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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
A light, but none the less enthralling crime read that had me falling further in love with this British icon.
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There's probably little doubt Fleming is an early master of the thriller with the iconic 007: James Bond. It can't be avoided, however, that his work can be racist and misogynistic at times. Of all of them, this is primarily the most racist.
In this entry, 007 is tasked with finding the location of an old English treasure hoard being funneled by gangsters to Soviet contacts. The leader of these gangsters is Mr. Big, an Afro-American from Haiti and trained by Soviet death engine SMERSH. Along the way, Bond meets the enigmatic Solitaire, Mr. Big's white seer woman, and Bond must rescue her and stop Mr. Big's funneling of funds to Soviet accounts.
This is a perfectly capable plot at it's core, but the semi-casual racism makes it problematic in a modern-day context. The basic plot of Bond rescuing the white woman from a gang of Harlem blacks is troublesome already. There's also the calling of Afro-American blacks as "negros" and Fleming's occasional pandering (?) with sympathetic black characters that still occasionally rely on racial stereotypes. Only one character could be somewhat reasonably out of this pattern, but the influence on the plot is small enough it can't really make up for still using the occasional stereotype in their portrayal. While some of this could be explained by feelings in the 1960s, it is good for modern readers to know both the time context and the potential problems caused.
In this entry, 007 is tasked with finding the location of an old English treasure hoard being funneled by gangsters to Soviet contacts. The leader of these gangsters is Mr. Big, an Afro-American from Haiti and trained by Soviet death engine SMERSH. Along the way, Bond meets the enigmatic Solitaire, Mr. Big's white seer woman, and Bond must rescue her and stop Mr. Big's funneling of funds to Soviet accounts.
This is a perfectly capable plot at it's core, but the semi-casual racism makes it problematic in a modern-day context. The basic plot of Bond rescuing the white woman from a gang of Harlem blacks is troublesome already. There's also the calling of Afro-American blacks as "negros" and Fleming's occasional pandering (?) with sympathetic black characters that still occasionally rely on racial stereotypes. Only one character could be somewhat reasonably out of this pattern, but the influence on the plot is small enough it can't really make up for still using the occasional stereotype in their portrayal. While some of this could be explained by feelings in the 1960s, it is good for modern readers to know both the time context and the potential problems caused.
Bond is back, and this time he's in America, rooting out SMERSH through their Harlem contact, "Mr. Big." Someone is selling gold coins, part of Sir Henry Morgan's treasure, to fund socialist interests in America. Bond is sent to throw a wrench in the plans. Mr. Big is larger than life and has absolute power, partially because he is believed to be the zombie of a voodoo leader - and also because he incredibly brutal. Solitaire, a psychic, is brought in to help Mr. Big determine Bond's plans, but she foils Mr. Big and lies as to Bond's intentions. Cruel and unyielding, Mr. Big isn't satisfied to let Bond - or anyone working with him - have a pass.
I wasn't in love with this book. After thoroughly enjoying Casino Royale, which I thought was so smart and well paced, Live and Let Die felt onerous and heavy. Felix Leiter is back, and his and Bond's friendship was one of my favorite parts of the book. However, though Simon Vance's narration was stellar as usual, the latter half of the book seemed to drag. We knew where the gold was coming from, Mr. Big had killed or maimed what seemed like a dozen people, and here we were, following them to Jamaica for a showdown.
Plus, Bond was out of his element. America is very different from the UK, and Harlem in the 50s is unlike anything Bond has experienced. The overt racism was really difficult to get through, though it certainly shed light as to how African Americans and Jamaican Americans were treated even during that time period.
All in all, I will definitely continue with the series; this was just a bit of a miss for me.
I wasn't in love with this book. After thoroughly enjoying Casino Royale, which I thought was so smart and well paced, Live and Let Die felt onerous and heavy. Felix Leiter is back, and his and Bond's friendship was one of my favorite parts of the book. However, though Simon Vance's narration was stellar as usual, the latter half of the book seemed to drag. We knew where the gold was coming from, Mr. Big had killed or maimed what seemed like a dozen people, and here we were, following them to Jamaica for a showdown.
Plus, Bond was out of his element. America is very different from the UK, and Harlem in the 50s is unlike anything Bond has experienced. The overt racism was really difficult to get through, though it certainly shed light as to how African Americans and Jamaican Americans were treated even during that time period.
All in all, I will definitely continue with the series; this was just a bit of a miss for me.
Very different to the movies. Well narrated. Think I prefer the movie.
3.3/5
Quality of writing: 3
Plot development: 4
Pace: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of reading: 3
"You start to die the moment you are born. The whole of life is cutting through the pack with death. So take it easy. Light a cigarette and be grateful you are still alive as you suck the smoke deep into your lungs."
