Rating: 
Summary: okay--I guess
Review: "Diamonds are Forever" does what it sets ought to do: keeps you turning pages, let's you pretend to be the unflappable enigmatic spy. I don't see that James Bond does what he sets out to do in it, though. He never learns more than what the British Secret Service knew already. So he knocks off a few mobsters? They're easily replaced by their underlings, and, besides, mobsters themselves are always knocking off of few mobsters. (As Woody Allen says about intellectuals, they only kill their own.) I liked best the ocean liner cruise--as I liked best in "From Russia with Love" the train ride--, but it seems to me it would have made a lot more sense to fly. I suppose if you want logical, carefully constructed plots you shouldn't bother with James Bond, but this one strikes me as particularly hole-ridden. Oh, well.Recommended: John Le Carre's "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and his "The Russia House".
Rating: 
Summary: James Bond is Forever
Review: "Diamonds are Forever" is a good intro for Americans who haven't read Bond before, as James is sent to the States to track down the head of a diamond smuggling operation. Of course, since the bad guy is a Yank, he's a good old mobster, and Bond gets to see New York, Saratoga and Las Vegas in his travels. I quite enjoyed "Diamonds..." It is quite different from the films, and possibly from the following novels, in that there is not a lot of the gadgetry, machismo, and sex that I've seen in movies like "Goldfinger." This is good old action/adventure, with a little romance thrown in. The characters are well fleshed out, and, as a whole, well written. Furthermore, the plot is straight forward, so if you want easy reading, this is it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Scorpion Strikes in: Diamonds are Forever
Review: A book for all spy and or Bond enthuists
Rating:
Summary: Read it for Tiffany
Review: A regrettable sense of ennui permeates Diamonds are Forever, Ian Fleming's fourth novel featuring British secret agent James Bond. It is obvious that Fleming was starting to grow bored with his most famous creation and, as a result, Diamonds are Forever lacks the thrill-ride atmosphere that distinguishes the best of Fleming's books. For the first time, Bond deals with villians outside of the realm of the Soviet Union and the Spangled Mob, a rather anonymous group of American gangsters, never come across as worthy adversaries. While Bond, himself, is drawn with the usual finnesse (and displays a grimly cynical outlook that stands in stark contrast to his previous appearances), the rest of the characters -- with one important exception -- are rather forgettable and Bond's mission (to stop a jewelry smuggling ring) is rather pedestrian. However, this book does feature one truly exceptional feature and that is the character of Tiffany Case. A ruthless, yet at time touchingly vulnerable, smuggler, Case is one of Fleming's strongest female characters and her romance with Bond is the book's highlight. As opposed to the other women who populate many of Fleming's books, Case comes across as a truly capable heroine in her own right and it is easy to see why Bond ends up truly falling for her with an intensity to match his feelings for Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale and, later, Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Even if the book's plot is less than enthralling, it is impossible not to get caught up in the fate of Tiffany's and Bond's dangerous romance and to not hope the best for both of them. Fleming is often criticized as being a sexist but in Tiffany Case, he creates a fascinating female character who can proudly stand against the cardboard femme fatales that have populated so many Bond-influenced spy thrillers since. In the end, whatever the book's flaws, just the chance to make the acquaintance of Tiffany Case makes this book worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Read it for Tiffany
Review: A regrettable sense of ennui permeates Diamonds are Forever, Ian Fleming's fourth novel featuring British secret agent James Bond. It is obvious that Fleming was starting to grow bored with his most famous creation and, as a result, Diamonds are Forever lacks the thrill-ride atmosphere that distinguishes the best of Fleming's books. For the first time, Bond deals with villians outside of the realm of the Soviet Union and the Spangled Mob, a rather anonymous group of American gangsters, never come across as worthy adversaries. While Bond, himself, is drawn with the usual finnesse (and displays a grimly cynical outlook that stands in stark contrast to his previous appearances), the rest of the characters -- with one important exception -- are rather forgettable and Bond's mission (to stop a jewelry smuggling ring) is rather pedestrian. However, this book does feature one truly exceptional feature and that is the character of Tiffany Case. A ruthless, yet at time touchingly vulnerable, smuggler, Case is one of Fleming's strongest female characters and her romance with Bond is the book's highlight. As opposed to the other women who populate many of Fleming's books, Case comes across as a truly capable heroine in her own right and it is easy to see why Bond ends up truly falling for her with an intensity to match his feelings for Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale and, later, Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Even if the book's plot is less than enthralling, it is impossible not to get caught up in the fate of Tiffany's and Bond's dangerous romance and to not hope the best for both of them. Fleming is often criticized as being a sexist but in Tiffany Case, he creates a fascinating female character who can proudly stand against the cardboard femme fatales that have populated so many Bond-influenced spy thrillers since. In the end, whatever the book's flaws, just the chance to make the acquaintance of Tiffany Case makes this book worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Compare to The Sapphire Sea, Madagascar
Review: After I read all the Wilbur Smith novels, I moved on to other african thrillers. This Bond book fits the bill, but John Robinson's The Sapphire Sea, was better.
