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hirvimaki's review
3.0
Still reeling from The Spy Who Loved Me, and although the misogyny isn't quite as blatant in this one, it's still there like the icky film of burned milk on a stove top after a pot boils over. Pushing that aside - hard to do, Fleming had issues - this book reads so much better than TSWML that you almost overlook the overly-complicated, silly plot. The action is fun and the expected, had-to-happen ending is still sad even if the idea of "the love of his life" is not new territory for Bond - ahem, Gala Brand, Tiffany Case, Tatiana Romanova...
frankie36's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
sbrewer71's review against another edition
4.0
A genuine and emotional James Bond story. The difference here from the other books is that James Bond finds real love in Tracy only to lose her in the end. However, like the other books in the series it can be very dated and sexist at times.
barkingspiders_books's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to this one and David Tennant read it and was surprisingly did not like him as a narrator. Might have to get a copy and try "reading" it again some time.
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the eleventh Bond book. I admit that this is one of my favourite of the official movies, and there was one aspect that I was worried about going into this: how would I feel about the relationship between Tracy and Bond? The character in the books doesn’t seem to be the marrying type at all, so I was intrigued about how that would develop.
And the truth is it doesn’t. One minute he’s not interested, and then as a result of her helping to rescue him he suddenly realises that this is someone he could spend his life with. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
There are bits of the book that I don’t remember being in the film - the girls at the ski resort are a much more important part of the plot than I recall - and all in all it’s another great story.
And of course, if you know what’s coming, you know how it’s going to end. And it’s even more devastating in print than it was on screen. It is a testament to how well written that moment is that the dialogue is almost word-for-word transposed from the book to the film. I really can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, because the Sceptre storyline is far from over…
And the truth is it doesn’t. One minute he’s not interested, and then as a result of her helping to rescue him he suddenly realises that this is someone he could spend his life with. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
There are bits of the book that I don’t remember being in the film - the girls at the ski resort are a much more important part of the plot than I recall - and all in all it’s another great story.
And of course, if you know what’s coming, you know how it’s going to end. And it’s even more devastating in print than it was on screen. It is a testament to how well written that moment is that the dialogue is almost word-for-word transposed from the book to the film. I really can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, because the Sceptre storyline is far from over…
eshalliday's review against another edition
2.0
TW: conversion therapy and (again with) women's 'subconscious desire to be raped'.
This is my final James Bond. I've got to the stage where I'm reading (listening to) them with my critical intellect rather than my suspension-of-disbelief reader's enjoyment.
This is my final James Bond. I've got to the stage where I'm reading (listening to) them with my critical intellect rather than my suspension-of-disbelief reader's enjoyment.
eyreguide's review against another edition
4.0
This book does have a specific allure that is very of it's time. James Bond is not really the most likable character - he is charming and endlessly resourceful, but his treatment of women leaves much to be desired and he can be rather judgmental. But the adventures he gets up to, and the thrill of the suspense is really addicting, so even if I was shaking my head at various points, I really enjoyed the gripping story.
The piecemeal way in which Bond tries to get at the sinister and equally resourceful Blofeld made for an interesting plot structure. Pure luck and basic detective works helps him infiltrate Blofeld's home base, and Bond's undercover work as Sir Hilary was pretty ingeniously done. The cleverness of the story and the way Bond handles the dangers that comes his way is the highlight of this book. Although his easy manipulation of women is really a bit depressing!
This book features Teresa di Vicenzo or Tracy (and later Tracy Bond). As this is the only book where Bond gets married, I was expecting Tracy to be much more of a stand out character. Although after Bond's seemingly impetuous proposal, he does think over why he would like to marry her, it seemed pretty flimsy reasoning to me and I was hoping for a stronger female character in Tracy. Her only redeeming point it seems is that her driving skills are excellent. Which must be very important to Bond according to the many descriptive passages about cars (and alcohol, and card playing) in this book.
I'm definitely planning to read more Bond stories as this is the first one I've ever read, and it was really enjoyable despite my grousing over characters. The fun is in the suspense and the danger and in Bond's wry commentary. This particular book had a very heartbreaking ending as well which was surprisingly emotional given how much I was not taken with the romance.
The piecemeal way in which Bond tries to get at the sinister and equally resourceful Blofeld made for an interesting plot structure. Pure luck and basic detective works helps him infiltrate Blofeld's home base, and Bond's undercover work as Sir Hilary was pretty ingeniously done. The cleverness of the story and the way Bond handles the dangers that comes his way is the highlight of this book. Although his easy manipulation of women is really a bit depressing!
This book features Teresa di Vicenzo or Tracy (and later Tracy Bond). As this is the only book where Bond gets married, I was expecting Tracy to be much more of a stand out character. Although after Bond's seemingly impetuous proposal, he does think over why he would like to marry her, it seemed pretty flimsy reasoning to me and I was hoping for a stronger female character in Tracy. Her only redeeming point it seems is that her driving skills are excellent. Which must be very important to Bond according to the many descriptive passages about cars (and alcohol, and card playing) in this book.
I'm definitely planning to read more Bond stories as this is the first one I've ever read, and it was really enjoyable despite my grousing over characters. The fun is in the suspense and the danger and in Bond's wry commentary. This particular book had a very heartbreaking ending as well which was surprisingly emotional given how much I was not taken with the romance.