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lmno5's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
drfoster's review against another edition
1.0
Still as misogynistic and racist as ever. A world in which rape is considered a small crime, and America is an annoying place to go to because you need to be considerate of race. If that wasn't bad enough, the story is boring and the plot points are recycled. three out of four books taking place at casino games.
juxley's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
ladyj317's review against another edition
2.0
lol these female characters have the worst backstories. i think i will be done w ian fleming for now
kraley's review against another edition
3.0
This was a delightful trip into the 60's wih James Bond. This is my first Fleming novel that I have read. It was a bit campy at times, but I enjoyed the travelogue through New York and Las Vegas. It was a great diversion.
orangeturtle00's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
stuporfly's review against another edition
4.0
Five books into my attempt to read the entirety of the James Bond series in the character's chronology (Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz, a recently published prequel to Ian Fleming's Bond debut, plus Fleming's first four Bond novels), and a pattern is emerging: James Bond gets the shit kicked out of him an awful lot. In the case of Diamonds Are Forever, we only get the prelude to Bond's beating, followed by its aftermath, and we're therefore left to imagine the worst. Colorful mob enforcers Wint and Kidd administer the bodily harm, and Bond's uncharacteristic inability to identify them as trouble later yields a grim scene aboard a transatlantic cruise ship.
Bond is still a chauvinistic prig - by now there's little point in hoping for otherwise - and a snob to boot. At times his observations of Las Vegas gamblers and revelers feels like a precursor to Patrick Bateman's cold inner monologue in American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
There is also the standard casual racism throughout the book, plus a particularly gruesome paragraph recounting some of the open racism in an earlier novel, Live and Let Die, a paragraph which ends with a terrible joke. These novels would be so much more enjoyable, at least from here, if Fleming's bigotry wasn't so prevalent. That it was apparently more acceptable back then isn't relevant at all.
The value in Diamonds Are Forever is in the plot, the intricacies of the criminal enterprise Bond is sent to infiltrate and destroy, and the often poetic minutiae of Fleming's prose. Whether he accurately describes gambling, as he does here for the third time in four novels, the author certainly makes it seem interesting.
Fun, too, is the window into a world of intrigue, circa 1956. Whether well-heeled and lushly ornate, or worn to the nub and dusty as fuck, the scenes are set beautifully.
It's also interesting to see what filmmakers took from Fleming's original story when Diamonds Are Forever hit the big screen in 1971. Certainly more here made the journey than the novel's predecessor, Moonraker. Some of the diamond smuggling is still there, and a bit of Las Vegas. Wint and Kidd aren't exactly as described in the book, but they were well cast in the film. Shady Tree onscreen is wholly unlike his portrayal on the page, and the film includes a few central characters that aren't anywhere near the plot in the book. Diamonds Are Forever isn't a bad James Bond film, but the book is better.
Bond is still a chauvinistic prig - by now there's little point in hoping for otherwise - and a snob to boot. At times his observations of Las Vegas gamblers and revelers feels like a precursor to Patrick Bateman's cold inner monologue in American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
There is also the standard casual racism throughout the book, plus a particularly gruesome paragraph recounting some of the open racism in an earlier novel, Live and Let Die, a paragraph which ends with a terrible joke. These novels would be so much more enjoyable, at least from here, if Fleming's bigotry wasn't so prevalent. That it was apparently more acceptable back then isn't relevant at all.
The value in Diamonds Are Forever is in the plot, the intricacies of the criminal enterprise Bond is sent to infiltrate and destroy, and the often poetic minutiae of Fleming's prose. Whether he accurately describes gambling, as he does here for the third time in four novels, the author certainly makes it seem interesting.
Fun, too, is the window into a world of intrigue, circa 1956. Whether well-heeled and lushly ornate, or worn to the nub and dusty as fuck, the scenes are set beautifully.
It's also interesting to see what filmmakers took from Fleming's original story when Diamonds Are Forever hit the big screen in 1971. Certainly more here made the journey than the novel's predecessor, Moonraker. Some of the diamond smuggling is still there, and a bit of Las Vegas. Wint and Kidd aren't exactly as described in the book, but they were well cast in the film. Shady Tree onscreen is wholly unlike his portrayal on the page, and the film includes a few central characters that aren't anywhere near the plot in the book. Diamonds Are Forever isn't a bad James Bond film, but the book is better.
erincataldi's review against another edition
3.0
Quite different than the movie, and filled with sexist, racist, and homophobic content. However, this was written in the fifties so I won't judge it through today's lens. Plot wise - I thought there would be much more about the diamonds, but really James Bond is seeing how far down the criminal pipeline he can go. They're pretty sure the source of illegal diamonds is from French Guinea (or around there) and they know they end up in America. It's up to Bond to pose as one of the low level carriers and see how far on the criminal trail he can get. His new job takes him to New York, Saratoga, and Vegas. These American mobsters are more methodical and organized than he gave them credit for and it's not as easy as a job as he assumed it would be. Lots of action, intrigue, some sex appeal, and unique villains. Classic James Bond.