all modern fable-spinners, himself quite fictional. Accompanied by the illustrations of Paul Giovanopoulos, who perfectly interprets the world of the gondoliers in pen and ink drawings it is a gem of a book. And if you think there are too many superlatives in this review, it's b [...]

This novella, by the author of The Princess Bride, tells the story of Luigi, one of the greatest gondoliers Venice has ever known, and of why the gondoliers -- once universally acclaimed as the best singers in the world -- stopped singing. It is a tale of the irrepressible nature of dreams, and the courage of a man who pursues his in spite of their seeming impossibility. Morgenstern/Goldman, of course, claims exhaustive research and unimpeachable sources for his tale -- a device echoed by Lemony [...]

There is not a single thing about this book (except perhaps its shortness) that I didn't absolutely love. The Princess Bride is easily my favorite book of all time so I've always wanted to get my hands on this one. A quick, easy read, it's a beautiful fable. More important, however, is Goldman's excellent prose. He plays with language in such an enthralling way. Check this one out!

"Hubo un tiempo en el que los gondoleros de Venecia deleitaban a sus clientes con las canciones más hermosas. Cantaban a pleno pulmón con una afinación y clase dignos de los más prestigiosos teatros de la ópera. Hubo un tiempo en el que competían entre ellos para demostrar quién lo hacía mejor, superándose a sí mismos día tras día. Pero ese tiempo quedó atrás. ¿Por qué? ¿Qué sucedió para que callaran y remaran en silencio? En este precioso relato lo descubrirás. William Goldm [...]

5.0 I enjoyed this book so much as I was reading it, but because of its modest length I kept telling myself that I just couldn't give it a super high rating. As I continued to read the little fable it's charming, delightful, and quirky humor continued to make me smile. There were so many things I enjoyed about the story and I could not deny giving it high marks just as Luigi couldn't deny his dream. I definitely think it takes a certain type of person to enjoy the beauty that is in this little g [...]

THE SILENT GONDOLIERS is a small book written by William Goldman (a.k.a. S. Morgenstern;-) the author of THE PRINCESS BRIDE. If that facts alone doesn't make you want to run out and get it, I can assure you, it is a wonderful read! I won't give away much of the plot, but needless to say, it is about gondoliers, and if you have ever been to Venice, you know that this setting is almost as magical as Florin and Guilder.Goldman peppers this book with touching wit and eloquent humor, and I think it w [...]

I really enjoyed this book. It's written in the same tone as the princess bride, but much shorter and fewer characters. I disagree with people who would call it fluff. I think there's a great moral to keeping dreams, facing disappointment with a smile, and persevering.

First, to address the elephant in the room:Mr. Elephant, sir (and one should always be formal and polite when addressing an elephant, as they are presumably much larger than oneself), I realize that this is from the same author of The Princess Bride, and is credited to the fictional author of the "original" of that tale, which Goldman then "abridged". You would, reasonably, assume a similarity in tone, then, if not content. Now, please don't be upsetThis is not wholly unlike the earlier book in [...]

The Silent Gondoliers purports to be a fable by S. Morgenstern, who researched the history of gondoliers in Venice to discover why they no longer sang. For, lo, many years ago, the gondoliers were the grandest and most beautiful singers in the world. People came from all over to hear them sing. The story focuses on Luigi, who is an expert gondolier but a terrible singer.Unlike The Princess Bride, the story is told in first-person by Morgenstern, who, like Goldman, interjects at times to comment. [...]

The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favorite books. (Yes, I said book, not film. If you haven't read it, do. It's even better than the film, which may sound hard to believe, but trust me on this.) This is just as good. It's short, sweet, whimsical, and utterly enchanting. Like Bride, it purports to be by S. Morgenstern, and it's a quirky little story about gondoliers, filled with entertaining asides, strange digressions, and insightful observations on human nature and customs worthy of Terr [...]

The silliness of The Princess Bride was so unexpected. I got William Goldman's first book as a read-aloud with my children (after looking for weeks for the original S. Morganstern version) and the interjections and complete silliness won us all over immediately. It was ridiculous but so much fun to read.I had a different expectation this time. I saw Goldman's name on the cover and thought, "I bet that's a super silly, fun book." But since The Silent Gondoliers was just silliness without the grea [...]