Quality of writing: 3
Plot development: 4
Pace: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of reading: 3
"You start to die the moment you are born. The whole of life is cutting through the pack with death. So take it easy. Light a cigarette and be grateful you are still alive as you suck the smoke deep into your lungs."
“Those who deserve to die, die the death they deserve.”
The first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was full of casual sexism, which is probably expected given that it was written in the 50's. It was also a mediocre action/spy 'thriller'.
Live and Let Die, the second in the series, does a bit better on the thrills. It also doubles-down on the sexism, but that's easy to overlook because of the MASSIVE amount of racism going on.
It was probably a pretty good thriller for its time, but it's barely readable now.
This time Bond finds himself trying to track down coins (I guess) in the US and later Jamaica. There's an early bombing attempt, a whole lot of torture, gun fights, and multiple shark incidents. Oh, and at one point Bond fights an octopus (that part was frankly ludicrous). The tension builds pretty well, the villain is excellent, and I kind of appreciate that Bond isn't presented as super-human, but instead keeps failing, almost-dying, losing at a few points, getting injured and captured over and over again. He doesn't actually play a very active role in his own big-win at the end of the novel, he kind of wins by dumb luck. I guess that's kind of fun.
But there are so many issues with this book. There's basically one female character, and upon surviving a near-death experience, her main concern is finding the right shade of lipstick. Seriously. And if sexism isn't enough... there are a lot of black characters in this novel, and they're all problematic. From the way their speech patterns are used to how their beliefs in Voodoo are mocked, to cringy scenes in a diner and a strip club, to the copious use of the n-word.
It would be easy to dismiss the racism here as a product of the time when the novel was written. You might even argue that the main villain's depiction is actually ahead of its time - Mr. Big is a really good villain, intelligent, physically intimidating, well-organized with his far-reaching organization. At some point Mr. Big himself comments on the slow rise of black people in America, and it's an interesting take. But the thing is, the presence of one 'modern' black character doesn't excuse to overarching casual racism. It also doesn't overcome some of the more ridiculous action scenes.
Overall, Live and Let Die is probably a better thriller than its predecessor, but it's just difficult to read in this day and age. Can't recommend.
Live and Let Die, the second in the series, does a bit better on the thrills. It also doubles-down on the sexism, but that's easy to overlook because of the MASSIVE amount of racism going on.
It was probably a pretty good thriller for its time, but it's barely readable now.
This time Bond finds himself trying to track down coins (I guess) in the US and later Jamaica. There's an early bombing attempt, a whole lot of torture, gun fights, and multiple shark incidents. Oh, and at one point Bond fights an octopus (that part was frankly ludicrous). The tension builds pretty well, the villain is excellent, and I kind of appreciate that Bond isn't presented as super-human, but instead keeps failing, almost-dying, losing at a few points, getting injured and captured over and over again. He doesn't actually play a very active role in his own big-win at the end of the novel, he kind of wins by dumb luck. I guess that's kind of fun.
But there are so many issues with this book. There's basically one female character, and upon surviving a near-death experience, her main concern is finding the right shade of lipstick. Seriously. And if sexism isn't enough... there are a lot of black characters in this novel, and they're all problematic. From the way their speech patterns are used to how their beliefs in Voodoo are mocked, to cringy scenes in a diner and a strip club, to the copious use of the n-word.
It would be easy to dismiss the racism here as a product of the time when the novel was written. You might even argue that the main villain's depiction is actually ahead of its time - Mr. Big is a really good villain, intelligent, physically intimidating, well-organized with his far-reaching organization. At some point Mr. Big himself comments on the slow rise of black people in America, and it's an interesting take. But the thing is, the presence of one 'modern' black character doesn't excuse to overarching casual racism. It also doesn't overcome some of the more ridiculous action scenes.
Overall, Live and Let Die is probably a better thriller than its predecessor, but it's just difficult to read in this day and age. Can't recommend.
I was worried about being turned off by the misogyny in this book, but I was too distracted by all the casual racism to really notice. You can make the "it's off its time" argument, but I'm not having it but just because an attitude or practice was commonplace at one time does not excuse it. Yes, societal norms change, but again they change for a reason.
Even overlooking that, the story itself is disappointing and surprisingly for a Bond adventure, pretty dull. This is not movie 007. This is just some guy who, honestly, does not seem all that good at his job. And, again overlooking the racism for a moment, there is a promise of a voodoo plot line that is oddly wasted.
Also, in case you were wondering, there's plenty of misogyny as well.
Even overlooking that, the story itself is disappointing and surprisingly for a Bond adventure, pretty dull. This is not movie 007. This is just some guy who, honestly, does not seem all that good at his job. And, again overlooking the racism for a moment, there is a promise of a voodoo plot line that is oddly wasted.
Also, in case you were wondering, there's plenty of misogyny as well.