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drysers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It’s also interesting to observe how faithful the 2006 film version is and how much the dark elements that permeate the book helped to shape Daniel Craig’s Bond era.
Graphic: Car accident, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Misogyny, Death, and Murder
simply_fran's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Graphic: Sexism, Death, Torture, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide and Rape
ru_th's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
[…] The hero kills two villains, but when the hero Le Chiffre starts to kill the villain Bond and the villain Bond knows he isn’t a villain at all, you see the other side of the medal. The villains and heroes get all mixed up. Of course, […] patriotism comes along and makes it seem fairly all right, but this country-right-or-wrong business is getting a little out-of-date. Today we are fighting Communism. Okay. If I’d been alive fifty years ago, the brand of Conservatism we have today would have been damn near called Communism and we should have been told to go and fight that. History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Confinement, Drug use, Suicide, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
marianneiriss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
bronzeageholly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Torture
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Rape
nelia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Car accident and Misogyny
meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Parts of the book are very tense and page-turning, while others aren't anywhere near as fast-paced. The 2006 movie was a very good adaptation, in terms of how close it stuck to the novel, with the necessary updates and modifications (no one would carry a 40 million Euro check around, now would they? No. That's what wireless bank transfers are for). It does explain a lot about how Bond became Bond.
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Murder, Blood, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
illuminatedspace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape
sweekune's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The Bond movies are world renowned and enjoyed by millions. About 10 years ago I read some of the original books and really enjoyed them. Recently I've had an urge to read them again and luckily they have been mega cheap on Audible over the last year or so so I picked them up bit by bit and have the full collection.
- The books focus differently to the movies. Yes, you still get the fast cars, the espionage and the glamorous women but there's more focus on Bond himself, his instincts and how he does what he's doing. Certainly in Casino Royale there's a lot of technical information relayed, such as how to play Baccarat. Tech fans may also be disappointed at the lack of quirky gadgets, instead replaced with Bond's ingenuity with the tools available.
-The tone is far more serious that a lot of the films. The plot and the mystery are the focus, not humour.
- The section with the casino was very well described and portrayed. I particularly enjoyed how the book describes Bond's thought process while gambling.
-Vesper Lynd always was and remains by favourite woman in the Bond series. She is believable and her backstory makes sense and gives her behaviour real motivations.
- As you would expect with a book originally published in 1953, there are many sexist, misogynistic and outdated things said and done within this book.
I enjoyed the story of this book and the idea of James Bond. There are issues with this book, some of which are related to the time it was written, but overall it was an interesting and exciting read.
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, and Violence