Meh. There's not much to say. Goldman's talent with words warrants 2 stars, and S. Morgenstern's note to the publishers at the very beginning bring it up to a solid 3 stars. 2.5 really. The story is basically a fairy-tale, with a barely outlined young male lead setting out on a quest, overcoming obstacles, saving the day, etc etc. I found the ups and downs of the plot, and particularly the conclusion, a bit silly. But Venice is an amazing place, and the descriptions of its beauty, and the drawin [...]

Esta obra es de esos raros (y sorprendentes) sucesos que aparecen de repente en un mar de monotonía, una bella historia contada de una manera tan simple, alegre y divertida que es inevitable amarla.Enfocada en la mística de los famosos gondoleros venecianos, introduce al lector de lleno en las labores de estos personajes y cómo valoran su posición histórica. Tiene de todo: amor a la música, a la canción que cada uno de nosotros lleva por dentro o nuestra vocación, que es lo que por amor [...]

I came across this book (hardcover) some years ago at a weekend warehouse book sale, it was hiding on a picnic table under a stacked pile of books. The author's name stood out "S. Morgenstern" (aka William Goldman). Since I had already read "The Princess Bride" I grab this book up. What a find. Out of print for many years and now re-released under the author's real name. This is a wonderful fable, that makes you smile and your heart ache all at the same time. I so enjoyed this story. I would rec [...]

I got this out while I was looking for the Princess Bride at the library. It's written in the same style, but as far as story goes, it didn't do it for me. I know it's just a fable, but the ending sort of confused me. The whole book was leading up to something great, but never got there. I liked the illustrations better!

I really don't know how to classify this book. It escapes labels and it stands alone as a delicious tale about dreams. It's a quick read, an epic story, a magic episode in the history of Venice. You just have to read it!

An excellent account of the World Singing Olympics.

Read it in one sitting. It's quite short and not really life-changing, but you still find yourself being heartwarmed days later

Silly, touching, funny and the illustrations are fantastic. Has this ever been made into a cartoon? If not, it should be.

If you are someone who loves music, an avid reader, and want a deep history lesson The Silent Gondoliers should be your next book, but if you aren't then you should stop reading this. This novel is about a gondolier named Luigi who has to go through many trials and conflicts throughout the whole story as he grows as deeper than just being a singer but being a great gondolier. William Goldman also known as S. Morgenstern and Harry Longbaugh is an author, playwright and screenwriter from Chicago, [...]

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful book of a mere 110 pages. William Goldman has such wit. His side comments and parentheses explanations added a special depth to the storyories, rather. Even the grammar and punctuation choices were happy additions to the overall story. Stories. Read thisyou'll see what I mean by story/stories.

I love the princess bride. But it think I am one of the few people who enjoy William Goldmans commentary more then the story of Wesley and Buttercup. (And I love the story of Wesley and Buttercup) The silent gondoliers is a story told in the style of the princess bride except there is no William Goldman portion of the tale.

A great and fun read. By the author of The Princess Bride. A much shorter, 110 page book. One to savor, wait and readagain, at least once per year. This one must be on my shelf, forever. Just wonderful.

A quirky little tale with a touch of magic realism by the author of The Princess Bride. A nice little respite.

Everyone involved in not making this book into a film needs to have a long hard look at themselves

Recommended to me by my daughter, this was her copy that I read.

Me encanta cómo usa Goldman este pseudónimo. El libro se lee en un suspiro y la historia es muy curiosa.

This was a simple but sweet story. There are some funny bits, in true S. Morgenstern fashion, but the writing style also annoyed me a bit at points. It seemed worse in the beginning with lots of fragmented sentences but then it settled into a more normal style as the story went along. The artwork was nice and helped to punctuate the story.Overall this story wasn't amazing, but it was an enjoyable read that took me less than a day to finish.

After reading too much WWII fiction, I needed a light, happy read. This was perfect. It is short (read it in one sitting). William Goldman has a quirky, witty, tangent-ridden way of writing, and I like it. I love Luigi. I love his determination in following his dreams, even when he is not good at it. Even when life hands him a poor hand, he deals it well, and is happy. Everyone loves Luigi. His hard times seem to be training for his greatest moment, and I think there is a lesson in that. I loved [...]

Este libro se me ha hecho insoportable, y tengo clarísimo por qué: el narrador me ha parecido insufrible.Los gondoleros de Venecia han dejado de cantar, y nuestro narrador ha llevado a cabo una investigación para descubrir la causa de este silencio. La novela es el resultado de su búsqueda de respuesta, y se construye partiendo de este artificio.El narrador, amparándose en esta “investigación” (claramente ficticia, y creada buscando el humor, aunque sin lograrlo), emplea un tono de sup [...]