happyanddandy Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 The Blurb on the back - Trying to escape her tangled past, Vivienne Michel has run away to the American backwoods, ending up at the Dreamy Pines Motor Court. A far cry from the privileged world she was born to, the motel is also the destination of two hardened killers - the perverse Sol Horror and the deadly Sluggsy Morant - who have her in their sadistic sights. When a coolly charismatic Englishman turns up, Viv is not just hopeful, but fascinated. Because he is James Bond.. 007: the man she hopes will save her, the spy she hopes will love her.... Review I saw the film many years ago and could not remember the story apart from the character of Jaws with his scary metal teeth. Not a partcularly memorable occasion. A spy/thriller novel would be not be my usual choice of book genre however it was only 164 pages long so I coould polish it off quickly. It began well. A detailed account of a young Canadian woman Vivienne Michel and her two failed love affairs in England that distressed her enough to force her to leave behind her former life for an adventure on a Vespa in the USA. The book is divided into three sections and James Bond is nowhere to be found until halfway throught the second section. At this point there are some vivid descriptions of gratuitous violence towards Vivienne by two thugs called Horror and Sluggsy who turn up at the motel where she is working. I almost stopped reading at this point as I cannot bear to read this sort of material normally. James Bond, the handsome manly hero just happens to be in the vicinity to rescue her and kill the two thugs. Of course Vivienne despite being badly beaten up falls in love with James but understands that he must go on with his career. I couldn't wait to finish reading this, it wasn't exciting or particularly interesting. I could not recommend it to anyone apart from James Bond/Ian Fleming fans. Quote
Maureen Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 Some books/stories are great when they first come out, but they lose their appeal after a decade or two! We have a thread about this somewhere! Quote
happyanddandy Posted September 23, 2007 Author Posted September 23, 2007 I kept that in mind while I was reading it. No mobile phones and such like. However the descriptions of violence toward the main female character were I suppose, timeless? My original plan was to pass the book to my 14 year old son to read and review as he is a James Bond fan. I am glad I didn't now. Quote
supergran71 Posted September 24, 2007 Posted September 24, 2007 I kept that in mind while I was reading it. No mobile phones and such like. However the descriptions of violence toward the main female character were I suppose, timeless? My original plan was to pass the book to my 14 year old son to read and review as he is a James Bond fan. I am glad I didn't now. Not much of a story was it, I wonder how they spun it out into a 2 hour film!! Quote
Maureen Posted September 24, 2007 Posted September 24, 2007 Oh - probably lots of scenes involving eyes meeting across the room/space, long kisses, close ups of fluttering lashes, giggling, pouring of wine/champagne, unloosening of ties, flinging off of clothes, need I go on? Quote
supergran71 Posted September 25, 2007 Posted September 25, 2007 Oh - probably lots of scenes involving eyes meeting across the room/space, long kisses, close ups of fluttering lashes, giggling, pouring of wine/champagne, unloosening of ties, flinging off of clothes, need I go on? You're right of course:irked: Quote
pontalba Posted September 27, 2007 Posted September 27, 2007 Actually the producer of the Bond films did not use the story, he only bought the title and rights to the book. The Spy Who Loved Me film Quote
muggle not Posted September 27, 2007 Posted September 27, 2007 Many years ago I was a fan of the James Bond films and the books of Ian fleming. I had a paperback collection of every book in the James Bond series. Eventually I gave them to the library. I enjoyed them at the time but would not be interested in reading them nowadays.............time marches on. Quote
pontalba Posted September 27, 2007 Posted September 27, 2007 I'd have to agree that they are dated a bit. Has anyone read The Life of Ian Fleming by John Pearson? He was a fascinating man, with a varied and interesting life himself. I first read them when I was a teenager, but they don't age that well. Quote
happyanddandy Posted September 27, 2007 Author Posted September 27, 2007 Someone was keen as I sold it very quickly indeed! Quote
Severnlad Posted October 23, 2007 Posted October 23, 2007 Best book I ever read by Ian Fleming was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" much better than any James Bond books. Quote
scottishbookworm Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 he had a house in Jamica called "Golden Eye" that enspired the title of the book and movie! Quote
scottishbookworm Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Best book I ever read by Ian Fleming was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" much better than any James Bond books. that's true he did write "chitty chitty bang bang!!" I know it's hard to believe:typing: Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.