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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
James Bond is a secret agent with a license to kill. For his latest mission, Bond poses as a rich gambler in the high class gambling mecca of Casino Royale. Tasked with sabotaging the plans of a Soviet double agent.
If you’ve seen the Daniel Craig movie this is very similar. I was shocked to find the torture scene was actually book accurate. I did not expect that from a book written in the 50’s. It almost seemed laughable, how much time was dedicated to his recovery from said torture. Not that it wouldn’t be painful, but most of the last 3rd of the book is spent on his convalescence.
While I enjoyed this story, be warned that you may be lost if you don’t know anything about the game of baccarat or speak/understand a bit of French.
I found myself having to look up the many French words that were used. I didn’t mind it but it was jarring at first. And I’ve watched enough Bond movies to be familiar with baccarat so that wasn’t an issue for me.
Overall it took a couple chapters to get going but I couldn’t put the book down once the main plot kicked in.
If you’ve seen the Daniel Craig movie this is very similar. I was shocked to find the torture scene was actually book accurate. I did not expect that from a book written in the 50’s. It almost seemed laughable, how much time was dedicated to his recovery from said torture. Not that it wouldn’t be painful, but most of the last 3rd of the book is spent on his convalescence.
While I enjoyed this story, be warned that you may be lost if you don’t know anything about the game of baccarat or speak/understand a bit of French.
I found myself having to look up the many French words that were used. I didn’t mind it but it was jarring at first. And I’ve watched enough Bond movies to be familiar with baccarat so that wasn’t an issue for me.
Overall it took a couple chapters to get going but I couldn’t put the book down once the main plot kicked in.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
I read this thinking I would read the whole James Bond series. The plot is exciting, though it doesn’t live up to its most recent movie version. The biggest disappointment was having to read James Bond’s constant misogynist thoughts. It changed my mind about reading the series.
This was really kind of bizarre to read actually, in like a time capsule sort of way? I don't know what I was expecting really, but it definitely wasn't this. (I suppose I was expecting the slickness of the modern movies or something, which this clearly doesn't have, or less about the Communist Threat, which this clearly does.)
There's a lot of references that I just didn't get, mostly about the decor of the casino and the clothing worn by the actors, which I assume would have been relevant at the time that this was published but isn't really now. Also, Fleming went out of his way to explain gambling in a way I didn't quite think was necessary, although might have been for a 1950s audience.
It was interesting to read in a way, but I wasn't much of a fan of the casual racism and misogyny in this, even though I assume it was more accepted in 1953. Also, it was quite strange how Fleming avoided talking about the torture Bond experiences in any noticeable way.
There's a lot of references that I just didn't get, mostly about the decor of the casino and the clothing worn by the actors, which I assume would have been relevant at the time that this was published but isn't really now. Also, Fleming went out of his way to explain gambling in a way I didn't quite think was necessary, although might have been for a 1950s audience.
It was interesting to read in a way, but I wasn't much of a fan of the casual racism and misogyny in this, even though I assume it was more accepted in 1953. Also, it was quite strange how Fleming avoided talking about the torture Bond experiences in any noticeable way.
At first, I found the book a bit confusing. Once I go used to Fleming's style, I began to enjoy it. It would have been more fun to read if I hadn't already seen the movie (which has a lot of similarities and a lot of differences).
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
I have loved the James Bond films since I was a kid and my grandad used to let me stay up late on Wednesdays to watch them on TV. So I thought it was about time I read one of the books!
Casino Royale is a relatively short and easy read. A few of the gambling descriptions had me baffled but you didn’t really need the full knowledge, just the gist, so I got by.
This book sees the introduction of Vesper Lynd, my favourite Bond girl in the films. So much so I named a beloved cat after her 🐈⬛
We watch as Bond and Vesper become close, and he starts to open up to the possibility of love. Then her betrayal at the end comes and I wonder whether he’ll ever open up to anyone again.
I may or may not read other Bond books 🤷🏼♀️ this one was free on audible.
Casino Royale is a relatively short and easy read. A few of the gambling descriptions had me baffled but you didn’t really need the full knowledge, just the gist, so I got by.
This book sees the introduction of Vesper Lynd, my favourite Bond girl in the films. So much so I named a beloved cat after her 🐈⬛
We watch as Bond and Vesper become close, and he starts to open up to the possibility of love. Then her betrayal at the end comes and I wonder whether he’ll ever open up to anyone again.
I may or may not read other Bond books 🤷🏼♀️ this one was free on audible.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Having watched the film several times, the story was familiar to me from the start. But the book has a different focus, different direction, and perhaps a different message. The film was adapted to carry themes relevant to a modern audience--terrorism, mostly--and the story as it turns out was completely re-written. M is a man in the book, and the game is baccarat, not poker.
What we have in the book is a story set in the Cold War. Le Chiffre, a Soviet agent of the fearsome organization SMERSH, was entrusted with a large sum to manage and control a French communist trade union. Le Chiffre oloses the money investing in brothels, which are outlawed shortly after he invests, and must find a way to make the money back. So he obviously goes to the casino, because that's easy money.
British intelligence (and others) catch wind of this development and send Bond to play in Le Chiffre's high-stakes baccarat game to ensure that he loses all his money--thereby ebbing the the creeping threat of communism in France. The service sends Vesper Lynd to assist Bond.
Overall, I was surprised by the quality of the writing. I enjoyed the untranslated French especially as adding to the overall mood of the book. Bond or Fleming (hard to say) have some especially problematic views toward women, which seem over-the-top and unnecessary reading the book 70-some-years later.
Nevertheless, the plot is short and moves along nicely. The end (I won't spoil it) is shocking. A good, quick read.
What we have in the book is a story set in the Cold War. Le Chiffre, a Soviet agent of the fearsome organization SMERSH, was entrusted with a large sum to manage and control a French communist trade union. Le Chiffre oloses the money investing in brothels, which are outlawed shortly after he invests, and must find a way to make the money back. So he obviously goes to the casino, because that's easy money.
British intelligence (and others) catch wind of this development and send Bond to play in Le Chiffre's high-stakes baccarat game to ensure that he loses all his money--thereby ebbing the the creeping threat of communism in France. The service sends Vesper Lynd to assist Bond.
Overall, I was surprised by the quality of the writing. I enjoyed the untranslated French especially as adding to the overall mood of the book. Bond or Fleming (hard to say) have some especially problematic views toward women, which seem over-the-top and unnecessary reading the book 70-some-years later.
Nevertheless, the plot is short and moves along nicely. The end (I won't spoil it) is shocking. A good, quick read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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