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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I made it about half way. I tried to overlook the ridiculous sexist comments about silly emotional secretaries and the over-sexualized lady masseuses. And then I got half way through and a character brags how he kidnapped a gypsy girl and chained her up naked in his house as a sex slave. Seriously WTF! How did this even get published in the 50s?!??!
I liked this more than I expected, as I'm not a fan of the movies. Fleming's writing is quite sharp, and he has a good eye for description. There are some offensive moments, but overall the characters are more nuanced than I thought they would be.
Spoiler
The ending is really abrupt and bizarre.
There were some solid moments but overall I couldn't quite get into this one. I loved the smersh assassin and that they finally revealed more, and of course some solid action scenes. on to the next from Fleming!
I was ready to give it four stars until the terrible ending.
This one feels different from the other Bond novels I've read so far because Fleming spends a significant amount of page time (about a third of the book) writing from the perspective of the Russians. I enjoyed the change of pace.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Despite the occasional problematic moment in this day and age, From Russia With Love is one of the best spy thrillers of all time. You can feel the tension in (almost) every scene. I like the parallels between Grant and Bond. It ends on a cliff hanger that could probably only have been impactful when it came out. Overall very good.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes