The Spy Who Loved Me: A James Bond Novel

Rating:
Summary: Woman's Point of View
Review: "The Spy Who Loved Me" is a very good book. My kids got me to read this one. This really is a different kind of James Bond story. It's told from a woman's point of view from the first page to the last. Ian Fleming is a much better author than I had imagined. Very good reading.

Rating:
Summary: "The Spy Who Loved Me" is an explosive, worthy listen!
Review:
It's been said that Ian Fleming was not fond of his book, "The Spy Who Loved Me". Since he placed a note at the book's beginning, claiming someone left the manuscript on his desk, one can guess that this might be true. Whatever the author's feelings were, "The Spy Who Loved Me" is an enjoyable novel, although it does differ from Fleming's other Bond novels.

"The Spy Who Loved Me" is unique for a James Bond novel, in that the story is told through the eyes of a "Bond Girl". Vivienne Michel recalls her travels, her new job at a motel and the danger she encounters one night at the hands of a couple thugs. Enter James Bond, who is more heroic than ever as he fights to be her savior.

In recent years, the Ian Fleming Bond novels have gone in and out of print. Don't hesitate to pick up "The Spy who Loved Me" and the other Bond books or tapes before they become impossible to find!

Rating:
Summary: Nobody does it better.
Review: I haven't seen the film of _The Spy Who Loved Me_, but I expect it has nothing at all to do with this book. I also suspect it isn't nearly as good as this book.

It's somewhat misleading to even call this a James Bond novel.

The main character is a woman, and the story is told from her perspective, in first person. She spends much of the book telling us of her first two love affairs, one with a teenage boy, and one with her German employer. She describes how each one excited her at first, and why each relationship went wrong.

Near the end of the book (page 90 of 143 in the old paperback edition I have), James Bond enters, and ultimately saves, her life. She sees that he is her ideal man, but, of course, their relationship cannot last, because he's James Bond.

There is some action toward the end, featuring the sort of gunfights and explosions you expect from a Bond story, but I found this to be the least interesting part, because we've seen all of that before.

Much more interesting was the exploration of what women do and do not want in a man, why James Bond is the sort of man that most women want, and how many women have a deep-seated desire to love and serve a strong, intelligent man like Bond.

The book was written by Ian Fleming, who was, of course, a man. Still, he seems to understand female psychology well. Undoubtedly this book, like all of the Bond novels, reflects a lot of what Fleming learned in his many worldy experiences during his short life.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Concept
Review: I really enjoyed THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. This novel gives the character of James Bond more humanity, integrity and a true sense of gallantry than all the other Fleming novels in a single read.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best if not The Best
Review: I'd never read a James Bond novel before, but I washousesitting one weekend and this was one of the only books in thehouse. I must say that it was very odd--not at all what I expected. I understand that the Bond films have very little to do with Ian Fleming's novels--mostly borrowing the titles and nothing more. But I wasn't prepared for how completely different this was. As some of the reviewers here point out, it's told from the point of view of a woman, and Bond only shows up in the last third of the novel. That's true, but what they don't say is that in both plot and tone it's really not an adventure novel. It has much more in common with the romance genre. Though there is some action at the end, the story is really about the heroine's coming of age, her growing wisdom about men, and her sexual awakening and growing sense of independence--as I said, the stuff of a traditional romance novel.

The action in the last third of the novel is neither convincing nor very exciting. Even Bond isn't really a very distinct character. He's sort of the tall, dark, handsome stranger who makes the heroine a woman--in fact, he's pretty interchangable with the hero of any romance novel. Since I'm not really a reader of romance novels, it may be unfair of me to give this novel only two stars. If you like that sort of thing, maybe this is a good read. But while the prose style is quite readable, I didn't think the book added up to much, and I certainly don't think it will satisfy anyone who expects a spy novel.

Rating:
Summary: An incredibly bad romance novel
Review: Reading "The Spy Who Loved Me" is like being trapped with a dull guest at a bad cocktail party. While you're waiting for Bond to show up, the heroine has you pinned in the corner, away from the drinks, telling you all about her sad childhood and her leaving home. While your eyes are scanning the room, she is telling you about her love life, her sexual exploits, the men who have used and discarded her, and a lot of other stuff you don't really want to hear about.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what else she talks about, because my attention started to wander. Instead of making an excuse about going to the bathroom, I began skipping chapters, looking for Bond. He showed up a third of the way through the book, wiht an excuse involving a case he'd just finished. This was by far the most excruciating part of the book, because, by this point, the contrast between the interesting exploits Bond recounted and the painfully dull book itself is just heartbreaking. Of course, by that point in the book, "A Field Guide to Birds in the West Indies" probably would have read like "Goldfinger."

Eventually, the book decides to take up the, um, plot. It's not worth the wait. Let's just say that, for a guy who's singlehandedly averted world war on more than one occasion, Slugsy and Horror -- yes, those are the villians' names -- must seem like a doozy of a step down. I won't spoil whatever surprises the book has by revealing their plan, but you can safely assume it falls just a tad short of stealing a nuclear warhead or destroying the gold in Fort Knox.

