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The Spy Who Loved Me
  
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The Spy Who Loved Me (Hardcover)

by Ian Fleming (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2.0 out of 5 stars A Somewhat Flawed Bond Novel Experiment, Jun 17 2005
By J Bond (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Spy Who Loved Me (Paperback)
Ian Fleming's tenth James Bond number is a departure from the usual mold of a Bond story:the entire tale is told from a female viewpoint. The first third of the novel details two past love affairs of Vivienne Michel's (the main character) life. Twice she is burned by men, and she eventually decides to go to America to start a new life. There she finds employment at a cheap motel where she works as a desk clerk. This first part of the novel is probably the best part, it is a very interesting in-depth character study. Although Fleming's efforts to understand female psychology are to be commended, it just doesn't work well in a Secret Service story.
The second part of the story is definitely the worst. It introduces the "vilians", actually small-time thugs. They characters may seem scary to Vivienne but a Bond reader expects more. Some readers appreciate the change from the usual super-villain, and this is welcome, but the thugs could have been much better drawn out to be made into more menacing characters.
In the final third of the story, Bond arrives. It seems almost pointless to include him in the story at all. BOnd has no character in this novel, he is simply a "night in shining armour". He is as two-dimensional as cardboard. All the fleshing out of his character throughout the books since CASINO ROYALE seems to dissappear here, as if it never happened. Althoug this part of the book is the most thrilling, it does not measure up to Vivienne's flashbacks. Some readers criticize the gunfight at the novel's end as "just the usual, nothing special", etc. This is not true. The battle is cleverly thought out. For the first time since perhaps the fight against The Robber in Mr. Big's warehouse in LIVE AND LET DIE, Bond must plan his strategy carefully. Certain routes are covered by enemy gunfire, and Horror and Sluggsy's efficient tactics even get the reader thinking, "How is James going to get out of this one?" It simulates an actually battlefield experience. The scene with Sluggsy attempting to assassinate Bond and Vivienne at the end is quite horrifying as well.
I won't lie: I couldn't put this book down. It's pretty good. But not as a James Bond story. His inclusion seems unnecessary, and contrived. It takes away from what could have been a genuinly great suspense tale about a girl trying to survive on her own against two vicious thugs. As it stands, it's just an action/romance tale on a very small scale.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Different, but entertaining Bond book., Jun 1 2004
This review is from: The Spy Who Loved Me (Paperback)
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.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Spy Who Loved Me: Yes! We Love You Very Much!, April 1 2004
By Thomas A. Thompson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Spy Who Loved Me (Paperback)
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.)
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Nobody does it better.
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. Read more
Published on Mar 25 2004 by J. H. Huebert

5.0 out of 5 stars Woman's Point of View
"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. Read more
Published on Nov 4 2003 by kametamorphic

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Concept
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... Read more
Published on Oct 24 2003 by gobirds2

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