Reviews

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

curiouslykatt's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

kcoleman's review against another edition

3.0

It is a good book, It just sucks what happens to 3030.

c_jo214's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Meh

ilikemandos's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

bblizz72's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

justinedavis's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jamiecrook's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

franchescanado's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

taegen's review against another edition

Wow. I'm surprised at how much I hated this. I've never seen the Bond movies or read any of the books and likely never would have but it was recommended to me.

I struggled massively with boredom during the first half so switched to the audiobook at 1.5 speed for the second half to get through it. 

While I am yet to enjoy a classic, I thought a spy story would entertain me. 

I'm still stunned at how mostly boring the story was but also, a book that contains lines like "women were for recreation" and "the conquest of her body, because of the central privacy in her, would each time have the sweet tang of rape" is not for me. 

Just no. 

jackjpaton's review against another edition

4.0

A long time ago I watched a documentary about Ian Fleming, and one line from it I’ve remembered ever since: “Fleming is a thriller writer, his job is to thrill the senses”. Whenever I’ve read a so-called thriller since, this line has stuck out to me, and so far I’ve found no one who can compare to Fleming in his ability to “thrill the senses”. The plot and characters of Bond and Le Chiffre and espionage and spies is all really just an excuse to escape to a world of 50s glitz and glamour through Fleming’s glorious turn-of-phrase.

In all honestly, not a lot actually happens in Casino Royale, but we do start to get a real sense for who James Bond is. Book Bond is more human than any of his film incarnations; it is definitely never a given he’s going to make it out of this one alive, and when he gets hit, it hurts.

I wonder what it must have been like to read this book seventy-odd years ago, with no preconception of who James Bond is?