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catherine_t's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The book that launched a genre and a film franchise, Casino Royale introduces James Bond, British secret agent and a man of large appetites for cigarettes, alcohol, and women. In this first installment, Bond is detailed to gamble against Le Chiffre, a known Communist and suspected member of SMERSH, at the titular French casino. If Bond wins, Le Chiffre will be in serious trouble with his superiors. But Bond begins to realize, as he sits at the baccarat table, that his winning may mean losing...
Honestly, if Casino Royale had been adapted for the big screen exactly, it wouldn't have been a hit. At least a third of the book takes place at the baccarat table. It might be a high-stakes game, but visually, it's a big yawn. There are no gadgets, no sardonic one-liners, and Bond doesn't quite get the girl.
But that's not what's good about the book. What's good is Fleming's utter economy with words. Fleming can set the scene, draw a picture, or sketch a character in a sentence or two. Most people only know the flashy Bond films. You need to go back to the gritty originals, the novels, and see who James Bond really is.
Honestly, if Casino Royale had been adapted for the big screen exactly, it wouldn't have been a hit. At least a third of the book takes place at the baccarat table. It might be a high-stakes game, but visually, it's a big yawn. There are no gadgets, no sardonic one-liners, and Bond doesn't quite get the girl.
But that's not what's good about the book. What's good is Fleming's utter economy with words. Fleming can set the scene, draw a picture, or sketch a character in a sentence or two. Most people only know the flashy Bond films. You need to go back to the gritty originals, the novels, and see who James Bond really is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Car accident, and Torture
Minor: Rape
lisaloulaa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Kidnapping and Suicide
Minor: Rape
simply_fran's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Includes the phrase "the sweet tang of r*pe"...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death, Torture, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide and Rape
celestehurst's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm baffled by how much I liked this book. Before I read it, I expected it to have decent writing and an intriguing and fast-paced plot at best. I've only seen one James Bond movie and it was over twenty years ago, but I feel like the cultural osmosis from the franchise painted James Bond as an intelligent womanizer in my mind. And he definitely is those things in this novel, but what I wasn't expecting was the exploration of his character. And I certainly wasn't expecting this book to be a tragic romance.
It's hard to tell how much credit to give to Fleming for the nuances I saw while reading Casino Royale. Is it a commentary on the fact that underestimating a woman is what ends up hurting Bond the most, or is the narration really trying to say that trusting a woman is the worst thing you can do? Are we supposed to come to the conclusion that a cold man like Bond was stupid for falling in love, or are we meant to see the tragedy of Bond falling back into being a machine like Mathis accuses him of?
In either case, I wasn't expecting to be given a front-row seat to Bond's thoughts and emotional state. Yeah, his fantasies of essentially raping Vesper are hard to read and are not excusable. But then he apologizes for being too rough with her and backs off when she says no and spends hours lying on the beach looking up at the sky and realizing that he's in love with her. This book gives us a very human Bond who struggles with his emotions and the implications of his actions as a spy, and I wasn't expecting that.
It's hard to tell how much credit to give to Fleming for the nuances I saw while reading Casino Royale. Is it a commentary on the fact that underestimating a woman is what ends up hurting Bond the most, or is the narration really trying to say that trusting a woman is the worst thing you can do? Are we supposed to come to the conclusion that a cold man like Bond was stupid for falling in love, or are we meant to see the tragedy of Bond falling back into being a machine like Mathis accuses him of?
In either case, I wasn't expecting to be given a front-row seat to Bond's thoughts and emotional state. Yeah, his fantasies of essentially raping Vesper are hard to read and are not excusable. But then he apologizes for being too rough with her and backs off when she says no and spends hours lying on the beach looking up at the sky and realizing that he's in love with her. This book gives us a very human Bond who struggles with his emotions and the implications of his actions as a spy, and I wasn't expecting that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Rape
alleyrobot's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Torture
Minor: Rape
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Rape
illuminatedspace's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
A two instead of a 1 because they're is some semi interesting writing but it's very difficult to read. The femme fatale is helpless in ways that don't make any gd sense. Bond send to hate her but also want to sleep with her and marry her because??? I'll never read another Fleming novel or Bond book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape
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