In short, this is, by far, the worst of the Bond novels. There's a reason why the movie has nothing to do with the book. You should do likewise.

Rating:
Summary: Different, but entertaining Bond book.
Review: This is a really unusual, but most enjoyable James
Bond book. As is often the case of the Bond novels
made into movies released in the 1970's, this novel
and the 1977 film have absolutely nothing in common
other than the title. But in this case even the main
character is different. Bond does not even appear
until the final third of the book.

The story is told in first person by a woman who
ultimately crosses Bond's path. "The Spy" is Bond and
"Me" is Fleming's main character, Vivienne Michel.
She is an attractive, single, 23-year old woman who
has been shafted by two lovers as the story begins.
The very idea of a 54-year old man writing a story
from the point of view of a woman more than 30 years
his junior is interesting. However, when the older
man is Fleming and known for creating characters with
names like Pussy Galore, it is not only interesting
but amusing!

The narrator, Vivienne, uses flashback to describe the
events of her life as the novel opens. As a naive
young girl she was burned by one lover and in spite of
that experience, she allows herself to be burned
again. At the completion of her trip down memory
lane, she suddenly finds herself in the clutches of
two thugs. She has no idea what they are up to except
that they want to harm her. It is, of course, Bond
who becomes her knight in shining armor and rescues
her in spite of his admitted carelessness.

There is a story within the story here as well. Bond
describes his most recent assignment, thwarting a
SPECTRE plot involving the attempted assassination of
a Soviet defector. It is a shame that this vignette
has never been the subject of a movie. The potential
for a good action flick is there.

Although much of the book reads more like a romance
novel than a spy thriller, it is never slow. The
action is good and there are some fine
characterizations as well. Fleming uses Vivienne to
make a statement about men (himself?) and their
treatment of women. Bond is compared to the bad guys
on multiple occasions. He is cut from the same cloth
as the bad guys, but without the evil. Recommended to
anyone who has seen the same old Bond formula many
times. You may find this a pleasant surprise.

Rating:
Summary: Different, but entertaining Bond book.
Review: This is a really unusual, but most enjoyable James
Bond book. As is often the case of the Bond novels
made into movies released in the 1970's, this novel
and the 1977 film have absolutely nothing in common
other than the title. But in this case even the main
character is different. Bond does not even appear
until the final third of the book.

The story is told in first person by a woman who
ultimately crosses Bond's path. "The Spy" is Bond and
"Me" is Fleming's main character, Vivienne Michel.
She is an attractive, single, 23-year old woman who
has been shafted by two lovers as the story begins.
The very idea of a 54-year old man writing a story
from the point of view of a woman more than 30 years
his junior is interesting. However, when the older
man is Fleming and known for creating characters with
names like Pussy Galore, it is not only interesting
but amusing!

The narrator, Vivienne, uses flashback to describe the
events of her life as the novel opens. As a naive
young girl she was burned by one lover and in spite of
that experience, she allows herself to be burned
again. At the completion of her trip down memory
lane, she suddenly finds herself in the clutches of
two thugs. She has no idea what they are up to except
that they want to harm her. It is, of course, Bond
who becomes her knight in shining armor and rescues
her in spite of his admitted carelessness.

There is a story within the story here as well. Bond
describes his most recent assignment, thwarting a
SPECTRE plot involving the attempted assassination of
a Soviet defector. It is a shame that this vignette
has never been the subject of a movie. The potential
for a good action flick is there.

Although much of the book reads more like a romance
novel than a spy thriller, it is never slow. The
action is good and there are some fine
characterizations as well. Fleming uses Vivienne to
make a statement about men (himself?) and their
treatment of women. Bond is compared to the bad guys
on multiple occasions. He is cut from the same cloth
as the bad guys, but without the evil. Recommended to
anyone who has seen the same old Bond formula many
times. You may find this a pleasant surprise.

Rating:
Summary: The Spy Who Loved Me: Yes! We Love You Very Much!
Review: This is only the 5th Bond Book that I have read, but it is definately one of the best! It takes a different turn by making the whole book through the eyes of the Bond girl, Vivienne Michel. I also loved that it was plain and simple. No bio-war fare, or fancy villain plans, just two gangsters who want insurance money. Taking away the fancy plot made it easier to focus on the characters and the fantastic writing. So, BUY THIS BOOK! IT's GREAT! (even throughout the soap-opra-ish first half.)

Rating:
Summary: Nobody Does It Better
Review: This masterpiece by Ian Fleming is judged too harshly by narrow-minded Bond fanatics. I've only read about three Bond books, this included, and I am very partial to this one. Everything goes agaisnt `The Formula'. The villains are unsophisticated stooges, Bond doesn't show up until we are done with two-thirds of the book and, in one of Fleming's most inspired endeavors, we see everything from the perspective of a woman. If anything, this book proves to be one hell of a psycho-study. We've all seen Bond seducing women left and write, whether on the screen or bound in a book, but what do we know of the women he's had? A simple fling can mean the world to a young woman secuded by a charming and mysterious fellow. This book, shining just as bright as the others, stands out among most works of fiction. There is real depth from the first page to the last sentence.