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3.03 AVERAGE
3.03 AVERAGE
Told from the viewpoint of a woman who meets up with Bond who doesn't appear until past the halfway mark. Refreshing and, for me, unexpected. Fleming did better than I would have ever believed writing from the woman's perspective.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a James Bond novel that was quite surprising for me for many reasons, the obvious being that it doesn’t really focus on James Bond until that 3rd part of the book. Instead, Ian Fleming’s The Spy Who Loved Me centers primarily around the female protagonist Vivienne Michel, a French Canadian woman who takes refuge at a motel in the wooded forest of Albany, New York, only to get tangled up by thugs involved in a scheme involving the motel she is staying at. All seems doomed for her but then James Bond shows up and appears to be the answer to all her problems.
It’s a straight forward novel that lacks the cool spy elements of other Bond novels and I can understand why this novel is considered the most inferior of them all. Fleming attempts to make bold choices and while it is admirable that he tries to shake things up rather than stick to a formula, it ultimately falls flat because it almost jeopardizes the Bond aesthetic that people have grown so accustomed to. The plot involving the villains seems flimsy and the villains themselves are not very compelling characters. As for Bond, he’s nothing more than a plot device character only there to further the storyline of the female protagonist.
The weirdest thing about this novel, though, is that it tries to be a PSA after school special by teaching a lesson at the end about Vivienne’s obsession with Bond. Fleming wanted to let readers know that it’s unwise to see Bond as a shining hero and that he should be looked at dangerously. The problem though is that Bond is depicted in this book as nothing but a shining hero. Thus, the lesson falls flat and rubs off the wrong way as if Fleming is lecturing to readers and talking down on them for making their own interpretations on Bond.
The other obvious flaws of the Bond formula are present here: Fleming’s questionable morals regarding women and how they are treated and depicted.
Despite all of this, I was still able to enjoy the novel because it did feel a bit fresh when Fleming deciding to tell the story through the female character. Vivienne is quite compelling despite how she’s treated and the reader does care about her inner struggles and I was relieved that she made it out okay at the end.
Overall, The Spy Who Loved Me isn’t the best James Bond novel Fleming has ever written, but it’s a serviceable one that Bond readers will surely be able to sit through.
It’s a straight forward novel that lacks the cool spy elements of other Bond novels and I can understand why this novel is considered the most inferior of them all. Fleming attempts to make bold choices and while it is admirable that he tries to shake things up rather than stick to a formula, it ultimately falls flat because it almost jeopardizes the Bond aesthetic that people have grown so accustomed to. The plot involving the villains seems flimsy and the villains themselves are not very compelling characters. As for Bond, he’s nothing more than a plot device character only there to further the storyline of the female protagonist.
The weirdest thing about this novel, though, is that it tries to be a PSA after school special by teaching a lesson at the end about Vivienne’s obsession with Bond. Fleming wanted to let readers know that it’s unwise to see Bond as a shining hero and that he should be looked at dangerously. The problem though is that Bond is depicted in this book as nothing but a shining hero. Thus, the lesson falls flat and rubs off the wrong way as if Fleming is lecturing to readers and talking down on them for making their own interpretations on Bond.
The other obvious flaws of the Bond formula are present here: Fleming’s questionable morals regarding women and how they are treated and depicted.
Despite all of this, I was still able to enjoy the novel because it did feel a bit fresh when Fleming deciding to tell the story through the female character. Vivienne is quite compelling despite how she’s treated and the reader does care about her inner struggles and I was relieved that she made it out okay at the end.
Overall, The Spy Who Loved Me isn’t the best James Bond novel Fleming has ever written, but it’s a serviceable one that Bond readers will surely be able to sit through.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I want to get through all the James Bond books by Ian Fleming. So far the whole series has been a bit of a let down, and this book was no exception. Took about half the book for Bond to appear, as it concentrated on the 'female' aspect. I think it would have been better if it was not a bond book as once bond did show up, some of the tension of the story was lost (we know Bond will win and get the girl in the end - happens every time). Only a few more to go, then i will just stick to the films (which really only use the title of the book).
An experimental novel in the James Bond series, but a successful one. Though Bond doesn't show up until the last third and the whole story is told first person by the female protagonist, Vivienne Michele is a complicated, engaging character that I quickly connected with. I also enjoyed the dramatic shifts in genre as the book goes from romantic memoir to horror story to action thriller. And it offers thought provoking commentary on the nature and character of James Bond in the process.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a very different James Bond book with it being told from the perspective of a woman helped by 007.
Fleming's macho fantasy writing really stumbles here where a female character is the narrator, and through her Fleming channels his one-dimensional views of women.