Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Casino Royale

Casino Royale was the first James Bond book, and it's interesting. It's very dated to its time, and so it feels frozen, like a dragonfly in amber. I felt like a dictionary would have been helpful, or an edition where some of the references and vocabulary were explained. A working knowledge of baccarat would have been helpful, as well, since much of the plot of the first half of the book involved Bond's attempt to bankrupt le Chiffre at the baccarat table.

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.

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illuminatedspace's review against another edition

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challenging tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

A two instead of a 1 because they're is some semi interesting writing but it's very difficult to read. The femme fatale is helpless in ways that don't make any gd sense. Bond send to hate her but also want to sleep with her and marry her because??? I'll never read another Fleming novel or Bond book.

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sweekune's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Audiobook narrated by Dan Stevens.

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.

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