Rating: 
Summary: See the film burn the book!
Review: An almost unreadable entry in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. 007 takes on the mafia. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible movie, great book
Review: Anyone who has seen the movie version of Diamonds are Forever will agree that it ranks down there with A View to a Kill as one of the worst Bond movies ever. Happily, the book is nothing like the movie. In fact, it is extremely difficult to see how the book and the movie are related at all, except for the fact that they both have Wint and Kidd. Overall the book is outstanding - the plot is intriuging, with interesting characters and some excellent action scenes. As usual Fleming brings the sensitive writing of literary fiction to the spy-thriller genre, and the result is some very beautiful passages. Although there are a few cartoonish moments as in any Bond book, the novel is saved by the complexity and soft touch Flemming brings to Bond's character and his feelings for Tiffany Case, the woman who has sworn never to love a man. Surely Tiffany is one of the most intruiging of the girls bond meets in the novels in that Bond has very mixed feelings for her. This book is so good that you want to find who ignored everything in it when writing the movie. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: No bad
Review: Diamonds Are Forever is pretty good. It has a really good story, but there's not that much action. It kinda takes a while to get going, and when it finally does get going, it goes back to being boring real quick. But if you like Fleming and you like James Bond, you should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: James Bond battles the Spangled Mob!
Review: Diamonds are Forever is the fourth James Bond novel, and is considered to be not as high of quality of the others 007 novels.
The main problem is peraps that Ian Fleming brought too many travel locales into the story and did not focus enough on developing the characters. Tiffiany Case is indeed very exciting, but the villians are a little lacking. Still, Diamonds are Forever is still a very exciting adventerous tale of 007. James Bond's assignment is to shut down an evil diamond smuggling operation that operates out of Africa. A smuggler, Peter Franks has been captured and Bond goes undercover to take his place. Bond learns of a Rufus B. Saye, who he suspects is part of this smuggling operation. bond also meets the mysterious Tiffany Case, who works as a smuggler and informs Bond that he has to take the diamonds to Shady Tree in New York. Before Bond leaves for America he is informed by M that Rufus B. Saye is actually a mobster called Jack Spang. Jack Spang and his brother Serrafimo Spang are the real men that control this smuggling pipeline. Bond goes to New York and delivers the diamonds and also meets up with Felix Leiter, to help him investigate. Bond also meets the hitmen, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint who almost kill Bond. Bond then travels to Las Vegas with Tiffany Case where he is captured and taken to a place called Specterville. Spectreville is a reconstruction of a Western town where Serrafimo Spang operates. Bond escapes and is chased by Spang by train. Tiffany helps Bond, and Bons shoots and kills Serrafimo Spang. Together, bond and Tiffany travel back to Britain overseas, where they confront one last time Wint and Kidd. Bond shoots and kills both of the hitmen. Bond learns that Jack Spang has gone back to Sierra Leone to kill all the smugglers, close the pipeline and mode on to other areas of crime. Bond gets the upper hand when he shoots down and kills Spang in his helicopter. Diamonds are Forever, while not the finest 007 novel is still filled with exciting, adventerous, thrilling action from the beginning to the end!
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