pnutbutterprincess reviewed Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Review of 'Casino Royale' on 'Storygraph'
1 star
James Bond, Agent 007, is this classic image of a hardened spy, on a high-stakes mission at Casino Royale in France, and his goal is to keep the elusive "Le Chiffre" from winning enough funds to retire and disappear. Bond has everything he should need, plenty of funds, comfort, familiarity with the casino, and a partner being sent to help him from London.
Now, it was very early on when I determined that I did not like Bond. I did not like the book. It is a product of the time period, having been written in the 1950s, yet it was rather unpleasant to endure. Perhaps Bond himself, as portrayed in the ongoing film versions of himself, has a more timeless quality and I have enjoyed a few Bond films. We're not subjected to his thoughts so bluntly in the movies as we are in the book.
As soon as …
James Bond, Agent 007, is this classic image of a hardened spy, on a high-stakes mission at Casino Royale in France, and his goal is to keep the elusive "Le Chiffre" from winning enough funds to retire and disappear. Bond has everything he should need, plenty of funds, comfort, familiarity with the casino, and a partner being sent to help him from London.
Now, it was very early on when I determined that I did not like Bond. I did not like the book. It is a product of the time period, having been written in the 1950s, yet it was rather unpleasant to endure. Perhaps Bond himself, as portrayed in the ongoing film versions of himself, has a more timeless quality and I have enjoyed a few Bond films. We're not subjected to his thoughts so bluntly in the movies as we are in the book.
As soon as he finds that he has been sent a female partner to accompany him in his mission, he is disgusted. His opinion of women is: women are for recreation. This theme recurs throughout the book. For being an agent herself, Vesper isn't all that competent anyway, so part of his disdain can be justified, but I attribute it mostly to poor writing and sexism, unfortunately again, a product of its time. I could go on, but really, just go for the movie and skip the book. It's not a classic, and it doesn't hold up well over time.