Excellent review. Ian Fleming is not my thing. I tried "Moonraker" once and gave up through lack of interest.
Your review helps me understand why I don't like him and why he was so immensely popular: he's wish-fulfillment face of violent, narcissistic, misogyny. He'd be the perfect hero for the Trump generation, if only he was American, a billionaire and liked to indulge in "locker room talk" when travelling on buses with men he barely knows.
I think Viv is a character many men would like to exist. A woman grown used to abuse. A woman one could not be accused of corrupting because she sees herself as no longer being an innocent. A woman who has enough spirit left to be fun to play with rather that a sad and apathetic burden. A woman you can use, tell yourself and her that she has cause to be grateful and then move on as if having had a particularly satisfying piss against a wall.
Sorry, my disgust is making me ramble.
Anyway, thanks for the warning on this one. Some of my reading is nostalgic and might have led me to waste time on this crap.
Thanks. The book and author lend themselves to rants. It was a truly sickening reading experience.
I was also stumped of how there was, with the exception of the two policemen at the very end of the book, not one decent male character in the whole book. Seriously, not a single one. Unless, of course Fleming truly believed Bond was a decent fellow...
Thanks. "Masturbatory twaddle" is still kinda on the light side of a description. I had to get stuff out of my system, and am truly glad to move on. There are only 3 books left in the series. If it weren't such fun reading with a buddy (Troy), I'd have kicked this project into touch after From Russia with Love.
Your review helps me understand why I don't like him and why he was so immensely popular: he's wish-fulfillment face of violent, narcissistic, misogyny. He'd be the perfect hero for the Trump generation, if only he was American, a billionaire and liked to indulge in "locker room talk" when travelling on buses with men he barely knows.
I think Viv is a character many men would like to exist. A woman grown used to abuse. A woman one could not be accused of corrupting because she sees herself as no longer being an innocent. A woman who has enough spirit left to be fun to play with rather that a sad and apathetic burden. A woman you can use, tell yourself and her that she has cause to be grateful and then move on as if having had a particularly satisfying piss against a wall.
Sorry, my disgust is making me ramble.
Anyway, thanks for the warning on this one. Some of my reading is nostalgic and might have led me to waste time on this crap.
I was also stumped of how there was, with the exception of the two policemen at the very end of the book, not one decent male character in the whole book. Seriously, not a single one. Unless, of course Fleming truly believed Bond was a decent fellow...